Image source, Rachael Bridger
- Author, Jane Rennard
- Role, BBC News, Gloucestershire
A military veteran confessed to his goddaughter on her wedding day that he personally took the plans for D-Day to senior officers.
Rachel Bridger had been talking to her godfather Tom Wilcox, who was a young recruit in 1944, while standing for photographs at her wedding in 1997.
Taking in the views of Portsmouth as they talked, Mr Wilcox said that when he was a private he was asked to take a package along the Hampshire coast to Southsea Castle.
On arrival he said he was thanked and told: “It’s top secret. Don’t tell anybody, but these are the plans for D-Day.”
Portsmouth and Southampton were key locations in the operation to send tens of thousands of soldiers across the English Channel to the landing sites in Normandy.
Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Ms Bridger said: “He’d actually rode the D-Day plans down the South Coast!
“He was quite young at the time, and it’s quite amazing to think that they would find a young recruit to go.”
Ms Bridger said she was glad he shared his secret with her, but they were interrupted before he could add more details.
She said: “It was a very busy day and you know – someone tells you a story like this and you want to hear more!”
Image source, Getty Images
Later in life, Ms Bridger mentioned the story to Mr Wilcox’s daughter and was surprised she’d never heard the tale.
Ms Bridger said: “Men of that era didn’t talk about what happened, so I was delighted I could share it with her.”
After the war Mr Wilcox remained in the army and became an electrical engineering lecturer at Beachley army base, his goddaughter said.
He then went on to become the mayor and later the Liberal Democrat councillor for Lydney in Gloucestershire.
“People are very proud of the military on the coast,” Ms Bridger, who still lives in Hampshire, said.
“There’s a huge amount of history on our doorstep here, so I’m very fortunate and I feel very proud of Tom.
“He did exactly what he was told to do – the orders were very specific, but that document was so important.
“Thousands were in those camps along the south coast and the future of the war depended on those plans around the world.
“It must have blown his mind to realise that he had been just a tiny part of it, but entrusted with such an important part.”
