Thought I would post some pictures of my trip to Normandy this year. I Stayed at Ranville in a campsite, and lets say it was very wet this year after the heat of the 60th. Ranville church tower (old one) Plaque at bottom of church tower You can see where the church received hits from German fire The church and old tower topped with the flag of Normandy. Now this cem at Ranville is known for its airborne graves but there are many from other different regiments and divisions and not just airborne.
I often spend ages just reading the personal inscripstions on the bottom of the graves These two graves touching side by side are men from the 22nd Dragoon Guards RAC (tank troopers) obviously killed inside their tank and buried like this for ease. I thought this one was very apt This is the plaque in Ranville mentioning that it was the first village to be liberated in Normandy and in honour of 13th Para
After my visit to Ranville I drove down to the bridges to have a nose, I wanted to find the spot where they built the first Bailey bridge over the Caen canal that Brian had mentioned, and which is in the Pegasus museum, I also wanted to have a nose around Le Port which is right or South of the junction at Benouville. Now the bailey bridge was built about 7 hundred yards up from Pegasus bridge towards the Benouville chateau, that Wally Parr fired on thinking there were enemy snipers in posistion. There apparently was not, just women and children as it was being used for maternity purposes. After the war the French people thought it had been the Germans firing on the building in retaliation of the invasion, unbeknown to them it had been number one gun Wally Parr From Bailey bridge marker to the Canal bridge, gives you some idea of the distance. The writing on the marker is faded now and is pretty unreadable Well, next stop was Le Port, this place was to be taken by 7th Para who landed not long after the Ox and Bucks. Now 7th Para had the famous Richard Todd and the famously named Pine Coffin its CO. Anyone who has read Denis Edwards book will know of his meeting with Tood and Pine Coffin, and it is a classic. Also not many know that Major Howard and the OB's were under the command of Pine Coffin when he arrived at the bridges, 7th Para moved over the bridges to take up defensive posistions in Le Port and Benouville. As you come up from the bridge you now come to a roundabout which was once a T junction, this is the place that Wagger Thornton knocked out the French Renault tank with his PIAT. If you go right (North) you go into Le Port and if you go Left (South) your in Benouville, this is the direction that the German counter attack came. It was in this area around the T junction that German snipers up in the Le Port church tower were shooting at the British Paras and the Ox and Bucks. Corporal Killeen using a PIAT finally put the tower out of business, but he felt rather bad afterwards for damaging a house of God and made the sign of a cross on his chest after entering, there was more than one dead German sniper in the tower though. Tower hit by Corporal Killeen There are also 22 graves in the churchyard of the Ox and Bucks and 7th Para. One of these graves is of a private McGee 7th Para who should have won the VC according to some 7th Para vets I chatted to the next day at the Gondree cafe. " At about 10.30qm 3 large German tanks came rumbling along the main road from the direction of Caen. They stopped near the Chateau gates. Then the leading tank lowered its gun and fired a shell at the end of our posistion, Private McGee, who was near the main road picked up his Bren gun then started to walk up the middle of the road towards the tanks, firing the Bren gun from the hip. As one magazine became empty, he replaced it with a new one, discarding the empty mag on the road side. We could hear the bullets richocheting off the steel armour plating, the leading tank immediately closed down his visor thus making him blind to all things infront. Corporal Killen realised what was happening and ran up the side of the road, taking two gammon bombs. He threw the first bomb and it hit the leading tank where the turret meets the body, which nearly blew the turret off. He threw the second but it fell short, landing against the tanks track which was promptly blown off. This tank now tried to escape but, having only one good track, it went round in circles, so the crew baled out and were shot by MeGee." That was taken from "The tale of Two bridges"
Anyway Saturday morning I awoke to RAIN but the plan was to head to Bayeux war cem where I had been asked by a vet friend (8th rfile brigade, 11th AD) Eric Patience, to put some poppy crosses on 5 graves for him. 4 of them were killed at place in Normandy called St Martin's where a MG42 mowed them down with one burst. Eric and the rest of his platoon buried them in a field and later on after the war was amazed to find that the CWGC had buried the 4 together at Bayeux war cem as Eric had done after they had been killed. The other grave I had to find and put a cross on was of Eric's best friend and platoon commander Peter Bisset who gratefully John found for Eric last year and photographed the grave from him. the 4 graves of Erics friends, The Rfile brigade (London rifle brigade) The first lad from the left was 21 and on the bottom of his gravestone is inscribed, "Our dear beloved youngest son Morris, may you rest in peace, Dad mum and Victor. The next lad was 22 and must have been Jewish as he has a Star of David on his stone, which the inscription at the bottom reading "Treasured memories of my dearest husband, sadly missed by all". Now the next one got to me, he was 39 and his inscription read, "You'll ever be my sweetheart, and our daddy" then the names of his wife and children . Next another lad of 23 who had wrote on the bottom, " Death divides but memories remain, Til we meet again. We then found Peter's grave and this is what Eric had to say about him last year Russians buried next to Canadians and also Poles
All these graves in the front row are from the 49th Recce regiment of the RAC, they all died on the 27th June or the day before or the day after, but most were on the 27th. probably from the closing stages of Operation Martlet This is what I think must have been a bomber crew Next stop was Cristot to look at the Green Howards memorial which is a statue of Stan Hollis VC
Arromanches The rain was still coming down, but the place was full of veterans, and especially the museum which kept having coaches of the Normandy veterans Association turning up. In their honour there was a Scots band marching up and down the roads and they were very popular. They did the ladies from Hell proud. Now these two old fellas were sat on the corner of a cafe on the sea front, look at the Para on the right, notice the SAS badges? and also he has a Recce reg blazer badge :huh: woah bet he could tell some stories, the other chap is not short in the medal department either Listening to the band and also not being able to walk 5 yards without being stopped and asked questions and have their hands shook were these two vets standing to attention I saw this picture on the side of a cafe wall, I thought it was very good. A section of the Mullberry harbour The Scots band entertaing the crowds outside a cafe where many veterans were sat having a VERY early beer
After our travels to Bayeux, Cristot, Cruelly, Arromanches and then Juno beach, we headed back to the bridges to see if things had got busy. Well it was still showery but there were certainly more people there on the way over the bridge, we parked up back at the campsite and walked down. Not long after we got over the bridge, the bells rang and the bridge lifted to let a large boat through. These first 3 pictures are taken by Lorna my youngest daughter Sitting back and having a beer in the Gondree cafe I noticed quite a few 7th para vets around, these are easy to tell as on the maroon berret they have a dark green triangle surrounding the Para wings. These boys are obvioulsy at home here as what the Ox and Bucks are, even though the 7th para drink at Gondree and the OB's drink across the road in the 3 gliders. So as well as Paras at the cafe, who were there 61 years ago there were also the commandos, and this picture has 2 Paras and Commandos standing together. The veteran in red furthest left was Pine Coffins body guard and ended up 2nd SAS regt :huh: This lovely old chap is Charles Warwick of B company 7th Para Well I just had to get him to sign the book This chap gave me his address ( I only asked him to sign my book lol) so ill have to write him soon, although I think he had been on Madam Gondrees beer as he could'nt remember where he lived for a minute. Speaking of Madam Gondree's beer im afraid it worked its charm on me as well later on. Andy
These next pictures are of the Chateau De la Londe, Brian's (Sapper) friend Dick Harris fought here, and the battles were savage. I dont know if brian has posted about "The bloodiest square mile in Normandy" ? Memorial just outside the drive, about 20 yards to the left. Countryside outside the Chateau Poppy cross I put at the foot of the Suffolks memorial, I did write Richard Harris on the cross but cant pick it out very well. map next to memorial showing lines of attack
The evening of the 5th it rained and rained, I missed the Ox and Bucks going into the 3 gliders for thier annual Coup de main dinner. But stood in the rain to watch the fireworks just before midnight. Because last year was the last "official" ceremony, Penny Bates (Major Howard's daughter)had arranged with the local Mayor to carry on a small service in honour of the Coup de main vets. In attendance were only 4 members this year, Tich Rayner, Tom Packwood, Nobby Clarke and glider pilot Geoff Barkway. Penny Bates said a few words, and then played a recording of Major Howard describing the landing of the glider and first few minutes of the mission. It was very touching to hear his voice at that time and place.
The day before (5th) I was supposed to meet a frined at Merville battery, Fred Glover, who was in one of the gliders that should have landed inside the battery perimeter, but it landed a few hundred yards down the road. I highly recommend a book by Neil Barber called, "The day the Devils dropped in" its about 9th Paara and thier mission at the battery and then afterwards the battles around St Come.Unfortunately I could make it to the battery on the 5th but I knew Fred was coming to the service at Ranville war cem at around 10am on the Sunday.I also wanted to catch up with Tich Rayner who had said to me a few weeks before that he had his story typed out and was going to give me a copy. So I really needed to be in two places at once, as the Ox and Bucks have their own service at Den Brotheridge's grave, and the rest of the airborne in the church and then into the war cem itself. I finally meet up with Fred From left to right, Nobby Clarke who lost his hand in the Varsity jump into Germany. Then Tich Rayner and on the right Tom Packwood, center in the wheel chair is Geoff Barkway who was one of the pilots in the 3rd glider to land, he also has his arm missing from wounds suffered just after the landing. and also I catch up with Tich Rayner and Tom Packwood and his wife Joan
I then race back from the ox and Buck's service to find Fred again. We chatted for about half and hour and Fred told us that they were all going back to the battery for an open air picnic which was quite funny as it was pouring down. Fred said about us going along as well, and we said we would. We got to Merville way before Fred's coach, so we had a nosey round. I have been before a couple of times, but of course this time knowing Fred we set off to look for his pictures. After looking round the exhibits we went outside and I wanted to place a poppy cross next to the bust of Otway, as you can see there are many there already. Soon the coach arrived and Fred's group got off, infact it was not a completely open air picnic, the battery owners had built a canvas seating area with tables inside to put the food on and for the tour group to sit. We found Fred and had a good old natter about things. And that is the end of a very wet trip to Normandy, hopefully much drier next year. Andy
Andy, Thanks very much for posting these superb pictures! Sounds like you had a whale of a time, rain or not.
I'll second that - an excellent set of postings ! Many thanks indeed ; I'm sure they'll also be of great interest to forum members who can't get to the Normandy area as easily as some of us can....
wow these are great. im studying D day invasion for my history personal study in A2. im definetly going to take a trip to normandy.
Again, this is a great collection of pics you share, H&J. Very much appreciate seeing these gents in Normandy. I especially appreciate the ones of the cemeteries as well.
A simply stunning set of photos Ham. Thanks for providing a look at a side of this gathering that most would not likely get to see.
Wonderful pictures and stories. I hope that you can continue to share your travels so those of us who cannot make it get at least a taste. Thanks.
