D-Day

My sister was due to be born on VE day (8th May 1945), but was 8 days over due and didn't turn up until 16th May. Thus setting a precedent for the rest of her life!

D-Day, June 6, 1944, is the day allied troops invaded France. It is pretty cool to be D-Day plus 2. They were deep in the trench by day two. I bet it was seared into your mother's mind.

My sister was born at 7am on Dec 7, 1983 and she weighed 7lbs and 7oz. She is 18 years younger than me, but I am the only person who ever told her she was born on that day with all those 7's. Too fun!

My parents married on 12 May 1944,, D-Day + 4, having been apart since 1938, and only corresponded since then!

It is going to be huge this year. We will have to stay close to home as there are loads of road closures around Caen. We will have commemorations here in mid-August as our village was in one of the last areas of fighting before the end of the Normandy campaign.

We hope to be back in our home territory in France for the end of July when our town was liberated.

France seems a weird one this summer..... I'm trying to work out whether the flags are for DDay or the Olympic Games? The car park advertising holdings round here are all about the procession of La Flamme Olympique.

Mum's brothers had flown their 100th missions in 1944 summer - whatever that means, milestone I gather - regardless, important to mum. Two did not survive the heavy August flak.

Yes, D-Day and flak days of August were "drummed into me".

I was born 5 days after D -Day, June 11 1944.
I met a girl I did my nurse training with yesterday, we were discussing how all of us are approaching 80 now.

Joseann

France seems a weird one this summer..... I'm trying to work out whether the flags are for DDay or the Olympic Games? The car park advertising holdings round here are all about the procession of La Flamme Olympique.

Definitely la flamme olympique. It was our turn today, but the thunderstorms and pouring rain didn't help. 😂

Ooo yes, Mamie, I saw from the pictures that the turnout in Caen was good though. And lots of children too!
Our turn is 6th June, DDay itself, when the flame is going across to an island in the Golfe.

We did a small-group tour of the Juno Beach where the Canadians landed. The young man doing the tour was very informative, and it was very touching to see the 'Canada House' which allows veterans' families in for a visit.

My father was 13 living in Brittany, and mother was 10 in occupied Jersey at the time, so it meant so much to them to hear about a hard push by the Allies. I wish I could ask them questions about it now, but they are both gone now.

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In and around Ouistreham ( which was Sword beach-you may know it better as where the Portsmouth-Caen ferry comes in) there are many memorials to the Commandos who landed there, not least because No. 4 Commando contained the contingent of French Commandos under Philippe Kieffer. To this day they are held in genuine affection.
We have a Rue, an Avenue and a Place named for my FIL who led No 4 Commando under Lord Lovat.
He (FIL) endeared himself forever to his French comrades in arms when he offered to the French commandos to disembark first using a well- known phrase from the days of duelling
“Messieurs les Français, tirez les premiers”! A sort of “After you!”
You can see pics of Lord Lovat, Kieffer, FIL (here) and others hanging from the lampposts and there will be Union flags as well as the tricolore all along the roads.
It’s very moving.

The great-grandson of Léon Gautier, the last surviving member of the Kieffer troop who died last year, received the Olympic flame when it arrived at Omaha beach today. He is a fireman here in Calvados.

Wow, RosiesMaw, quel beau souvenir de votre beau-père!

My uncle landed on Gold beach on D Day plus 2 and then fought his way to Berlin.

He then went on to write the regimental history of their campaign in Europe. Unfortunately, even though he was Mentioned in Dispatches (the lowest rung of gallantry awards) we do not know what part he played in any the actions his regiment was involved in as he studiously avoided mentioning his name anywhere in the history.

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I have no idea what was going on on our beach in Brittany this week, but it was pretty spectacular with 300 soldiers involved.

Just checked, it's 600 soldiers on military exercise for 4 days in the area. We drove past another convoy yesterday, all with rifles. Pretty spectacular given the 1944 connection.

I am sorry this appeared to sink without trace on the “other” D Day thread, so I am trying again here.

These words are not my own but food for thought as we approach the 80th anniversary of D Day

"WHO ARE THESE MEN ?"

Who are these men who march so proud,
Who quietly weep, eyes closed, head bowed?
These are the men who once were boys,
Who missed out on youth and all it's joys.

Who are these men with aged faces,
Who silently count the empty spaces?
These are the men who gave their all,
Who fought for their country for freedom for all.

Who are these men with sorrowful look
Who can still remember the lives that were took?
These are the men who saw young men die,
The price of peace is always high.

Who are these men who in the midst of pain,
Whispered comfort to those they would not see again?
These are the men whose hands held tomorrow,
Who brought back our future with blood tears and sorrow.

Who are these men who promise to keep
Alive in their hearts the ones God holds asleep?
These are the men to whom I promise again:

'Veterans',my friends-
We will remember them.

Remembered with honour and pride.

We had a holiday home in Normandy for 33 years. Our neighbour, when we bought the house had been a child in WW2. She told us about the German soldiers billetted in our house, the house she grew up in. Many of them were young Hitler Jugende and got letters from home telling of bombing and deaths and they sat and wept.

Hitler did not expect an invasion of Normandy, so many of the German soldiers posted there were the very young or those on their 40s and 50s. There was a German war cemetery nearby and so many of the soldiers buried there are under 20 or well over 40 Those between were on the fighting fronts in Eastern Europe and Russia

Thank you RosiesMaw.
^Who are these men with sorrowful look
Who can still remember the lives that were took^?
There were some very moving scenes from aboard the Brittany Ferries crossing yesterday with the veterans. They all spoke of those who didn't return being the true heroes. There's a photo on the front page of our Ouest France newspaper today showing three of the veterans deep in thought.
Macron is visiting just up the road from here in Plumelec before heading for Normandy.
Is anyone from our Royal Family there?

... Just to explain, Plumenec in Brittany is where the SAS parachuted in the night before the Normandy Invasion. It's the first time a French president has honoured this event in the town.

Thank you RosiesMaw

Lest we Forget

Is anyone from our Royal Family there?

I think King Charles is determined to get there if he can, Joseann.

The King and the Prince of Wales are going to be there. The CWGC cemeteries around here are looking wonderful and there are lots of flags outside houses. We are not planning on going out tomorrow as lots of roads will be closed!