Blog

Normandy 2017 Day 1- Using the Good Beer Guide to the full

June 27, 2017 – 8:23 pm

Day 1 – Tuesday 30th May

Using the Good Beer Guide in non traditional ways

We started this years trip by heading towards Aylesbury. On the way we used the CamRA Good Beer Guide to find a pub that was not in the guide! This was The Plough, at Haseley. Unfortunately, it seemed that the beer that we wanted (one brewed locally) was not available. However as we ordered the barrel on pull spluttered to an end and another beer had to be put on. This suited us as the National brew was replaced with the local one that we had intended to try.

… and more traditionally

There was no food on offer so it was off to another pub for lunch. This time using the Good Beer Guide in a more traditional way – to find a pub that was in it –  the 8 Bells at Long Crendon. Unfortunately, Colin was less than happy with his meal – his chips were large in size but small in quantity, and not particularly nice! It looked as though the potatoes had suffered frost damage as the chips were quite black in parts. Fortunately the beer wasn’t too bad.

We then headed (finally) to Aylesbury and a Wetherspoon’s pub, where we were staying overnight. Unfortunately, it did not have any car parking. As a result we had to walk about half a mile, laden with heavy bags, from where we had to leave the car. Exercise this early in the holiday was definitely NOT planned!!

An early dip into history

We popped out to the Farmers’ Bar at the King’s Head which is the brewery tap for the Chiltern brewery. The pub is  of historical significance dating from 1455. It is now owned by the National Trust & is the oldest remaining courtyard inn in England. Then, having returned to the hotel for a brief rest, we met up with Stuart Hadaway and had a beer in the Wetherspoons, before heading back to the Farmer’s Bar for the rest of the evening.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips, Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments (2)

Normandy 2016 Day 14 – SatNavs and dirt tracks

June 26, 2017 – 5:49 pm

Day 14 – Wednesday 9th June

Up early in order to get back to the Chunnel.

As we’d never been to the village of Esquelbecq before, we used the SatNav to find the way back. Most of the journey seemed to be relatively straightforward (if twisting) apart from the shortcut that we were taken along a dirt track between two of the more major roads! At one point, we did wonder whether we would find our way back!

 

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 13 – A final French brewery

June 26, 2017 – 5:46 pm

Day 13 – Wednesday 8th June

A new brewery for our final day

Following breakfast on our last full day in France, we headed off into a somewhat cloudy & misty morning. To our drive up to our final brewery in France on this trip – the Brasserie Thiriez. This is a small craft brewery located in Esquelbecq, a town in the Arrondissement of Dunkirk , in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région of France. It is quite close to the Belgian border.

We drove up through the rolling French countryside without event. Although going past a sign, we had not seen before, indicating the Greenwich Meridian seemed to be quite odd!

We arrived at the brewery on a very warm afternoon. So being invited to have a sample of beer by Marielle, the wife of brewer Daniel (who was busy brewing), was very welcome… as was the second…

We took our bags up to our rooms ,which were spacious and comfortable. Returning to the bar to find a brewery tour about to start, which we joined. Unfortunately, our language skills weren’t up to the detail of the talk, however, having been on some of these in the UK, we picked up the basics!

And then, of course, it would have been rude not to have joined in with some further sampling of the beer! The upshot of all of this was that we then bought some to bring back to the UK with us!

Massacre at Wormhoudt

During my earlier WW2 researches and reading, I’d become aware of an incident during the British & French retreat to Dunkirk. A group of soldiers were captured, put into a barn by SS troops & then shot. There are a number of such incidents, but the one at Wormhoudt is relatively well known being the subject of a number of books. As this was not far away,and as it was still light, we decided to go & see the site.

Unfortunately, I found it very disappointing. Whilst there is a memorial & some explanatory markers around the site, it had not been looked after at all well. The central mound, atop which was a place where you could overlook the whole site, had suffered particularly badly. All in all, it was nowhere near as well looked after as other sites that we had visited. It was a poor tribute to those soldiers that had lost their lives here.


 

 

This left me somewhat depressed as we headed back to town for a meal & final beer.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Tagged | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 12 – Following 50th TT Division

June 26, 2017 – 5:22 pm

Day 12 – Tuesday 7th June

The benefits of local B&Bs

Breakfast was awesome! In 2014 we couldn’t find many hotels in Normandy that weren’t already full (or charging the earth) . It was similar for the 70th Anniversary of D Day. So we were forced to use B&B’s – farmhouses and on a couple of occasions Chateaux. What a delight they were (and continue to be) with excellent value for money and superb food . They give a feeling of being “In France”, rather than somewhere that could almost be anywhere.

On this occasion, we also met a Dutch chap who told us he was a battlefield guide. Over breakfast we were able to increase his knowledge by telling him about Hills 112 & 226. Matters that we have spent a lot of time over but of which he’d been completely unaware. But I guess that’s how it is. You focus on a specific area & get to know & understand that well. Otherwise, there’s far too much to cover – unless you live there permanently or have the opportunity to spend a lot of time there (I still buy Lottery tickets “just in case”!).

Battlefield tour following 50th TT Division

We then set off to follow our own battlefield tour – led by the guide in one of my Battlezone Normandy books. As previous readers of this blog will be aware, these are a fantastic resource for anyone researching the Normandy fighting. It’s just a pity that a couple of key battles aren’t included in the series – but you can’t have everything, I suppose!

Our tour started at GOLD Beach. It was here the British 50th TT Division started their invasion. TT stands for Tyne Tees -the area where the majority of the Division was recruited from. This is important in the Men in the Shed tale as most of the infantrymen, that were held in the shed there  were members of that Division. The exceptions being Scott and Caldwell.. Whether they would have landed as part of the D Day landing, I’ve not yet been able to ascertain.

So we followed the route starting from near the old railway halt at le Paisty Vert where 6th Bn Green Howards (Clifford Wellings’ unit) landed in the early hours of D Day. Amongst them were CSM Stan Hollis the winner of the only VC on D Day. We then followed the track (now named in honour of the 50th TT Division) up the rise heading towards the Mont Fleury Gun Battery. Here CSM Hollis took out a German position single handedly & that was, in part, the reason for his winning the VC.

The Gun Battery wasn’t completed in time for the invasion as the Germans were late in realising that Normandy needed defending. They only started building Gun Emplacements in 1944 – too little, too late. And, of course, one has now been reused by an enterprising Frenchman!

Lavatory Pan Villa

We then headed back towards the beach to visit the enticingly-named “Lavatory Pan Villa”; so called because of the circular shape of its driveway, viewed from the air.

On returning to le Paisty Vert, we met a trio of Royal Engineers’ Veterans. They had all served post-war, but were there to remember one of their friends who had landed there on D Day. A quick chat & photo & we were off again. Passing the chateau at Ver sur Mer, through narrow & winding roads with high walls & up to le Pavillion farm on the outskirts of Crépon. This is where CSM Hollis undertook the second action of the day that was to result in his Victoria Cross.

As we’d visited the Green Howards’ Memorial last year, we headed off to Tilly sur Seulles to meet up with Stéphane Jacquet who we were hoping would have some additional information for us.

Driving along, we passed a memorial to Advanced Landing Ground B2 at Bazenville & stopped for a quick photo.

Stéphane Jacquet: multi-tasker extraordinaire!

As usual, Stéphane was trying to fit days’ worth of activity into a few hours . However we did manage to share some information, with a promise of more (and contacts) to come! As well as – most importantly – a beer (or two…)!

Part of the reason for Stéphane’s urgency was that he needed to get changed into suit & ceremonial sash in time for two Veterans’ services. One at St Pierre (the village just outside of Tilly where we’d stayed)- & a second one at the museum in Tilly that Stéphane is curator of. As it was a hot day & the beer was cool, we decided that we would attend the service at the museum.

I have to say that it came as a huge shock to see Stéphane “Spruced up” in his official capacity & without his rucksack. Previously we had presumed it was some sort of life support mechanism as we’d never seen him without it!
The Wilting Standard Bearer

The remainder of the service passed uneventfully . Afterwards we saw Squadron Leader Peter Roper – a Canadian Hawker Typhoon pilot who was shot down on D+1 (7th June 1944) just south of Tilly and was captured soon afterwards. The museum at Tilly has the engine from his aeroplane as one of its key exhibits. It was good to see him chatting away to another veteran – David Woodroffe – near his engine.

Reunited with Albert Figg

So another day drew to a close. We headed off to Arromanches for a quick look around  – only to be spotted by Annette  & Albert Figg. They had just finished eating in a small restaurant, so we joined them & decided to eat there. As we ate, Albert signed more copies of the autobiography. It had been published just in time for this years’ commemorations.

Having eaten & taken our leave of Albert & Annette and headed down the coast a short way. We parked up and took photos of the sun setting over the remains of the Mulberry Harbour. We also took others of the remnants of the German radar station that used to be here.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Tagged | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 11 – A Day of Remembrance

June 20, 2017 – 9:38 pm

Normandy 2016.  Day 11- Monday 6th June- A Day of Remembrance

As in past years, this was going to be a very busy day of Remembrance –this year it would include saving the Honour of the Welsh Guards! But more of that, later!

Honouring the fallen at Hottot Les Bagues

We started with a visit to Hottot Les Bagues Commonwealth War Cemetery and the first of our Remembrance activities. This is where a lot of the fallen from the fighting near Tilly & other villages were buried. It is also the resting place for most of the Guardsmen from 6th Guards Tank Brigade (& especially from “S” Squadron, 3rd Bn Scots Guards) who lost their lives at the start of Operation BLUECOAT. Three JagdPanthers ambushed their Churchill tanks on Hill 226, just northeast of St Martin des Besaces. They lost 11 tanks in 5 minutes & 25 Guardsmen were killed or later died of wounds.

It’s always an honour to visit such cemeteries, particularly at this time of remembrance. But this year, it was a special honour as we were there on behalf of Muir Findlay – a veteran of the battle – & someone who we’re very proud to call a friend. Unfortunately, he’d not been too well & so this year, he was unable to travel to Normandy. So his son, Eain, had asked if we would mind visiting on their behalf, which we were more than happy to do.

We took some photos of the grave of Private Alfred Worsdale, 4th Bn Somerset Light Infantry, killed on the same date as the Scots Guards mentioned (30th July 1944). This was for a friend of Eain’s.

Following a period of quiet contemplation and Remembrance, we realised how quickly time had gone by. So set off and called into Villers Bocage to grab some food for lunch.

On the trail of the American contingent of the Men in the Shed

We then decided to try to get back onto the trail of Raymond Elledge, Gerald Willen, Morris Sheppard & Francis Gillespie.

First a brief recap. After they’d left “Chaimps de Champs” (identified as Le Mesnil Clinchamps) they worked their way through Vire. They then headed north towards the Allied lines. They had just gone through Villiers Bocage… Raymond takes up the story.

“On Willen’s return, we ate and resumed our journey. When we had walked a kilometer and a half a buggy with two German officers passed heading in the opposite direction. We did not pay any attention to them. And they — we thought — were not paying any attention to us. We walked two or three minutes when the officers turned their buggy around, stopped, and summoned Willen and me.

The German officer on our side asked where we were going. Willen, speaking French, told the German officer that we were going up to the next village. The German officer asked Willen why we were going there. Willen, on the spur of the moment, told the officers we looking for our cow. In the meantime, Gillespie and Sheppard, who had been walking 100 yards behind us, saw the officers stop us and, to play safe, went into the woods along the side of the road.

The officer asked Willen the name of the next village. Willen told him Villers-Bocage, the name of the village we had just walked through. Willen, unfortunately, did not know the name of next village that could be seen over the rise of the trees. The German officer pulled out a map and said, “You must be mistaken, you have already passed through Villers-Bocage — only a kilometre back down the road”. He suspicioned that we were not Frenchmen living in the area. Locals would have known the names of two villages.

He began accusing us of being “Terrorists” — French people behind the lines who were sabotaging German equipment. Becoming more heated, he pulled out his gun and started waving it in our faces, cursing, and threatening to shoot us. When we thought he was going to shoot us. We produced our identification tags to prove we were American soldiers and not spies. He seemed astonished and surprised and ordered us into his buggy and we, again prisoners of war, were off to a nearby farmhouse.

Gillespie and Sheppard came out of the woods, looked down the road, and — not seeing us nor the German officers — assumed Willen and I had kept on going. They continued on until some German soldiers — with instructions from the officers — picked them up and brought them to the same farmhouse.

The four of us were corralled in a barnyard, surrounded by the house and a large barn with stables and harness rooms on both sides. We were searched and the sacks with food were taken away. The German soldiers thought it funny that we were carrying food in sacks and dressed as French peasants.”

So, Glyn & I wondered whether we could find this farm from Raymond’s description. There are three routes north (or northish) out of Villers Bocage, of which two are more major routes. So, given the time that we had available, we decided to try the two major routes out of town. We would follow them for a couple of kilometres to see if  we could find the sort of building complex mentioned.

Midland Red Bus syndrome

So, there we were, hoping to find a nice suitable candidate. We did… but there were three of them; and that was without looking at anything along the third route! A bit like the old saying about Midland Red busses: You wait ages for one and then three arrive at the same time!

However, I wonder whether, with hindsight, we could discount the one -for two reasons.

  • First the road is more east, or north east, rather than north.
  • Secondly, on this road in June, Michael Wittman’s Tiger Tanks ambushed the advanced elements of the British 7th Armoured Division. Many tanks, halftracks & carriers were completely destroyed. Elledge did not mention anything in his manuscript. They would have been walking alongside the evidence of the carnage – I can’t see that it would have been cleared away at this point.  I would have thought that it would have earned at least a passing comment.

So, some further research required. Firstly, we must identify when the wreckage from 7th Armoured Division was moved.  Secondly, estimate travel distances by applying a compass to maps. Thirdly, review wartime aerial photos to try to identify potential places. Plus the many other things that would come to mind.

A quick visit to L’Odon Brewery (well it would be rude not to!)

So, we now headed south towards our regular 6th June afternoon appointment at St Charles de Percy Commonwealth Cemetery for the Ceremony of Remembrance. On route we stopped as, just outside of Villers Bocage, on a small industrial estate was a sign advertising the l’Odon Brewery… well, you wouldn’t expect us to drive past, would you.

A quick call in – the brewer was delivering some training, so couldn’t spare us much time – and 5 minutes in the shop & we were back on our way!

At St Charles de Percy and saving the Welsh Guards

We arrived at St Charles de Percy for their Ceremony of Remembrance. I went over to the mayor & passed on Muir Findlay’s apologies. M DESORMEAU  was disappointed to hear this – especially as Muir was the only WW2 veteran that they were expecting. However, he fully understood that Muir’s health had to come first.

This year, the Welsh Guards had sent 4 Guardsmen and, unexpectedly, two Irish Guards had turned up. One of the Welsh Guards played Last Post on his bugle. As ever, hearing the mournful notes sounding out across a quiet cemetery sent a shiver down the spine.

Following the Ceremony of Remembrance, which was as “French” as ever, we set off into the village proper for the Vin d’honneur at the Guards Memorial. However, there was no sign of the Guards. Well, the two Irish Guardsmen appeared, saw the crowd, turned round & walked off. I suspect that they thought that it was a private ceremony. Meanwhile the villagers (including the Mayor) were beginning to look concerned as they were waiting for the Welsh Guards to arrive before starting.

So, I jogged back to the car (yes, I know, hard to believe!!) and drove off in search of them. Fortunately, they were at the top of the lane chatting to the son of an Irish Guards veteran – Major Tony Brady. The son was visiting in memory of his father who had passed away last year. I explained that the mayor & villagers were awaiting their arrival before starting the ceremony. Whilst I offered them a lift, they said that they would march. By the time that I’d turned the car around, they were half way there!

Ceremony over, the Lieutenant in charge of their party thanked me for coming to find them. They did not know of the second ceremony. They thought that there was just one – that at the cemetery. During the Vin d’honneur, I was introduced to a couple of locals that used to live in St Vigor. They had no idea about the Shed… so they were introduced to Stuart & Barrie who were at the ceremony.

Off to Ryes

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay long. We needed to head off to Ryes which was near the coast for our overnight accommodation.

Our accommodation was a converted barn. Part of a massive farm complex owned by Mme Emmanuelle Sébire. Again, I had to use my budding French language skills as Mme Sébire didn’t speak much English. The rooms had been converted in a simple way that was comfortable, but which preserved the fabric of the building.

We were then off again, to grab a late meal in Asnelles at Dunes Zen.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 10 – On Hill 112 with a 25pdr photoshoot

June 20, 2017 – 9:25 pm

Day 10 – Sunday 5th June

Hill 112 with Albert Figg

An awesome breakfast restored our good humour (as did my increasing fluency in French – this time unaided by Calvados & wine!). Mme Baratte explained that she sometimes enjoyed doing some silly & unusual things… such as making jam from Earl Grey tea or beetroot!! I have to say that, whilst they had a slightly unusual taste, they were absolutely enjoyable!

It was then off in the direction of Evrecy. We were scheduled to meet Albert Figg & his family, friends & other veterans on top of Hill 112. Albert had fought as a Sergeant in the 112th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Firing 25pdr guns in support of the infantry trying to take the hill as part of Operation JUPITER.

Albert’s book

This year was a special one for Albert, as he had recently finished writing his autobiography – The Ups and Downs of a Gunner.  He was hoping to sell some copies. The proceeds of  the sales, after costs, are going to the “Hill 112 Fund”. This fund helps finance the various memorials that Albert has been instrumental in arranging to be placed at the top of the hill. Readers of previous tours will already be aware of Albert’s efforts. If anyone wants a copy of his book & doesn’t want to pay the £50 that Amazon are charging, let me know & I’ll get a copy directly from Albert. Alternatively visit his website where you can order it.

As usual a number of other veterans were in attendance for the service. It was a great honour to meet some of these veterans & hear their stories. In particular another ex-Sgt – Joseph Mark. He served with the 110 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment in the fighting for the hill. It was also good to be able to say “Thanks” to them for what they achieved “back then”.

Service of Thanksgiving

We then had the Service of Thanksgiving for all those that fought on Hill 112, whether on the Allied or German side. A brief but poignant ceremony, attended by a lot of people. I was pleased to play a small part in reminding everyone that whilst, understandably, a lot of the focus was on Albert due to the work that he has done in getting the various memorials in place, it was vitally important to remember the other veterans that were there, & their contributions during the Normandy fighting . It was great to be part of the huge round of applause that they received; very moving.

 

 

I was also touched when a couple of family members of those veterans came up to me afterwards & thanked me for my words.

Following the brief service, Albert’s books went like the proverbial “hot cakes”. It was all that he could do to keep up with signing copies for people! Whilst this was going on, we had a further chat with ex-Sgt Mark & his two sons & heard more of his exploits during the war!

Food calls

Just before heading off for some food, it was heartening to see two veterans chatting. Not unusual you may think. However, one of these was our friend Albert Figg; the other Erich Bissoir – a veteran of 12th SS (whom we’d met last year). 71 years ago, these would have been trying to kill each other, now they were shaking hands in friendship.

Then it was off to the restaurant. Sundays are difficult for food in France & our usual restaurant in Evrecy had new owners who weren’t able to open up for us. However, M Gilles Osmond – President of the Association Cote 112 (Hill 112) – had spoken with the owner of a new restaurant. The owner had agreed to open up especially for us.  So we filled the restaurant with good-natured chatter & friendship. As is usual, we divided up the bill in a way that paid for the meals of the veterans and raised some funds for the Hill 112 fund.

Photoshoot with a 25pdr Field Gun

Following the meal, Glyn & I joined Gilles, Albert & his family to visit a secret location. It was where the 25pdr field gun that Albert had raised the funds for is stored. It’s not kept permanently on the hill as, unfortunately, it would be too easy a target for thieves.

The gun was out in the open &, after a “photoshoot”, Albert gave us a detailed explanation of the procedure required to sight, load & fire the gun. It was fantastic to see him rolling back the years as he gave us instruction in gunnery procedure. This included reverting to some wartime insults when we did things wrong!!

Then the gun needed putting back into storage. So rather than us manhandling it, I moved my Landrover into place & made use of the tow bar! Fortunately, I resisted the temptation to simply drive off with it!!

Tilly sur Seulles Book fair and battlefield tour

Farewells said, Glyn & I then headed off to meet Stéphane at the annual Tilly Book Fair & to spend some money.

We then went on one of our self-guided Battlefield tours. Focusing on the liberation of St Pierre the village, bordering Tilly sur Seulles, in which we were staying. We were helped by the detailed instructions in the Battlezone Normandy book on GOLD Beach.

Then it was back to Les Tilleuls for some food and beer. We rounded off with a shot of the Calvados that Tony had given us from his own stock as we left his B&B. A wonderful end to the day.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 9 – Barrie, Brewery, Beaches and Bayeux

June 20, 2017 – 9:01 pm

Day 09 – Saturday 4th June

Visiting St Vigor – where it all started

Saturday morning saw us heading off to see Barrie & Stuart for a chat & a cuppa, and to update them on our new discoveries. It’s great to see their reactions. They are so proud to have a piece of “real history” on their property (as anyone who’s met them will testify to).

Then it was just down the road to meet a young lady called Laura who’s recently moved to the area with her hubby & children. We originally “met” via Facebook through a shared interest in St Vigor des Mezerets & now it was great to put a body to a picture, and chat about the research. She then showed us the work that they’d be doing renovating the amazing property that they’d purchased.

Guess what? Another brewery!

We then headed towards the La Lie brewery in Thury Harcourt – a new one that we’d found. However, whilst we were able to find the brewery, it was closed for the day. Undaunted, we set off for OMAHA beach as I wanted to collect some sand…

OMAHA beach to Tilly sur Seulles then Bayeux for food

Following a visit to the Overlord Museum, we arrived at the beach and I grabbed some sand. We then watched a flight of troop carrying aircraft from the US Airforce flying round & round in circles overhead. Apparently they were practicing their run-ins for the 6th June Commemorative Parachute Drop. Then it was a quick beer in the sun & back to Tilly sur Seulles. We did think about having a go over the original Bailey Bridge that had been set up in a field just behind the beach. As we had driven past earlier, we had seen a number of restored vehicles going over it. However it was now closed.

Our new accommodation was at Les Tilleuls, with Mme Baratte. It had been recommended to us by our friend Stéphane Jacquet from the Tilly museum.  On arrival at Tilly, we received a wonderful welcome from Mme Baratte.

We put our stuff in the two bedroom annex that we were staying in & then drove to Bayeux . We dined at the “Le Petit Normand” restaurant as recommended by Mme Baratte (her friend owned it). The food & service certainly lived up to the billing. An added bonus was beer from the La Lie brewery that we’d tried to visit earlier that day.

Unfortunately, later that evening as we went to bed it was less pleasant. In the property next door there seemed to be a party going on… and on… and on. I finally fell asleep at 3am & it was still going on! Ironically Glyn, who is prone to insomnia, slept well

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Normandy Trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 8 – On tour with Bill Sullivan’s family

June 20, 2017 – 8:51 pm

Day 08 – Friday 3rd June

Remembering Bill Sullivan

An early morning start saw us headed off to Ste Mere Église . Or rather the farm complex just to the East at La Fiere to meet up with Elizabeth Sullivan (wife of Veteran Bill Sullivan) & her niece, Denise.

Unfortunately, Bill has succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease & is currently in a retirement home in Montana. However Elizabeth had decided to return this year, accompanied by Denise, to carry on the tradition of a Sullivan trip to Normandy.

La Ronde-Haye

To fit in with various opening times, we started by visiting la Ronde-Haye. Where Bill & Elizabeth had presented a plaque to M Denis LENESLEY, the Mayor of La Ronde Haye, in 2014. As we spoke to the mayor we saw that the plaque had been fixed to the wall of his    office. We then all walked over to visit the old schoolhouse from where Bill Sullivan & Morris Sheppard had escaped following their earlier recapture.

The flour mill

Next was a visit to La Cour d’Aisy & M & Mme Lenot. At their old flour mill, now a wonderful home adorned with roses (as commented on in 2014 by Elizabeth). Unfortunately, Mme Lenot, was in Sainte Mere Eglise at the cinema. So we only had a brief stay & Elizabeth & Denise promised to return on Tuesday.

Créances

Our final visit was to Créances. Unfortunately, M Henri LEMOIGNE wasn’t in the office, but we were able to have a close-up look at the statuette that Bill had presented in 1995.

During our previous visits with Elizabeth, we didn’t have the opportunity to look at the first small shed that Bill, Morris & the others hid in. They were there only briefly, before being moved to the one in the forest. The shed has now  largely demolished. However it was good to be able to show it to Elizabeth. We also also pointed out the building that Bill called at on the look-out for help. Next door to which was the building that was being used by the Germans’ as a field hospital.

Beers in Ste Mère Église

We then decided to head back to their accommodation at La Fiere for a quick cuppa. It was then on to Ste Mère Église for a beer in the world-famous Stop Bar. There we were joined by Staff Sgt Chang whom Elizabeth & Denise had met the previous night. It was good to chat with this serving soldier who was an excellent ambassador for the US Military.

We then said our goodbye’s. We took a slight detour to find the micro-brewery that had been set up in the town to pick up a couple of beers.

Then it was off to St Lo for some food at the Buffalo Grill. Finally back to Tony & Jill’s for a beer or two & a great chat. On the journey Glyn & I revisited our youth, headbanging away to Rainbow’s “Rising” album!

By ColinAuthor | Posted in M/Sgt Morris Sheppard, Normandy Trips | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Normandy 2016 Day 7- John Harder in the news

June 20, 2017 – 8:41 pm

Day 07 – Thursday 2nd June

Chasing down John Harder (part 2)

After breakfast, we went back to the Mairie in Évron to see the Livre d’Or & John Harder’s signature for ourselves . It was great being able to see a piece of “real history” that I had a direct connection to.

Then, as it was Market Day in Évron, we decided to have a wander around. In many ways, it was a very similar experience to a street market back in the UK. However the fact that some stalls were selling live animals (chickens, etc) was a little more unusual!

So, then it was off to the Archives department in Laval as suggested by Élisabeth DUPLEIX, the Archivist at Évron . Hoping to find copies of newspaper articles regarding John Harder’s return visit to France in 1972.

It was here that my French lessons back in the UK started to pay dividends.  I began to be able to explain myself & what I was looking for in French!! The result of which was the bound edition for L’Ouest France – the main Regional newspaper for the area. Following a page by page turning – two articles about John’s visit. One at the start & a second following the end of his visit! So, a brilliant success!

More standing Stones and another brewery!

So, it was then time to head northwards into Normandy ready for our overnight stay with Tony & Jill Stansfield. But of course, although it’s a straight road, that would be far too simple for us. So we wound our way this way & that to visit another couple of sets of standing stones. They turned out to be somewhat less impressive than those seen earlier this trip.

Then, as we went down a hill into the village of Lonlay-l’Abbaye, Glyn spotted a small sign to something called “Chateau de la Biere”.

We did think (briefly) about ignoring it. However we knew that in doing so, readers of this (largely!) historically-based blog would be disappointed with us. So we decided to follow the signs… all in the interest of research on your behalf, of course!

Just as we reached the point where we thought that we must have missed the turning, or that it was an old sign, we saw another, It pointed up a side road. Following this we came upon… well, a castle. A giant-sized kid’s play castle built from wood!

However, this was built to disguise some block-built buildings that not only held a shop selling beer, but, more importantly, a small brewery!!

A quick guided tour followed by a tasting session & the purchase of some bottles then saw us back on course to Tony & Jill’s.

 

There, as is usual, we enjoyed a fantastic meal in the company of a French couple that were also staying at the B & B. Another chance for me to use my recently acquired language skills… which became more fluent as Tony’s wine & Calvados flowed…

 

 

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Flt Lt John W Harder, Normandy Trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Normandy 2016 Day 6 – Chasing John Harder

June 20, 2017 – 8:30 pm

Day 06 – Wednesday 1st June

Chasing John Harder

Today would have a focus on tracing John Harder’s return visit to Normandy in the 1970s. On his return he was presented with a medallion by the mayor of Évron This is the main town nearest to where he parachuted into Normandy from his stricken Spitfire. We had previously found some information about this visit, but this was an opportunity to dig a little deeper

A sad start

We woke to drizzle – at least better than yesterday’s heavy rain & high wind. Then over breakfast, we received the very sad news from Patrick that his wife had passed away earlier this year following a short illness with cancer. This really put a “downer” on the start of the day as Annick was a really lovely lady, & like myself, a fan of a good cup of tea!

Having passed on our condolences to Patrick, we set off further south to Évron through what became an increasingly misty day.

Stopover in Alençon

Our first stop was Alençon as it is mentioned in Elledge‘s manuscript. It was one of the towns that he, Sheppard, Gillespie, Willen & Harder were moved to after leaving the Shed. Unfortunately, there’s not really enough detailed description in the Manuscript to fully identify the location of the “Barracks” where they end up. I guess that’s something for next year – as well as identifying the towns that they stay at en-route.

Walking around Alençon, we stopped for lunch at a really traditional bar/restaurant. It looked as though it had stayed behind in history, but the beer & food was good. It was also unusual in that it boasted a wide range of teas to drink, rather than just coffee.In fact as we walked round town, we noticed a few more “Tea Houses”.

We then came across the statue of General Leclerc who led the 2nd French Armoured Division through its battles in Normandy. The siting of his statue in Alençon is particularly appropriate – it being the first French town liberated by purely French forces.

Chasing down John Harder

Our next stop (and our overnight stay) was the town of Évron.  In particular, the Mairie (or Mayor’s & Council offices). I wanted to see whether we could unearth any information with regard to John Harder’s return visit to the town. On that occasion he met some of the people that had helped him back in 1944. In particular Mr Le Blanc who was the first to help him after he baled out of his Spitfire.

After some brief introductions & a bit of searching, we were introduced to Élisabeth DUPLEIX. She was the relatively recently appointed town Archivist. She was really interested in the story of John Harder & the other “Men in the Shed”. We explained the tale, which was completely new to her. A major part of her job at present was to go through & sort the archives. She said she would keep a good look out for anything to do with Harder. Also it was confirmed, that they would be happy to add anything that I could supply to their archive. So that’s another follow-up job to do!

St Suzanne

So, happy that we’d made some progress (though perhaps only a single footstep), we set off to the village of St Suzanne around 5 miles further south. Glyn had said that he’d like to visit it as it was described as a medieval town – a break from WW2.

So, off we go. Upon parking up in the centre of the village, in addition to some large “castle walls”, we saw the War memorial which featured two Schneider 105mm guns. You’ve guessed it – from the Second World War!

 

 

 

So much for old history!!

But we then walked around the old part of town with its narrow cobbled roads & high walls. In the square we stopped for a short break & a beer… nothing unusual there, then! However, there was a nice surprise waiting for us. They served bottle conditioned beer (so “real” as far as we were concerned) produced by a small brewery in town!

Our second unexpected brewery of the trip!

Unfortunately, the brewery was shut during our visit – but I suspect that we will return!

We then headed back towards Évron, via the Dolmen des Erves – one of Glyn’s other ancient interests – old standing stones. It has to be said that this one was a little more impressive than some that we’d seen!

On returning to the hotel I checked my emails before heading out for some food. I noticed that I’d already received an email from Élisabeth DUPLEIX. It informed me that she’d found an entry in the Livre d’Or (the town’s official visitors’ book). It was from John Harder’s 1972 visit! This was a fantastic result.

So, a walk around town for a beer & pizza (reminding ourselves that we were in France, not Italy!).  Then bed to be ready for another, hopefully equally fruitful day.

By ColinAuthor | Posted in Flt Lt John W Harder, Normandy Trips | Tagged , | Comments (0)