I'm sure his parents, both emigrated directly from Northern Ireland, endured the ongoing shame of having their son become world famous for portraying a Scotsman.
Does anyone know if there was a medal minted for those who took part? From the UK. Looking at Dad's medals, I'm not sure if he was there or not. He was in the RNVR at the time, never mentioned D-Day to us.
It's worth following Paul Reed's Twitter account for the York Veterans annual Leger trip to Normandy if anyone is interested. There is already a short interview with Ken Cooke and pictures from Pegasus Bridge today. Paul Reed (@sommecourt) | Twitter
I thought the Queen was excellent today at the D-Day Anniversary Commemorations. I loved the way she spoke of her generation and their stoical and spirited performance during those terrible years. I got the feeling she was having a little dig at the current political situation we are all having to suffer.
From CJB I have been writing a book about my father and on of my queries has been campaign medals. He was with the B.E.F (Dunkirk), D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and OperatIon Varsity (Rhine Crossing). On a panoramic photo of his battery taken in early 1944 prior to D-Day. he is shown with a medal ribbon of the 1939 -1945 Star which looks like a time warp. Evidently a 1939 -1943 Star was issued but then decided to issue the ribbon only. Below extract from my book. Again thanks to the web site dedicated to medals, these campaigns were covered as follows :- The B.E.F (Dunkirk) service is represented by the 1939 -1945 Star, and D-Day, The Ardennes and The Rhine Crossing by the France and Germany Star. Note : the WW2 British Stars do not have clasps representing specific Battles (campaigns).
From CJB Re-my earlier reply, I believe Naval medals were slightly different. You can go on to the Medals site and there is loads of info.Can't remember my search but suggest WW2 UK Medals.
Saw this fellow today on a NY TV station. Here's an audio interview from April 2019. I enjoyed the whole thing but especially the interaction with a British LCT at 20:00. He was on an LCVP taking British soldiers into Gold Beach and then Americans into Omaha http://archive.ypl.org/files/original/7a3f1219480a6cbdc08ba24daac95557.mp3 INTERVIEW WITH FRANK FORTUNA Dublin Core Title Interview with Frank Fortuna Description Frank describes driving a landing craft to Gold Beach on D-Day and other operations during the Invasion of Normandy during World War Two. Creator Yonkers Public Library Source Frank Fortuna Publisher Yonkers Public Library Date 4/1/2019 Format MP3 Identifier 2019.027.001 Oral History Item Type Metadata Interviewer Michael Walsh Interviewee Frank Fortuna Location Grinton I. Will Library Duration 38:36 Time Summary 00:22-Being born in Italy. 00:40-Emigrating to the U,S. when he was four. 00:49-Living in Yonkers for his whole life. 1:53-Remembering Pearl Harbor. 3:25-Drafted and enlisted in the Navy. 5:46-Reports for duty aboard the LST-264. 6:20-Engine problems with the LST-264. 7:42-Trained as a deckhand and a small boat coxswain. 9:36-Training in England before D-day. 11:20-Celebrates St.Patrick's Day in Derry, Ireland. 13:52-D-Day. 15:00-LST-264 responsible for bringing British troops to Gold beach. 16:03-Use of DUKWs. 17:40-General Erwin Rommel. 18:37-His landing craft hitting an obstacle at Gold Beach. 20:00-Landing craft getting stuck on the beach. 21:26-Taken back to LST-264. 21:45-Making around 100 trips between England and Omaha Beach. 23:05-Brings Patton's staff and vehicles to France. 24:14-LST-264 goes up the Seine River. 24:41-Cherbourg, France. 25:00-Le Harve, France. 25:44-German prisoners of POWs brought to Southampton, England in the LST-264. 26:05-American POWS brought back to the U.S. in LST-264. 27:40-B-25 hits Empire State Building. 29:37-Discharged from the Navy on December 7, 1945. 32:00-French destroyer engages German positions at Gold Beach. 32:56-Low visibility on D-Day. 33:58-Insignias on planes changed before D-Day. 33:54-Frank went to school as a mechanic using money from the G.I. Bill. 34:20-Works in construction as a shop steward. 34:40-Retires at 67. 35:13-Works for General Motors. 35:40-Place on School Street owned by Dutch Schultz. 37:13-Married and has children. Files Yonkers Remembers Tags D-Day, Frank Fortuna, World War Two Citation Yonkers Public Library, “Interview with Frank Fortuna,” Yonkers Public Library Archive, accessed June 6, 2019, Interview with Frank Fortuna · Yonkers Public Library Archive.
Looking through the D-Day photos on Ancestry I came across this which I just loved, link to original on IWM: OPERATION OVERLORD (THE NORMANDY LANDINGS): D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944 "The Final Embarkation: British civilians, Annie Bagg with her parents, Soloman and Eliza Bagg, hanging out washing and tending their garden in Hill Road, Southampton, while, behind them, parked in Rockleigh Road, an American field howitzer unit waits before moving to the docks to embark for Normandy, 5 June 1944."
Rockleigh Road now lined with a different sort of traffic but houses as they were: The Bagg family in 1939:
Nice to see that the coverage of the D-Day Landings has sparked quite an array of new family enquiries on the forum. Events such as this and of course occasions like Remembrance Sunday often inspire investigation into a loved ones military past and service. Good luck to those embarking on a research pathway.
Just back from France. Normandy on the 'big' anniversaries is a dreadful circus overshadowed by the presence of politicians. There were none on the beach at Arromanches early on Thursday morning though and my dad was quite chuffed to be asked to hand the ceremonial piper his dram of Scotch and then to see his photo appear in the local paper.
Royal Winnipeg Rifles "The Winnipeg's 'B' Company, and the Royal Canadian Engineers 6th Field Company assault team working with them, had one of the highest beach casualties of the day. The company had lost almost three-quarters of its men. Their courageous company commander, Captain Gower, was left with only twenty-six men. A pill-box on the west side of the Seulles River contained a 75 mm field gun and a very large anti-tank gun. A story of unimaginable courage took place near this pillbox. It concerned Corporal W.J. 'Bull' Klos. "Rushing the enemy, 'B' Company encountered heavy enemy fire. Corporal Klos, badly shot in the stomach and legs while leaving the assault boat, made his way forward to an enemy position. Men fell all around him as Corporal Klos thrashed through the deep water. Klos was a big, powerful man. Thus the nickname “Bull”. The corporal's rage was greater than his pain. He staggered to the beach and shot an enemy gunner. Despite being wounded, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with three German soldiers he came across in a pill box. He knifed two of them and was strangling the third with his bare bands when he was killed. His hands still gripped about the throat of his victim produced a chilling sight!" I've often wondered how many nameless men never made it through that day but did their own small part to help secure the victory. By being the the focus of German defenders even those who never made it off a landing craft played a role in allowing other soldiers to survive the beach landing.