Battle of Lingevres June 1944

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by Owen, Jun 7, 2006.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    JDKR likes this.
  2. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Excellent site. That's going to to take more than a few minutes to peruse properly. Nice to see the ground troops in one 'small' action being covered in the sort of intricate detail that's (understandably) usually only found in Air & Naval coverage.
    Listening now to one of the personal accounts, Great Stuff.
     
  3. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Bookmarked it. About time the British started getting credit for their heroism in Normandy.
     
  4. Verrieres

    Verrieres no longer a member

    Hi,
    A while back I read in the local press that a group known as Monty's men returned to Normandy in 2004 with a full strength Platoon plus HQ Company Durham Light Infantry to commemorate the attack by the 9th Battalion DLI on the village of Lingevres near Tilly-sur-Seulles they were reported to have worn the correct uniforms carried the right equipment and weapons and followed the correct route from the beaches.At long last I have found a site which documented their journey in pictures take a look
    Army Film & Photograhic Unit: Normandy 2004
    Yes its re-enactment but if you came across these photographs without the description would you have known?

    Regards
    Verrieres
     
  5. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Good find there, Jim.

    I liked this one:

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    That site is fantastic and the pictures are very realistic. Its what a lot of re-enactors strive for.
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Whilst looking into the action at Fort Capuzzo on 14th June 1940 I see the officer in command of the carrier platoon there later became CO of 9 DLI & was killed by a Moaning minnie exactly 4 years later at Lingevres.
    Lt-Col HR Woods.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/north-africa-med/26691-fort-capuzzo-~-14th-june-1940-a.html

    Quote from website inpost #1.
    67184 Lieutenant Colonel Humphrey Reginald Woods, D.S.O, M.C & Bar.
    Sgt.Charles Eagles, who was feet away from him when he was wounded by mortar fire,
    remembers his last words being, "surely they haven't hit me?"
     
  8. jonheyworth

    jonheyworth Senior Member

    it's not re-enactment, it's commemoration
     
  9. Prelude44

    Prelude44 Member

    [​IMG]

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  10. Prelude44

    Prelude44 Member

    The Church of Lingèvres and the monument of the 50th DI :poppy:

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  11. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    Last edited: Aug 24, 2019
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  12. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Thanks Kyle , i visit Lingevres / Verriers Guiding Tours on quite a few occasions each year , i was there last week and am back again this coming weekend , it is one of the most iconic locations for the DLI in Normandy .
     
  13. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Does anyone know who the author was of this site ?

    Photo at the DLI Mmeorial in Lingevres
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    Jim (Verrieres) does . If you are referring to the

    http://www.glcoupar.freeserve.co.uk/battleoflingevres1944/

    The pair have spoken previously about it,the owner was locked out and eventually with no access was allowed to pass . I think the owner was a good friend of Lieutenant `Darkie` Williams 9th DLI (also friend of the late Chas Eagles ) `Darkie` served in the ranks pre war with 1st DLI I think.

    Kyle
     
  15. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Okay thanks , yes Darkie started as a Boy in 1 DLI then went back to 1 DLI after the war , sadly as you know we lost Charles earlier this year , i only know one veteran from the DLI that survives now who fought at Lingevres/ Verrieres .
     
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  16. Kyle,
    Thanks for the working link to my Lingevres site. It disappeared a number of years ago and I never thought I would see it again. Luckily I still have print outs of all of the items which were recorded on it. It was so frustrating when I had a massive computer crash and lost my ability to keep adding to the site.
    I actually made it to Lingevres a number of years ago, with my Brother in Law. We did a whistle-stop tour of many of the sites in Normandy, we were over for about 4 days and stayed in Bayeux. It was one evening that we made it to Lingevres, we parked near the church and walked up the road towards the 9th DLI start line. Would you believe that there was corn growing in "The Cornfield"! I don't know how many battlefields I have visited over the past 30 years, but that day in Lingevres was one of the most moving experience I can remember. It's a place that from about the age of 11, I first heard about and have spent so much time wondered about.
    I was so sorry to hear about Charles Eagles. I first met him after seeing an advert he posted on a truck at a Military Vehicle show at the DLI Museum. He was trying to trace Major Williams and I had to break the sad news to him. He had never spent any time thinking about his war, just wanted to get on with living, and it was only when his daughter became unwell and asked him to record his story that he began to think about his experiences.
    Thanks once again for the link.
     
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  17. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad



    Anthony Bernard Colgan
    Anthony Colgan was born in Tulse Hill in London in October 1923. After leaving school
    he worked for the General Electric Company before he was conscripted into the Army
    in July 1942 and joined The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).
    After training as a Carrier driver, 6300443 Private Colgan was posted to the 9th
    Battalion DLI, just in time to take part in the campaign in Sicily and the fighting at
    Primosole Bridge in July 1943.
    After the end of the Sicilian campaign, 9 DLI was sent home to prepare for D-Day.
    Anthony Colgan drove his Carrier ashore on Gold Beach on 6 June 1944 and then
    served with his battalion as a driver throughout its long advance from Normandy across
    France and Belgium and into Holland, seeing action at Gheel and the Albert Canal
    crossing on the way. Then 9 DLI left the 50th Division and joined the 7th Armoured
    Division and in 1945 joined the advance into Germany to Hamburg. Private Colgan
    served with 9 DLI to the end of the war and then moved into Berlin as part of the Army
    of Occupation.
    Anthony Colgan was demobilised from the Army in 1946 and returned home.
    Anthony Colgan was interviewed for the Imperial War Museum in 2001


    Kyle
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2021
  18. Jonesy123

    Jonesy123 Junior Member

    Is this hero still alive today?
     
  19. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    Sadly no. Tony died in May 2018 I believe?
    Kyle

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  20. Jonesy123

    Jonesy123 Junior Member

    A sad thing to hear... Not many heroes left these days...
    Would have loved to hear what he remember about the battle of Geel...
     

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