Spoke to John ('Lustleighlad' here) today who told me there was a series of videos about his brother who was in the SAS in Morvan in 1944. Youtube links: YouTube - John Dray in the Morvan - Part 1 YouTube - John Dray in the Morvan - Part 2 YouTube - John Dray in the Morvan - Part 3 YouTube - John Dray in the Morvan - Part 4 John is the presenter and narrator throughout; thought they were pretty good myself!
An interesting revisit to the Morvan.The landscape is so beautiful, it is now the Parc Regional du Morvan.John Dray portrays the area as it was and is now.How can I pick up the video? If anyone wants to know what it was like operating behind enemy lines, then Ian Wellsted's account "SAS with the Maquis" is the book to read.3 months of tense operations and courage. In 1996 whilst on holiday in Burgundy we spent some time in the Morvan and found the various memorials to the Maquis Bernard, the Maquis Socrate and the SAS.After we returned home,I stumbled across Ian's book and realised that he had been heavily involved in the operations at the time.I was able to contact him via his publisher and passed on the photographs I had taken and my observations relating to the operations.Surprisingly he wrote to me from New Zealand and added the comment about Socrate (cover name for Capitaine Georges Leyton) who was killed on 10 August 1944 when the Maquis was ambushed by German forces and now lies at Cussy en Morvan cemetery. Ian passed the following comment to me on Socrate, "Socrate-a fearless fighter and a true patriot".Bernard was the cover name of Jacques Chateaigneal,the leader of Maquis Bernard who fell in action on 24 June 1944 aged 24 years at La Verrerie.He is remembered in the Montsauche area where his maquis operated. In 1997 we spent two weeks around the Burgundy region and were able to visit most of the sites mentioned by Ian.On our trips we found a firm favourite drink in Marc, a home brewed eau de vie which was so popular among the country people at the time and now available commercially.At Ouroux is the estaminet outside which the SAS drank Marc along with the landlady and a peasant farmer with the Germans within "spitting distance".The estiminet is now no more but is a private house, its distinctive corner stones making it instantly recognisable. I see the visit to the Anglo Maquis cemetery at Montsauche has again deceived the traveller.When I visited the area and saw the cemetery with a RAF crew interred there, I could not accept it that the RAF/CWGC would allow burials to be maintained in a remote area plus the fact that the graves were identified by temporary markers.I then ascertained that the crew remains had been transferred about 200 miles west to the Nantes Pontr du Cens Cemetery. I think this was done about 1961 when this No 640 Squadron crew remains (who were lost on 11 August 1944 when on a raid to the Dijon railway yards) were transferred to Nantes. I noted that a international traveller made the same assumption in an article on the region for a travel magazine for it is not indicated at the cemetery that the graves are empty.
I liked the story of Hans their pet German. Here's Capt Bradford CWGC :: Casualty Details Divine. CWGC :: Casualty Details I'd like to know more about that cemetry at the end of part 4. Was that a kilted SAS officer in the background? Who exactly are the 7 airmen buried there?
Crain Communal Cemetery is situated on the left hand side of the D39 which passes through the village off the RN 151 (Clamecy-Auxerre) and is on the north bank of the Yonne.Lucy sur Yonne is on the south bank of the river and is connected to Crain by a bridge and is where Bradford and Devine were killed in action. After working our way through this region we called at a vineyard in St Bris which was recommended to me as having the quality of its white as good as Chablis and much cheaper.It did not have an Appellation then, but it has now. Approaching "S", the madame of the establishment to buy wine (same beautiful name as my Grandmother).Her greeting to me was "vous Allemand" I quickly replied "non, Anglais" .Then there was a welome smile. The graves in the Montsauche Anglo Maquis cemetery were the original graves of a No 640 Squadron,Royal Air Force crew (Halifax Mark 111 NA563) operating out of Leconfield which was lost on 11 August 1944 when it crashed at Gouloux nr Montsauche on an operation to the Dijon railyards.One of two Halifaxes lost on this operation from this squadron.The other Halifax had an experienced crew, having nearly completed their tour.All evaded. The Montsauche burials were transferred to Nantes about 1961.Despite this, there seems to be a myth that the graves are still the graves of P/O P C M Hellegers and his crew.
Thanks Harry, I found this on Lost Bombers. All were buried locally by the Maquis. Their graves are now located in Nantes (Pont-du-Cens) Communal Cemetery. P/O Hellegers was a Belgian whose parents, Clement and Jane Hellegers, lived at Lanaken. P/O P.C.M.Hellegers KIA Sgt B.P.Wood KIA Sgt G.H.Richold KIA Sgt K.J.Stewart KIA Sgt W.G.Jeffery KIA Sgt H.E.Smith KIA Sgt W.Bryce KIA " Lost Bombers - World War II Lost Bombers Link to Cemetery details here. CWGC :: Cemetery Details Bryce CWGC :: Casualty Details Jeffery CWGC :: Casualty Details Hellegers CWGC :: Casualty Details Richold CWGC :: Casualty Details Smith CWGC :: Casualty Details Stewart CWGC :: Casualty Details Wood CWGC :: Casualty Details
Hellegers is mentioned on another thread . http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/42433-photo-offer-7-cemeteries-around-nantes/#entry711691 I've had an email today about him which I shall copy here too.
Owen /Renee Thanks for posting the family background of Paul Helligers,a Dutchman who fought for his host country...who would have thought it that I would get to know Paul's family background years after seeing his initial grave marker in the Maquis cemetery. Its almost 20 years since we located the cemetery in the backwoods,very remote and the area accessed by a cart track.It was not quite twilight when were found the Maquis cemetery and I made a note of the crew and the name of the pilot....took a photograph of the graves which turned out to show an indication of "camera shake" in the poor light it was taken in....must try to find it again.
