Normandy Trip October 2010

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by Owen, Oct 31, 2010.

  1. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    The places.The names. The photo's. All of my youth...The days when we were going to do great things. For the World was ours..It belonged to us, and we were going to make it a better place.

    Did we? Yes I think we did. But at a price. A severe price, paid for by fresh faced boys of nineteen. Many that had never left home before. I cannot recall all of their faces. But they are always with me...And I am always aware of their presence....Bless Them.
    Sapper
     
    Owen likes this.
  2. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Owen

    Great stuff. Thanks for the Canadian content.

    Cheers
    Randy
     
  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Absolutely fantastic photos. Another great job Owen. Thank for sharing.
     
  4. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    The places.The names. The photo's. All of my youth...The days when we were going to do great things. For the World was ours..It belonged to us, and we were going to make it a better place.

    Did we? Yes I think we did. But at a price. A severe price, paid for by fresh faced boys of nineteen. Many that had never left home before. I cannot recall all of their faces. But they are always with me...And I am always aware of their presence....Bless Them.
    Sapper

    Brian

    Heart felt words. Thanks for sharing.
    I remember my Dad taking me to the Peace Tower in Ottawa. I was but 6 or 7 years old. He would look at the Book of Remembrance and scan for a name. If he recognized a name, he would shed a tear. I would ask if everything was ok..." yes, son... remembering a friend who did not come back from a brutal war "
    :poppy: Lest we Forget :poppy:
     
  5. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    OK, so I said I'd finished with the pics.
    I was narked that I couldn't find one Then & Now in Hermanville I was after.
    Poor preparation & planning on my part.
    I'd unknowningly walked & driven over the ground I just never got to take a photo.
    Well I've cheated & GoogleStreetviewed it.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    I for one will let you off with the 'cheat' mate!
    Well done.
    Good cheat by the way - great use of Google Street view.
    Mike
     
  7. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    I for one will let you off with the 'cheat' mate!
    Well done.
    Good cheat by the way - great use of Google Street view.
    Mike

    Owen,
    You must have had a blast....even with the wife and kids on board.
    Great post...especially the Canadian stuff.

    cheers from Canada
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Glad you enjoyed the pics, nice to get feed back from our Veterans too.
    I've always made sure I've visited a batlefield after the event, much safer.
    Family enjoyed the trip.
    Wondering where to go next year......
     
  9. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Always fancied N Africa myself, think the 'then and nows' might be a little more difficult though, sand, sand, sand......more sand.......ah, what's this?.......Oh, a donkey turd.
    Not too many buildings left to identify methinks.

    Mike
     
  10. ranville

    ranville Senior Member

    Glad you enjoyed the pics, nice to get feed back from our Veterans too.
    I've always made sure I've visited a batlefield after the event, much safer.
    Family enjoyed the trip.
    Wondering where to go next year......

    How about the Ardennnes?--------I've got got a sort of 'Then[1944]--'then[1970's] and now [2008] of dead Kraut[RIP] in the town square of Stavelot. It's a lovely area with lots of remaining [fairly intact] places to take comparative pics.[and not that far away]
    Anyway many thanks for your Normandie Pics!

    [As you say it's much,much safer after the event!]
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    How about the Ardennnes?--------I've got got a sort of 'Then[1944]--'then[1970's] and now [2008] of dead Kraut[RIP] in the town square of Stavelot. It's a lovely area with lots of remaining [fairly intact] places to take comparative pics.[and not that far away]
    Anyway many thanks for your Normandie Pics!

    [As you say it's much,much safer after the event!]
    Been there. :)
    My Ardennes Trip, February 2008
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-battlefields-today/13422-my-ardennes-trip-february-2008-a.html
     
  12. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Superb stuff Owen great photo's and covered a very large area. Places I have not seen since 1944.....GREAT
    Sapper
     
  13. Jakob Kjaersgaard

    Jakob Kjaersgaard Senior Member

    Fantastic pics! Thanks for sharing!



    Jakob
     
  14. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    Have really enjoyed looking at your pics Owen, thanks for sharing.
     
  15. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    Glad you enjoyed the pics, nice to get feed back from our Veterans too.
    I've always made sure I've visited a batlefield after the event, much safer.
    Family enjoyed the trip.
    Wondering where to go next year......

    Owen,

    From your 'then' and 'now' photos, what is quite remarkable to me is the number of homes/buildings that remain intact or were rebuilt from 66 years ago. They are obviously the reference points and considering the extensive damage many suffered, most are recognizable.
     
  16. Sgt Bilko

    Sgt Bilko Member

    Great pics...

    Was at Hermanville and Pegasus Bridge myself back in Sept this year. Probably duplicates of your pics but I will get 'round to posting them!
     
  17. Chant

    Chant Junior Member

    All great pics, Owen. Well taken. It's interesting in one that the trees are exactly the same save for one branch. In another it's fascinating to realise how deep one would have to dig in the sand to have a chance of uncovering any relics dropped by the German POWs!

    I have a small (A5 sized) book of images from D-Day on the left page. On the right there's a space to take your own image and insert. A great idea.
     
  18. Steve7

    Steve7 Junior Member

    Great shots Owen, the then and now photos are fantastic! :sign_wow:

    Cheers, Steve.
    SK Photos: Welcome
     
  19. Lofty1

    Lofty1 Senior Member

    Hi Owen, sorry just found your message about the Suffolks memorial, you are right it does look very sad, as an aside,here in Colchester we have PAPILLION RD, an old local family, the road named for them, Capt Papillion KIA at La Londe from that family. The first job we did in france in 1994 was at La Deliverance, a cross to put on a grave for my friends mum, her brother was KIA D Day+? the first news of his death reached his wife here, via a Canadian padre who sent a short letter saying he had been killed and was buried, the padre overseeing the burial, the sister had a copy of this letter, and went to her brothers grave on a coach trip in the late 80s taking the letter with her, she was the only one on the coach to need to visit this cemetary, so rushed in found the grave, did not fill in the book of rememberance because she felt she was keeping them all waiting, this our veteran we took put right for her in 1994, sadly on her trip she lost the first half of the letter with the padres name etc, I have a copy of whats left, it was some weeks after this letter arrived the wife recieved official notice of her husbands demise, Sadly my friends mum is no longer with us, regards lofty
     
  20. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    i've just had a nice reminder of our trip to Normandy.
    I'd forgotten I had peeled & frozen the apples we had from the orchard of the cottage in Hermanville.
    I admit I'm not the world's best cook but I've just made & we've eaten most of this apple pie made with apples from Hermanville.
    :)

    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page