Looking ahead for anyone travelling/ following the Veterans of the upcoming event ' The 75th Anniversary of the Normandy landings June 6th 1944' heres a few links explaining what's happening throughout the event from different organisations. Lots of activities and reenactments etc are planned throughout the UK and whatever your plans are, fingers crossed the weather holds good on the day. Graham. D-Day 75: events to mark 75th anniversary of Normandy Landings announced D DAY 75 D-Day 75th Anniversary Events 2019 / #dday75
As can be seen Southampton is doing nothing to commemorate the event, even though more troops embarked there than at any other port. I attach the draft of a talk I am giving on the subject.
BBC Article (26th April 2019): D-Day 'clickers' sought for anniversary Lost 'clickers' from the D-Day Normandy landings are being sought to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the World War Two invasion. Birmingham manufacturer ACME Whistles made 7,000 devices in just six months for the soldiers but said "very few" originals have been seen since. Soldiers would use the clickers to communicate with people nearby to establish if they were friend or foe. The company said it hoped to "unearth a lost piece of sound history". As soldiers from the American Airborne Division were dropped behind enemy lines in darkness, they used the clickers if they detected someone nearby. Two clicks in response to one meant it was a friend. Fearing the clickers would be captured and replicated, they were only ever used for 24 hours before they were banned completely. ACME Whistles was founded in Birmingham in 1870, where it still exists today in the city's Jewellery Quarter. During the World War Two, it was dedicated entirely to making whistles and clickers for the war effort. However, as the landings were a top secret project, little paperwork or images of the clickers and their production existed. "The factory itself was bombed when incendiary bombs were dropped and one found its way down the lift shaft, exploding in the cellar," Simon Topman, the company's managing director, said. "Whistles were sent raining out into the streets of Birmingham, a third of the factory was demolished, but so essential were its products that it was rebuilt in just four days." He said nobody had ever contacted them having found a clicker and he wanted to find as many of the original 7,000 as possible ahead of the 75th anniversary on 6 June. People may not realise "the significance of the unassuming clicker," he said.
Hi Ramiles. Thanks for sharing the article with this community for us. If anyone does have any info that can help us in our search for the lost clickers then you can find out more info including who to contact at The Lost Clickers of D-Day. Thanks in advance to everyone!
I am going to watch part of 16 Air Assault Brigade and the re-enactors from Daks Over Normandy jump on 5th June at DZ K at Sannerville. This should be awesome and a once in a lifetime event, but DZ K is the only one with which I am not familiar. Does anyone know what arrangements have been put in place for parking and viewing, or can they recommend the best vantage point if its less organized? Many thanks!
I intend being there as well. If it's anything like Ranville in 2014 it will be organised chaos simply due to the sheer number of people wanting to be in precisely the same spot at the same time. I've been monitoring the situation closely and have seen nothing about car parks or anything else being organised for the benefit of those on the ground.....I most sincerely hope I'm wrong......
I'm booked for Daks over Duxford on 4 June. Got to try to get down on the tail of the weekday rush-hour... Hopefully it will be better-than-historically-accurate weather for the flying and drops.
2019 D-Day Ceremonies at Dives-sur-Mer and Pont-L'Eveque Ludovic Louis (Ludo) just reminded me of two ceremonies connected to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. These will take place at Dives-sur-Mer on June 1st and Pont-L'Eveque on June 4th. At Dives-sur-Mer a remembrance panel will be unveiled near the local cemetery to commemorate all the Allied soldiers who were killed in the commune during the war. Among them would be the 7th Parachute Battalion men and flight crew of Stirling EF268 all of whom were killed when their aircraft crashed on the hillside overlooking the town in the early morning of June 6th. At Pont-L'Eveque a memorial plaque will be dedicated to the memory of the 39 men of the 6th Airborne killed in the battle to liberate the town in August of 1944. The Bailey bridge built by the 249th Field Coy RE and named "Bulford Bridge" by them will be rededicated at the Pont de Chaines. An exhibition will be on display at a former school that was used as a holding facility for the many Airborne and Allied soldiers captured in the area. At the end of festivities the Mayor will give out town medals to the families of men who fought in the battle and those who were held POW at Pont L'Eveque. It's a little late in the game now but any family members connected to men engaged at Pont L'Eveque in 1944 who wish to attend should let Ludo know so he can inform Yves DeShayes, Mayor of Pont L'Eveque. Two notices sent by Ludo of the ceremonies: Regards ...
If there are any model makers on this site, Army Rumour Service modelling forum are doing a Group Build to commemorate the 75 anniversary of the D-Day landings. There is no entry fee for this or even a prize, just the kudos of showing your work on a military themed site. You need to register with the site, but that costs nothing either. WARNING! Some parts of the Arrse site can be a little intimidating, if you are of a gentle persuasion, keep to the serious bits.
It's apparently something to do with one particular chap upsetting the Ranville land owners bigtime regarding compensation for damage to their crops. Those are the key phrases anyway: I'm sure it's not actually that simple because those landowners have a good reputation when it comes to allowing hundreds of parachutists to traipse all over their land.
I see there is a bit of a fuss over the fences going up at Southsea. Fencing has started to go up around Southsea Common ahead of D-Day 75 anniversary
Piffle.....the Veterans will make mincemeat of those defences......pathetic compared to a Belgian Gate. Might just need a few Bangalore Torpedoes.....and watch out for the enfilading fire.
Does anybody know if there are any special arrangements for disabled driver access to the ZCR? TIA PT
Access to ZCR: no special mention re disabled access to the best of my knowledge (and I've looked very hard) - its all about a car being able to enter the zone after 6am on the 6th. Organised events: special arrangements are being made for those attending various Ceremonies which require accreditation but those people will know that anyway via the accreditation process (I'm talking Bayeux here). I also believe that Arromanches are providing additional disabled parking spaces but I have no idea how you would go about reserving a space on the 6th (or any other time for that matter). Adrian Cox would know - he can be contacted via Facebook (exceptionally busy chap doing a superb task under very difficult circumstances). Not sure about any other ceremony etc arrangements.
Thanks SDP I couldnt find anything either, looks like an early start to get inside before it gets closed off. Hey ho it wont be the end of the world. PT
D-Day Revisited: Chelsea Flower Show Garden Honours Normandy Veterans D-Day 75 Garden a fitting tribute to Normandy Veterans Is the Chelsea Flower Show more than just a pretty pageant? ★★★★☆ In John Everiss's moving D-Day 75 Garden is a sculpture of Normandy veteran Bill Pendell looking at himself in 1944 You won't be seeing John Everiss's art down on Bankside either, but that doesn't mean it is not worthy of your attention. The multi-award-winning garden designer's D-Day 75th anniversary installation was a thoughtful tribute to all those who were involved in the Normandy landings in 1944. 15 rectangular stone plinths, each inscribed with the words of a veteran, were placed below the last set of steps leading up to the Royal Hospital Chelsea. All around them was a carpet of 10,000 Armeria maritima plants (often called sea thrift), leading to a life-size stone carving (by Thomas Dagnall) of the recently deceased veteran, Bill Pendell. He looks across the path to an image of his 22-year old self, emerging from the beachhead, appearing in a ghostly form shaped by thousands of welded metal washers. It's not really a garden, nor is it art in a Turner Prize "what's the new idea" sense, but it is a moving monument that has a similar poignance to Paul Cummins' and Tom Piper's field of ceramic poppies.
Pont-L'Evêque Memorial Plaques As a follow up to Post 8 above Ludovic Louis has sent the designs of the plaques to be unveiled at the 75th Anniversary Ceremonies at Pont-L'Evêque on June 4th. He writes: "Please find attached the 2 memorial plaques that will be unveiled on 4th June at 15.00. One of my friends (Toni Mazotti) has done a lot to make this possible... I know it's late but would you know of 12th Para Vets or families who will be in Normandy next week? It would be nice if a family could attend to represent 12th Para which paid a heavy price during the battle of Pont-L'Evêque." So if any Veterans of the 12th Parachute Battalion or their families are in Normandy during this period their attendance at the events would be greatly appreciated. Regards ...
From the iconic film sequence: 1:01 Juno Beach, D-Day, June 6, 1944 "a young soldier looks back towards the camera with a frightened expression. In response, the soldier behind him reaches out with a reassuring hand and pats his shoulder" That young soldier now identified as Private George Herman Baker, No. 3 Platoon, A Company, North Shore Regiment I believe Baker was tentatively identified as early as 2006 by Lt. Col. Fred F. Moar but a new group of historians is now laying claim. Then Lt. Fred Moar led No. 7 platoon. Finding Pte. Baker: Canadian historians solve 75-year-old mystery of D-Day soldier’s identity