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6th June

Hang up your Chisels and Plane blades and take a load off with a recently turned goblet of your favourite poison, in the lounge of our Gentlemen's (and ladies) Club.

6th June

Postby Andyp » 07 Jun 2019, 08:21

The 6th of June is a big deal around here. Each year my wife and I translate the local mayor’s speech and I get to read it out to the assembled veterans at the local para hute regiment memorial. 12 veterans made it this year including for the first time a Chelsea Pensioner. 100 plus people in all and a 65 piece brass band.

I have had the pleasure of talking to a number of veterans some of whom jumped in normandy on D-day and at Arnhem.

Later in the day when my daughter was not at school I took her to the brigade HQ and field hospital which is in the grounds of a private house and not normally open to the public. She readily agreed to translate the Para Captains speech, off the cuff. I could not have been more proud.

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Re: 6th June

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Jun 2019, 09:43

Bravo.

It has been good to see younger generations getting involved.
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Re: 6th June

Postby TrimTheKing » 07 Jun 2019, 12:00

Excellent mate! :eusa-clap:

I watched quite a bit of coverage when I got home from work last night and choked up on more than one occasion.

Seeing so many veteran's still with us, and many looking surprisingly sprightly, but saddened at the same time that it won't be too long before we're watching this with nobody still with us who was there. :cry:
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Re: 6th June

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Jun 2019, 12:56

I've been following Mikey McBryan's (of Ice Pilots' Buffalo Airways) restoration of a DC3 that dropped paratroopers at Normandy on Day which only started at about Christmas last year!!

Yesterday evening at Montreal St Hubert Airport it flew for the first time, with Joe McBryan, Mikey's father in the left hand seat.

Go to 29m to watch the take off.

[youtube]o98YhDK9H14[/youtube]
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Re: 6th June

Postby Rod » 07 Jun 2019, 23:39

A job in the UN awaits! Well done

I watched part of a video about the D Day Glider preparations.
They learned lessons from mistakes made in Sicily and Salerno, followed by extensive trial runs onto flooded fields and fields like the ones expected in France.Sadly several crew members were killed during these runs.
A troop of pathfinders landed first equipped with Radar guidance systems ( one was called Rebecca). The pilots had to follow these radar beams to their targets.
In the English Channel, navy ships with beacons were located, again to guide the planes out bound and well as in bound. The routes over England were carefully choreographed involving numerous airfields spread out all over the country.

My BIL’s father was a Para in the “Bridge Too Far” saga. He was captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW and was caught up in one of the “Death Marches” before release. He very rarely talked about his experiences and died a few years ago.

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Re: 6th June

Postby Andyp » 08 Jun 2019, 10:06

This is Harry who parachuted into the area and was treated at the field hospital. As you can see today's paras hung on his every word.

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Re: 6th June

Postby Woodbloke » 08 Jun 2019, 18:24

Fantastic stuff Andy

:text-bravo: - Rob
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Re: 6th June

Postby fiveeyes » 09 Jun 2019, 14:52

Thanks Andy, nice of you help out. Good man.
I have a place in my heart for these men, I was in an airborne outfit too. Proud.
Are you near the beaches?
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Re: 6th June

Postby Andyp » 09 Jun 2019, 16:08

We are 10 mins from Pegasus Bridge and the Merville Battery. The Para HQ just up the road in the Bois de Monts at the Mesnil Crossroads is a signifivant enough memorial for the Colonel in Chief, Prince Charles, to attend five years ago.

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Re: 6th June

Postby fiveeyes » 10 Jun 2019, 18:38

Yes I was..US Army..12th Special Forces
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Re: 6th June

Postby Andyp » 10 Jun 2019, 19:19

Have you ever visited the Normandy beaches? The US memorials are all further west from us at Omaha and Utah. Have you ever visited? The American cemetery at Colleville is a moving place.
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Re: 6th June

Postby Woodbloke » 10 Jun 2019, 21:42

Andyp wrote:Have you ever visited the Normandy beaches? The US memorials are all further west from us at Omaha and Utah. Have you ever visited? The American cemetery at Colleville is a moving place.

We went to all of those places when we visited Normandy in 2012 and we also popped into see you for a while Andy. As I recollect, there was a very pleasant farm just up the road from Colleville selling some very acceptable cider and calvados. We managed to find room in the car for a few bottles :eusa-whistle: - Rob
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