Some more Normandy pix

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I'll top these up in the upcoming few days....

 

starting with Arromanches

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and

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I'm not sure how many of you will have made it to Rouen on your way to Normandy - but if you're going try and visit St Sever Extension war cemetery. It is huge by dint of the city having the major hospital for the British Army in WW1, though there are also some WW2 graves of POWs who died in captivity. My wife's great uncle David Millar is buried there - he died of wounds in October 1918. One of the most famous grave is that of the amazing Reverend Theodore Bailey Hardy VC, DSO, MC - Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class who died, aged 54, on 18.10.1918. He won his VC for three separate acts of bravery in 1918 and was appointed Chaplain to King George V but never lived to take up the post. He came from Westmoreland

[Joris]

Nice, very nice!

[Its me]

Please keep them coming

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Back again with some more pics from Banneville-la-Campagne cemetery.

 

The shared graves of five soldiers from 10th Battalion Hampshire Regiment part of 147th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps who were all killed in action on 17th and 18th July 1944 in Normandy. They were Trooper Charles George Brant, aged 34, of Loudwater Buckinghamshire; Trooper Frederick Percival Henning, aged 32, of Southampton; Corporal Harold Edward Carr, aged 31, of Alton Hampshire; Lieutenant Basil John Drinkwater,aged 24, of Stokenchurch Buckinghamshire and Trooper Frederick Murray, aged 31, of Kingswood, Gloucestershire.

 

AND

 

The nearest headstone is that of George Arthur Larkins of the 4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, aged 28, from Portadown, Northern Ireland who was killed on 15.08.1944.

 

AND

 

A general view

 

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The next pic was taken at La Deliverande cemetery

 

Some men of the 7th Battalion Parachute Regiment who were killed on D Day 6th June 1944 and are buried at La Deliverande war cemetery, Douvres, Normandy. They include Private Cyril Cooper Stubbins, aged 19; Private Frederick Garnett, aged 21; Private John Walker of Meltham in Yorkshire, aged 21 and Corporal Henry Denham, aged 29. All these headstones mark the approximate site of their actual graves.

 

I love this picture for the simple reason that the light is so accurate and is really moody. The sky, the trees and the shadows are so atmospheric. I converted from film to digital (with a Nikon Coolpix 5400 camera - always worth finding a used one if you can) in October 2003 and the quality of the light is saved because there is no chemical process involved. With digital the light is what you see.

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I've only been to Bayeux cemetery once - back in 2003. The weather was terrible.

 

first pic: The shared grave of five aircrew from a Lancaster bomber of 49 Squadron RAF, killed together on 10th June 1944; who are buried at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Bayeux, Normandy. They are Flying Officer pilot Bryan Esmond Bell, aged 24, from Harrow; Flying Officer air gunner Hilary Daniel Clark, aged 28, from Burnopfield Co Durham; Sergeant wireless operator/air gunner John Holden, aged 21, from Accrington; Sergeant air gunner Joseph John Reed, aged 23, from Dagenham and Flying Officer Duncan MacFadyen, aged 28 (of the Royal Australian Air Force), from Radcliffe, Queensland.

 

and: The shared grave of three aircrew from a Bristol Blenheim bomber of 139 Squadron RAF, who were killed on 3rd August 1940 and buried at The Commonwealth War Cemetery at Bayeux in Normandy. They are Sergeant wireless operator/air gunner Owen Prys Evans RAFVR, aged 20, from Llandudno; Sergeant observer Douglas Frederick Spencer, aged 21, from Bournemouth and Flying Officer pilot Arthur Richard Brian Tedder who all served with 139 Squadron.

 

and: some general views

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Another view of Omaha Beach at Laurent-sur-Mer. The weather was terrible.