Jack Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Group photo of Troops assigned to Detachment "B", 56th Signal Battalion. This photo was taken at marshalling area camp before boarding Assault vehicles headed for the D-Day landings on the Normandy coast of France - June 1944. All troops survived. These guys where based in the next village over from me. By the time the Americans left, the Manor house was a wreck but this was pretty much the same all over Dorset and I dare say as where as well. I intend to spend some time looking at the estate trees to see if I can photographer and record the graffiti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 My cousin recently granted me access to her deceased parents' memorabilia. Her father, my uncle, joined Northumberland Hussars in September 1939, only to have his squadron immediately re-roled as Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery. According to the regimental history (copy in his memorabilia), during May 1944 during the build-up to his third drive up an invasion beach dragging a Bofors gun on The Day (after Sicily and Messina), he and his battery were encamped in the very grounds where I sit in as I type, at Hursley Park near Winchester. There was no damage by them to the now Grade 1 listed Hursley House, mainly because it had been turned over to building Spitfires in 1940 after Supermarine's Woolston and Itchen works were bombed out by the Luftwaffe. Coincidentally, whilst researching my Family History in Durham a couple of years ago, I found the War Diaries of a battalion of Durham Light Infantry, which was encamped on Toot Hill, which I drive past to and from work every day. It's a small world, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Yes that is a good point. We tend to look overseas for our 'war' history when in actual fact we are surrounded by it in our own country, perhaps we should spend more time lookiing and recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Military history is all around us,EVERY village in the UK has a war memorial,most have or had a base of some kind within twenty miles. I must admit that although my main interest is in US military history,I am reading a lot about WW1 as I am interested in the impact it had on the UK and how the country changed as a result of the war. Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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