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Post by PG on Jun 6, 2024 16:10:51 GMT
Each anniversary that passes, there are less and less of the veterans left. But when you read the stories about what they did, what they went through and the sheer courage, it brings a tear to one's eye.
There was an article about a 100 year old British veteran who landed on D-Day +1 - when the beach was still being shelled - and didn't get home until August 1947 having fought all the way to Hamburg. He said that of the 130 men in his company who landed that day, only 19 made it home. What sacrifice.
As the country decides who will govern us in a few week's time, it pays to remember that it is only because of the sacrifice of others that we get to make that choice. Very sobering.
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 6, 2024 18:10:07 GMT
We make a habit of visiting the D-day sites on the north coast when we travel back from Le Mans prior to catching the evening ferry.
We visited Arromanches-les-Bains a couple of times and have visited the museum there.
Always very sobering.
Pointe du Hoc was another and it is staggering to see the scale of the cliffs that they scaled under fire.
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Post by PG on Jun 6, 2024 18:55:06 GMT
I've never visited the D-Day beaches or area. It's something I'd like to do and feel I ought to do at some point.
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Post by Boxer6 on Jun 6, 2024 20:25:03 GMT
I've never visited the D-Day beaches or area. It's something I'd like to do and feel I ought to do at some point. Same. I also would like to visit the WW1 sites at some point too. |
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Post by ChrisM on Jun 6, 2024 20:38:11 GMT
I've never visited the D-Day beaches or area. It's something I'd like to do and feel I ought to do at some point. Me too. Younger daughter has an interest in doing a trip there too, so depending on how things pan out, maybe next year or the year after |
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Post by Alex on Jun 7, 2024 6:10:20 GMT
For years it's been something I've felt I'd like to do. Not had much interest from my wife and the girls though.
I wish I knew more about what my grandad did in the war. All I know is that he served in Egypt but throughout all his life that I knew him he would never talk about it. Easy to forget that these were just normal men like you or I who were suddenly thrust into a situation where they had to watch their friends be killed before their very eyes in the most horrific of fashion and mete out the same in return to their fellow man on the enermy side and when it was all over they had to return to civvy Street as if nothing had happened.
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Post by Big Blue on Jun 7, 2024 12:03:10 GMT
I've never visited the D-Day beaches or area. It's something I'd like to do and feel I ought to do at some point. Even so you’ve spent almost as much time there as Richie Sunak….. |
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Post by alf on Jul 1, 2024 8:20:36 GMT
Concidentally (or was it?) We have a one week "Cap Fun" family holiday just north of Caen - pretty much right on "Sword" beach - in the last week of August. Tina being German and the kids showing little interest, I may be on my own for some of it but I'll definitely look up some historic places to visit in advance, and try and find where the best museums and views of the beaches are. The bayeux tapestry is also a must for a history bore like me, especially on the back of reading a few books on the Vikings and Anglo Saxons recently.
I'd hugely recommend a visit to WW1 sites for those thinking about it. There are so many, but you can usually find pictures and info on Google before you plan your visit. Verdun has many incredible sites, and the Somme area I visited last summer was fascinating and moving also. The front was so static in many places, an incredible amount has happened in a small area. Beaumont Hamel was my favorite, the fact its Canadian territory staffed by Canadians just gave it a sense of other-worldness and the stories of the Somme battles there are remarkable...
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