One week to go...

We're looking forward to seeing most of you at the briefing tomorrow morning and even more to seeing everyone on the dockside at Ouistreham next Friday afternoon.

Final reminders. Be at the assembly point at 05.30 (yes, in the morning) for 06.00 departure. Don't be late! Make sure you have your Passport, European Health Card, uniform and clothing for seven days. OC tour and his boss will be leaving on Monday - the grass will need cutting and we'll be taking most of the supplies and tentage with us.

Even if it rains, we are going to have a great time next week - there's lots to see in Normandy and if you don't know much of the history of WWII and the D-Day landings, you will be amazed by some of the stories you will hear. Many of the soldiers involved weren't much older than you - the youngest British soldier buried in Normandy was just 16 years old - look up his story on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3698847.stm

If you want to get in the mood this week, watch some films. The Longest Day is getting rather old, but is one of the few films that tells the story of Pegasus Bridge and the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as well as giving a good overview of the scale of the D-Day landings. Band of Brothers concentrates more on the Battle of Normandy in the weeks after D-Day, but Saving Private Ryan will give you a sense of the awful losses the Americans experienced on Omaha Beach.

We're going to have a great time - barbeques, swimming, sightseeing and representing the Battalion at Pegasus Bridge on the 63rd Anniversary of D-Day!