Day four - the first ceremonies

Here we are, day four already. Today was the first of the 'working days' - when we attend ceremonies to remember those who took part in the D Day landings.

Today we headed first to Pegasus Bridge, Benouville. For those who don't know, it was the site of the first landings of D Day, when men of the 6th Airborne, led by Major John Howard, took the Bridge (today known as Pegasus Bridge) and held it until relieved by Lord Lovat's commandos.

The Cadets were present at ceremonies within the Museum complex, to remember those who gave their lives and to honour those veterans who are still with us and were present today.

This afternoon we laid a wreath at Graye sur Mer, at the spot where men of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (fellow Riflemen) came ashore on Juno Beach. The cadets were able to talk to veterans of the landings, who told stories of D Day and answered the Cadets questions about the landings.

In a few minutes, we will be heading back to Pegasus Bridge, for the midnight ceremony and fireworks. Although there will be remembrance of the fallen, and of those who are no longer able to be with us, this is always a joyful celebration, as Benouville prides itself on being the first village in France to be liberated. we have heard that tonight there may be fireworks as well.

Arrival

OK - it's day three already and I'm only just doing the first entry. Our internet connection definitely isn't any better and I'm blogging this from MacDonalds in Bayeux whilst having a coffee.

Everyone arrived safely and have settled in well. We spent the first evening at the Museum at Tilly sur Seulles - a beautiful medieval chapel, restored in the last few years to provide a beautiful setting for a village museum which records the very personal stories of the destruction and rebuilding of a Normandy village.

Yesterday we started the day at the Cinema Circulaire at Arromanches les Bains. Rather than trying to tell the story of D Day, the cinema shows a film 'in the round' that attempts to record, without words, the sights and sounds of Normandy then and now. Impressive, no matter how often you see it.

We moved on to the German gun battery at Longues sur mer, and ended the day with visits to both the American Military Cemetery at Colleville and then Pointe du Hoc, where the US Rangers fought so hard.

Today we visited Ste Mere Eglise and Utah Beach.

Normandy is really buzzing at the moment. Thousands of ex-military vehicles, with their owners (often in WW2 uniforms) are on every street and in every car park. President Obama is expected in the area on the 6th June, and preparations are well under way. We won't be affected by that particularly - we will spend D Day at Pegasus Bridge and the area of Benouville.

Update 2009 - keeping it at the top!

Update - Ready for Tour 2009

Well, last year the Blog wasn't the greatest success - the slow dialup connection and lack of time meant that we weren't able to update as we would like. We're going to have another shot at it this year. The 2009 tour begins on Tuesday 2 June. The advance party leave on Saturday 30 May and we hope to have the grass tamed and possibly even the tents up by the time the Cadets and Adult Instructors arrive.

This year will be the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. There will be some exciting celebrations, old comrades meeting up again, sad remembrances of absent friends, new generations learning about the sacrifices made so that Europe could live free of dictatorship. For us it will be a few days of seeing the sights followed by a couple of days of ceremonies. We hope that you will all gain a new insight into lives very different from your own and a sense of the immense debt we all owe to those who helped liberate Europe 65 years ago.

So, to get you in the mood to hit the beaches this year, below are some of the highlights from the Tour 2008.

Bayeux military cemetery

Laying a wreath at Bayeux Cemetery

On the original Pegasus Bridge

Bridging the 'generation gap'!

On the original Pegasus Bridge

On the Bridge - Pegasus

Seeing the sights - Pointe du Hoc

US Cemetery

US Cemetery at St Laurent sur Mer

Update - Ready for Tour 2009

Well, last year the Blog wasn't the greatest success - the slow dialup connection and lack of time meant that we weren't able to update as we would like. We're going to have another shot at it this year. The 2009 tour begins on Tuesday 2 June. The advance party leave on Saturday 30 May and we hope to have the grass tamed and possibly even the tents up by the time the Cadets and Adult Instructors arrive.

This year will be the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. There will be some exciting celebrations, old comrades meeting up again, sad remembrances of absent friends, new generations learning about the sacrifices made so that Europe could live free of dictatorship. For us it will be a few days of seeing the sights followed by a couple of days of ceremonies. We hope that you will all gain a new insight into lives very different from your own and a sense of the immense debt we all owe to those who helped liberate Europe 65 years ago.

So, to get you in the mood to hit the beaches this year, here are some of the highlights from the Tour 2008.

Day 1 & 2

Everyone arrived safely yesterday afternoon. We headed home and sorted out tents and sleeping areas. The weather is a bit changeable - sudden squalls followed by warm sunshine. It rained most of the night so we all felt a bit down as we assembled for our first days sightseeing. But everyone had kept dry and had slept well, so we soon cheered up.

The day started with a trip to the German gun battery at Longues sur Mer. We took a picture, which shows all the Cadets sitting on the barrel of one of the guns - unusually Longues Batterie has retained it's gun barrels and much of it survived heavy shelling on D Day. Unfortunately, this dial-up connection we're using is not co-operating and pictures may have to wait until a better time!

After lunch at Arromanches, we went and watched a film on the events of D Day at the Cinema Circulaire, and then visited the memorial to the Winnipeg Rifles at Gray-sur-Mer, where we plan to lay a wreath later in the week.

After a bit of shopping, we came home for a curry supper - again, pictures will have to wait until the telephone line fairy smiles on us.

Preparations

Well, we (OC tour and his wife) are here. Despite the many reports of port blockades, Ouistreham seems unaffected and the only sign of any industrial action by fishermen was the small, peaceful group gathered at the port to check refrigerated lorries for fish.

Normandy has been very wet, but we have still managed to get the grass cut. If we (and you) are lucky, the weather will hold long enough to get the tents up this afternoon.

If you are thinking of buying a new pair of trainers for the tour - don't. Buy waterproof shoes instead. (Goretex walking boots are great - look like trainers but keep the wet out of your feet).

We are off to do some food shopping today - see you all tomorrow afternoon.

Kit list

KIT LIST

Documentation
1 Passport (please let us know as soon as possible if you are a non-UK passport holder)

1 European Health Insurance Card

Military (for the Parades)

1 Combat Jacket

1 Trousers, Lightweight*

2 Shirts, KF (green)

1 Belt

Beret & Badge

Brassard

Boots (& spare laces)

2 pairs Socks

1 pair Twists

All these military items MUST be brought on the tour. The weather in Normandy is variable and it cannot be assumed that the parades will be done in shirt-sleeve order.

Civilian

Jacket, preferably waterproof

Trousers (can be jeans)

2 Jersey/sweatshirt

2 Shirts/polo shirts/t-shirts

Underwear (sufficient for 7 days)

Socks (sufficient for 7 days)

1 pr Shoes

1 pr Trainers

Hat (to keep the sun off!)

Swim wear THIS INCLUDES A SWIMMING HAT and boys MAY NOT wear shorts or bermudas! (This is a general rule at French municipal pools).

1 Sleeping Bag - Military or civilian.

Wash Kit

1 Large towel

Boot cleaning kit

Sewing kit

Sun Block

Water bottle & holder/belt

Knife, Fork & Spoon

Mug

Note Book

Pen/pencil

Torch - plus spare batteries & bulb

PARTICIPANTS SHOULD NOT BRING MORE THAN ONE SUITCASE, HOLDALL OR EQUIVALENT FOR THE BULK OF THEIR KIT. A SMALL 'DAY SACK' WOULD ALSO BE USEFUL.

Apart from military items, this list is for guidance. Tour participants should go for comfort rather than glamour.

* Some cadets may not have been issued with lightweights. If you do not have a pair you will need to obtain some urgently, via your detachment commander, or borrow a pair. C95's are NOT worn at the parades.

Tour 2008 - Reveille

This will be the 10th time that Cadets from Oxfordshire (The Rifles) Army Cadet Force have visited Normandy to remember those who landed in Normandy in June 1944. This blog will be regularly updated over the next month or so as we prepare for the tour , and we will add commentary and photographs as the tour progresses to keep family and friends up to date with what we're doing.

Day 7 - Thursday 7 June - Coming Home

Well, the Cadets and Instructors are on their way home. In fact, we've just had a text message to say that they've landed at Portsmouth and are on their way back to Oxford. We've had a great time and this evening the house feels very quiet. It has been an exciting and busy week, but one that we'll always remember and we hope that the Cadets have some wonderful memories to take home.

We are grateful to all those who have made us so welcome this week. Especially to the Maire of Bénouville, the Maire of Escoville and the Maire of Herouvillette. We would also like to thank General Sir Robert Pascoe, Mrs Penny Bates, M. Marc Jacquinot (the Director of the Pegasus Memorial Museum) and all those Veterans who took time to talk to us and share their memories.

Day 6 - 6 June

63 years after D-Day, we were excited to have the chance to spend today with friends in Normandy, celebrating the liberation of France and remembering the men of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, our predecessor Regiment, who took part in this defining moment in European history.

The day began with breakfast at the Mairie at Bénouville - the site of Pegasus Bridge and the first village to be liberated in France. We then took part in the parade across the Bridge to the Signal Monument, where a memorial service was held and children of the Village gave flowers to the Veterans present. Our bugler for the day, PI Andrew Hames, former cadet and now Instructor, played last post and reveille. We then joined the Village in returning across the present Pegasus Bridge, to the memorial to the men of 7 Para, where a brief service of commemoration was held. We joined the Maire, Veterans and the people of Bénouville for drinks and snacks at the Salle des Fetes.

Lunch was a picnic in the grounds nearby and the Cadets enjoyed the chance to play football with local children.

This was a long day. In the afternoon we attended two more ceremonies - at Escoville and Herouvillette. These villages, both struck hard by the fighting in the days after D-Day, welcomed us, along with Veterans and their famillies, to remember those who died and to celebrate the peace that the sacrifices of D-Day brought. At Herouvillette, the children played their recorders and sang a song. Again we provided the appropriate Bugle calls and the Cadets laid their own wreath. Afterwards, we joined the Maire of Herouvillette at the village foyer for refreshments.

At the end of the day, the Cadets enjoyed a brief shopping trip at the Centre Commerciale at Herouville St. Clair, before we returned home for the traditional end of tour meal - chicken Vallée d'Auge followed by sticky cakes! This was a noisy and chaotic occasion - all 25 of us in the kitchen was a bit of a struggle but added to the fun.

Day 5 - Tuesday 5 June

Sightseeing was put a little on hold today, as we began two days of participation in some of the ceremonies held each year in Normandy to commemorate those who lost their lives during the D-Day landings, to honour the survivors and to remember those who have died since the war. Each year there are fewer veterans and since we have been visiting for 9 years now (with a different group of Cadets each year) inevitably some dear friends have been lost along the way.

Oxfordshire (The Rifles) Battalion, Army Cadet Force, has links (through the Royal Green Jackets, our former Regiment) back to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. The 2nd Battalion Ox & Bucks were gliderborne troops and part of the 6th Airborne Division on D-Day. They were tasked to take and hold the bridges across the Caen Canal and River Orne (today known as Pegasus and Horsa Bridges respectively). The gliders landed at approximately 00:16 on 6th June, and led by Major John Howard they, within 12 - 15 minutes, achieved their objective to take the Bridges. They held them until relieved by elements of the 7th Parachute Regiment in the early hours on the morning.

At midday, we were honoured to stand alongside veterans and relatives of veterans at the replica Horsa Glider at the Pegasus Memorial Museum, and remember those who gave their lives here. We provided a Bugler for the Ox & Bucks wreath-laying ceremony and at 12:30 held our own ceremony and laid a wreath nearby on the original Pegasus Bridge (which stands in the museum grounds). General Sir Robert Pascoe, late Ox & Bucks, and Mrs Penny Bates, daughter of Major John Howard were in attendance. Mrs Bates thanked the Cadets for being in Normandy.

The Cadets had the chance to look around the Museum and explore the history of the Ox & Bucks participation in D-Day.

We travelled across to Bayeux after lunch, and visited the Battle of Normandy Museum which tells the story of D-Day and the battles of the weeks following the invasion. Afterwards we visited the British Military Cemetery in Bayeux and laid our wreath at the memorial there. Today the Bugle was played by Mark Hames, a former Cadet and currently a Serjeant Instructor with Oxfordshire Army Cadet Force.

Day 4 - Monday 4 June

We set off early this morning - toward Omaha Beach and the German strongpoint WN62 near Colleville sur Mer. This complex of trenches and guns was a severe challenge for the landing US forces. It had been reinforced (coincidently) by elements of the German 352nd Infantry Division increasing it's numbers from 20 men to 40. This may not seem like a great deal of opposition, but US forces were landing on an open beach and were being fired on from well designed positions above them.

We then moved on to the nearby US Military Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, where so many young men are buried. The sea of grave stones was a sobering reminder that D-Day, and the weeks following, cost so many lives - 9,386 graves of young men hardly older than some of our Cadets.

We had lunch just along the coast, overlooking the beach near the memorial to the men of the US 2nd Infantry Division, who fought there.

After lunch we moved along to Point du Hoc, where the US Rangers fought so hard to take a heavily fortified gun emplacement. They fought their way up cliffs, against small arms fire from the defending German troops, only to find that the battery was empty - the guns were not there.

This was also swimming day - the cadets all had the opportunity to swim at Bayeux municipal swimming pool, before heading home for a barbecue.

Days 2 & 3 - Gold Beach, Sainte Mére Eglise

Last night we were just too tired to blog. Or do anything else other than cook, eat and sleep.

Yesterday morning we set off at around 10.00am to the German Artillery Battery at Longues sur Mer. Then on to Arromanches, the site of Port Winston - the Mulberry Harbour. The tide was in, so we couldn't go out on the beach and that, along with the fog, made it hard to see how the beach would have looked to the landing troops. The souvenir shops at Arromanches are great and we bought ice creams, books, crickets, tee shirts, teddies and other valuable items!

We went to the Circular Cinema at the top of the cliffs and watched the 360 degree film, which was powerful in the imagery used and gave you a great impression of the beaches because it was film and music without commentary and used war time film with modern images.

After lunch, we stopped at the place where General de Gaulle came ashore and took photos on the Churchill AVRE tank which remains nearby.

At the end of the afternoon we went to the 'Grand Bunker' at Ouistreham. They had a complete US landing craft, a DUKW (amphibious lorry) a V1 flying bomb and other military vehicles in the car park. The bunker itself was an observation post pointing toward the coast. Inside it was set up to display the way in which the Germans would have equiped it during the war.

This morning we headed up the coast to Sainte Mére Eglise, where the US parachutists landed early on D-Day. Sadly many were killed when they landed off target in the centre of the town and were shot by German soldiers. Private John Steele got caught on the church steeple and survived, being cut down and taken prisoner. Today the town was full of tourists, military re-enactors and the owners of restored military vehicles who were in town for the annual militaria market.

After this we had lunch at Azeville Battery, where the German troops held out against the Americans until the 9 June. We then moved on to Crisbecq Battery, where French military re-enactors were rehearsing a display planned for this evening. Crisbecq Battery has been largely dug out and restored and was made more interesting by the living history displays and military vehicles.

On the way home, we drove along Utah Beach, stopping at the large US memorial and for some, this meant a paddle in the sea. For others it was a chance to have an ice cream, chips and croque monsieur. It didn't damage anyone's appetite however, and everyone enjoyed chilli and jacket potatoes for dinner when we got home.