Before I begin this article, let me say that I have NEVER, repeat, NEVER seen as many Canadian flags flown in our Nation as I have these past several days in Normandy!! If the flags are an indication of the Normandy Citizen’s respect and appreciation for our War Effort, such respect and appreciation is displayed in full colour on many buildings and most official sites.
Saturday, June 07th was a day of personal visits, a day of personal memories, for the 4 WW II Veterans among us. Tour Leader John Herrington had arranged the day to ensure we visited the location where each WW II vet had landed, two on June 6th, 1944, and two a few days later.
It certainly added a more personal perspective to the situation on that Day in 1944! I am confident it caused the WW II Vets themselves. to experience different and intense emotional feelings.
At Mesial Patry, our first stop, a stop where it was evident the town had been celebrating, a town that had erected a monument in honour of the Canadian troops that had liberated them on June of 1944, the former Mayor greeted us as we exited the bus, and he and his wife happily got in the photos taken by most of us!! As we left, the ex-mayor’s wife presented Ted with a bottle of cognac.
We all crossed the road and some took the opportunity to read the names of those Canadians who had lost their lives during the liberation. In one of the pic you will see the name of the street > Rue de 11 June 1944.
Stan and Lois on tour in France. (writing on the bus 2014 06 08 en route to Dieppe, France.)
Thank you for sharing part of a very important event.
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