Englishmum

Today is a poignant day as it is the 70th Anniversary of the D Day Landings where the Allied Forces (British, American & Canadian) landed at Dawn in northern France to liberate Occupied Europe from the tyranny of the Nazis. The 6th June 1944 was the beginning of the end of WW2 in Europe. It is poignant to remember it today as not only so many brave military soldiers, airmen and sailors perished or were terribly maimed, there are now very few survivors left as they are now in their 80s and 90s and may not be around in the next decade.

There is a lot of coverage in the British media today, especially on the BBC.

Right now I'm listening to the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2; he is on HMS Belfast (moored next to Tower Bridge in London) where he is talking to some of the sailors who were on the ship as it sailed to Juno Beach in Normandy and playing popular songs from the era. It's absolutely fascinating.

Some of you on the East Coast may wish to listen to the show whilst having breakfast (also you can get BBC Radio shows via the 'Tune In' App for your smartphones and tablets). If you miss it, the show will be online to listen to later:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045c4pj

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0202pwp (D-Day 70 Episodes across the BBC)

One of my regrets is not finding out more about what my Grandad and some of my uncles were doing during the war. I know that one Grandad was in active service in the Army; he was based in Malta and my mum was born there in Sept 1939 and they were there until she was 5. My other Grandad was AFAIK not conscripted in WW2 as he was working in a coal mine (not sure if he was on active service in WW1). I do know that my dad's older brother parachuted into Italy whilst on active service and saw such dreadful atrocities that he would never talk about it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ion-D-Day.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/

Lion in Winter

They are almost all gone now, but should not be forgotten.

Up to 4000 killed on the first day.

Englishmum

This is incredible - click on the link below and drag (or swipe if you are on a tablet) the photographic images to see the exact same scene as it was 70 years ago and how it is today:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...ow-interactive

robin1234

Here's an interesting link, the D-Day Museum and Overlord Embroidery in Portsmouth. I'd never heard of the museum but sounds like it would be worth a visit if in that part of England.

http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/overlord-embroidery

Englishmum

Awww - Bless!


An elderly D-Day veteran who lives in a nursing home was told he couldn't go to Normandy....so he did a runner and went anyway!


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...ursing-3654573

joto

I read that. Good for him. He still has the spirit in him that he had at that time.

Trixie_b

I'm always moved by this. "Thank you" is inadequate, but they will have my eternal gratitude

paddingtongreen

This thread had me thinking, I don't specifically remember D-Day. I was nine and a bit and my dad had been wounded at the Anzio Beachhead and was in the military ward of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington (luckily, our local hospital). One uncle was wounded out in Burma and one was in the Navy, the others were either unfit or in reserve jobs or too young. I didn't have a dog in that fight although I expect the navy man was there.

I am amazed that 4,000+ were killed, I had to check it because I expected it was many more than that. I have looked more at WW1 where we lost 60,000 on the first day of the Battle of the River Somme, a third of them killed.

markonline1

Just watching the 10 o'clock news now from back home. Seeing the vets walking through Bayeaux with the locals clapping and thanking them alon the route was pretty tough to watch. They also interviewed the guy who absconded from the care home to make his own way over. These guys are definitely cut from a different cloth than the ret of us!!!!!