D-Day Remembered Day 3

[smallhobbit]

We began the day on Sword Beach, one of five D-Day landing beaches, and one of two which the British landed on:

   

The tide was out, as it was on D-Day, but I walked out and paddled briefly



Here's the memorial at the beach



From there we moved onto Juno beach, where the Canadians landed



And the memorials there

   

After lunch we went onto Hell's Corner, where Canadian troops fought

   

While we were there a Frenchman came out and invited us to come in and see his collection of war weaponry and uniforms.  He lived in an old chateau, with artillery damage on the walls, and produced boxes of weapons and uniform.  It was a great opportunity to actually handle the (decommissioned) weapons and really helped to bring the time to life, far more than just looking at exhibits in a museum.

After which we went to Bayeux War Cemetery, which is the second largest WW2 British war cemetery in France with over 4,500 graves

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Amazing opportunity to touch the artefacts. That's great! I love the blue of the sky in the first two and the aqua water by Juno beach.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it becomes that much more real! It was a beautiful day that day :)

[debriswoman]

Husband and son have visited…makes a difference being there….good of the local man to share what he had collected,

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it gives a much better idea of the location and feels much more real.

[meridian_rose]

These posts are always so touching and full of amazing photographs.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - I am pleased you like them.

[rusty_armour]

Your photos are fantastic! It's amazing to see the different spots where the Allied troops landed. It means a lot on Canada Day to be able to see photos of Juno Beach, those memorials, and Hell's Corner. To be honest, I'm a bit choked up now. :-)

It's wonderful that you were given a tour of that Frenchman's private military collection -- and in a chateau that sustained artillery damage aussi!

The number of British graves at the Bayeux Cemetery is really staggering. It looks like a beautifully serene place, though.

[smallhobbit]

I'm so pleased you liked the photos of Juno Beach. My husband has a distant cousin who is Canadian and I put up an Instagram post for him to see and he told me his Uncle George had landed there in the days after the initial assault.

Bayeux Cemetery is very peaceful, perfect for reflection.

[therealsnape]

Great pics, and what a lovely encounter with the Frenchman. Such things add so much to the trip. I hope that in Bayeux you got a chance to see the tapestry. Or did you already see that on an earlier occasion?

[smallhobbit]

Yes, meeting the Frenchman really added to the experience, simply being able to handle the weapons.

I've not seen the tapestry. It's on my very long list!