War and Remembrance Anniversary in Normandy

I never experienced military service during WWII. However, I have been of service in Normandy. A duty, memories of which, will last with me until the grave.

The places we went; the conversations which took place ; the faces I saw smile, laugh and cry. Men and women.

Oh yes, there were women - in fact during my tour of duty there were a few more women than men. Some were widows, some were sisters and others were wives with husbands with whom they had shared over 40 years........

I was privileged to be involved with the 40th anniversary remembrance of DDay in June 1994. I worked with SAGA, at the time, and they organized a group of veterans to go back to the places they passed through forty years before.

I volunteered when I heard about the tour. You see, I had been to Normandy on many occasions ; I had a pen friend in Rouen when I was learning French at school. I pursued my studies in French largely due to my pen friend and her aunt who brought France, the culture and the language alive.

During my visits I used to listen to Mme Hermant recount all kinds of stories about her life. Those which interested me the most were the stories of dark days of the 1940s when her beloved Croisset and Rouen were occupied. Stories of German troops billeted in her house : the fifteen year old boy she had with her in early 1944 who wanted his 'Mutti' and how she cried for him when he was killed during the liberation.

The one about the fright she had when a six foot black US soldier came into her back kitchen and frightened the life out of her with his big white smile - she had never seen a black man in her life !

She had many tales to tell and I have them stored.......in my head. She passed away in 1984.......but whenever I see Chantal, or any of the family, we always talk of 'Mémé' as she was known in their family.

All this, together with a granddad who had been in the engineers and went ashore in Normandy on DDay plus 3, made me interested in the whole of the occupation and liberation of France.

When the chance came to travel with the group returning on a pilgrimage to the area I knew and loved I was happy to go. I knew the area ; I spoke the language ; and, unlike some of my contemporaries, I had a great deal of intrigue for those who were 40 years older than me.

But I have not told you my stories of the ' duty' in Normandy. The story of Derek Day [ Mr D. Day] who was there ; the story of meeting the Prince of Wales on Pegasus Bridge; the parade on Arromanches beach ; the presentation of medals to all the 'lads' by the mayor of Caen.

Then there is the evening, I ran into the lads form a fleet auxiliary sent over to be part of the organisation of the old boys. I got the young servicemen together with those who had served 40 plus years before - in a bar in Caen.........what a story.

We ran into a bunch of yanks........the camaraderie was still there.

The best story is the one about the book.......the book they gave me. Not some volume of historical text researched by war historians or academics.........the exercise book that Betty, one of the wives went and bought in a stationery shop somewhere along the way. She made the entire group write down one of their most vivid memories of June 1944. There are the soldiers' stories, the wives’ stories - some short some long. Some detailed and complicated others short and simple.

A generation with beautiful handwriting!

That book is priceless - would anyone ever want to publish I wonder..........

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