June 5th 1944. The cafe Gondree was the first place to be liberated from the Germans on the eve of the D-Day landings when paratroopers from the 6th Brigade dropped on the town on Benouville to seize the vital canal bridge. Graham.
Cheers Frank, Yes it's known as liberation day 25th April and a national holiday now. aside of ww2, June 5th 1916. Lord Kitchener, British general and conqueror of the Sudan, was lost at sea when his ship MMS Hampshire struck a mine off Orkney en route to Russia. There were no survivors. Graham.
On June 5th 1944 my father was aboard MT32 which was called Fort St Croix. (motor transport) and left Tilbury at 1300 hrs and then achoured in the river off Southend. Anyone else remember where their father/grandfather was on this day? veterans especially? Graham.
My father was probably sitting under Dover Castle, sending loads of messages to keep the Germans guessing that something was going to happen in the Calais area of France in the near future. Or he may have been smoking a ciggy outside and drinking a cup of tea watching all the naval activity, would be nice to ask him TD
My Dad was encamped south of Rome, bloody dodging D Day and all: The war diaries say; 5 June – IN THE FIELD (ITALY). 1600 CO addressed a parade of Signal Platoon and congratulated them on their good work during the recent operations. My father recalls: “We continued advancing. We were cut off from advancing into Rome by the Americans finally coming out of Anzio and being the first troops into Rome. We were forced to rest at Ripi. On our last day there, a jeep ran over a booby-trapped mine killing all four of its occupants. I had used that track several times daily during our stay.”
My Father 116th LAA Location – Rochester Commanding Officer – Lieut-Col EH Walter RA 5th June – Regiment concentrated and at six hours notice to move, Regimental HQ established ‘In the Field’ at Rochester.
Grandad was on his way to 'Orkney-Shetlands' about this time. Sometimes wonder if he noticed lots of people heading the other way...
Stan Highway served with the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars (Recce). On June 5th, 1944 he was bitterly disappointed at being left behind as he was recuperating from a broken leg suffered in a hockey game earlier in the spring. As a result, he didn't re-join his unit until several weeks after D-Day. When he did arrive in France, all the men in his former troop, including his replacement, had been killed. Needless to say, Stan credited that broken leg with saving his life.
On June 5, 1944, my father was aboard LCT 408, heading for Sword Beach, Normandy, as part of F Troop, 92nd LAA.