Seine Crossing, Vernon. 1944 & 2007.

The communal cemtery has many French burials from both world wars and a nice 1870s memorial (Dave).
As well as a really good notice board with the Seine battles of 1940 marked on it with orbats, maps etc.
Sorry haven't got photos of that, had to ration the photo taking.
I recommend a trip down there Dave.
.


Certainly will be doing one of these days, Owen. (Was planning a 1870-1944 Normandy trip for next summer, but that's had to be postponed due to unfinished business in Holland). The area of Vernon definately can't be bad for me - 3 major(ish) Franco-German War battles/actions and scenes of action from June 1940 all within striking distance - perfect!

I've passed through, but never spent any time there - something I'll have to rectify, I think.

Cheers,

Dave. (PS. get a bigger memory card you bloody skinflint! You can get 2Gb cards for less than £15 these days!!!!!:p)

 

[quote

Cheers,

Dave. (PS. get a bigger memory card you bloody skinflint! You can get 2Gb cards for less than £15 these days!!!!!:p)[/quote]

I just purchased the same camera as Owen in Oz and picked up a 1MB for $16.00 AUD (£7) The 2GB were $28 AUD (£12). Should have gone for the 2GB!

 

Should have gone for the 2GB!

Too right - especially when there's not a massive amount of difference in price. I've a 4Gb SDHC card in mine (£14 off eBay!) , but still carry a spare 2 gigger just in case! (but that's just me being paranoid, I suppose). Storage is becoming unbelievably cheap these days.

Dave

 

That first picture puzzles me.Every Company had a white number in a blue background. the three Fld Coys RE were 49 for 246 Fld RE and the two others 17th and 253rd were 50 and 51

 

Our situation on the Seine was at Les Andelys, and rafted night and day at a small place -PORTE-JOIE. Before setting off on the long road that led to Brussels.
Our company numbers were 49 50 51.........The numbers were not duplicated as far as I know.
Sapper

 

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/ahu...n_markings.htm

http://www.fireandfury.com/britinfo/divmarkings.pdf

Sapper,
Have a look at the above links
I'm no expert on these matters but is it not the case that all Inf divs had the same TAC signs for units?? I always thought it was just the units that were different.

I could be wrong and if I am I of course stand corrected!
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Some really nice Then & Nows here Owen - great stuff!

 

Thats pretty plain Gotthart.
I stand corrected mate. you are right, Odd that, I never came across the same numbers in all my time over in Europe.
Cheers and thanks
Sapper

 

Yes there is one thing that stands out in my memory. It was a group of Jewish service mens graves in the vicinity of the river. All grouped together with the star of David. But they were like the British CWG headstones. They looked new.,But how could they have been put there so quickly?? It never made sense.

It always puzzled me...Who? Where? and Why? these Jewish graves in that area? What took place there? It is one of many mysterious events and puzzles that came my way.
WE were at saint Andeleys for a little while. Regrouping replacing and reinforcing.
Sapper

 

Brian - they might have been WW1 graves. There were British troops billeted or based in this area in WW1, and some small hospitals between the Seine and Rouen.

 

Hi Paul I never thought of that. The reason? They had obviously been kept very clean.. You must be right about WW1 for there would not have been time to get the headstones. Impossible!
Odd that they had been kept in such a clean and tidy condition, I am not sure, but I think it was only three graves.

I remember spending a moment or two for them, and tapping the headstone with my hand, daft really. But there you go. the graves were only a short distance from the banks of the Seine. Thing about it is, they looked so odd there all on their own.
Cheers
sapper

 

I will see if I can work out where this was as I have details of all WW1 cemeteries. I presume this was at the place where 3rd Div crossed the Seine?

 

It was not a cemetary Paul, just a small group of graves. not in any enclosure. no sign of anything esle bar these graves. All on their own beneath the bank of the Seine.
I know it sounds daft, but there is nothing wrong with my memory, I can see quite clearly that group of headstones as sharp as today.
In fact it was the oddity of seeing graves like that that made the memory so clear.
Cheers
sapper