Fallen Heroes of Normandy !

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by Inarus, Apr 4, 2013.

  1. Inarus

    Inarus Junior Member

    [​IMG]

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy is a project that will provide a free and complete (as possible) database of all those, of all nationalities, who fought and fell in Normandy, during the Second World War, and who are laid to rest in one of the many cemeteries, or commemorated on one of the memorials to the missing, on the battlefields of Normandy, France.


    The project is continually looking out for more information and, in particular, photographs of the individuals to add to the database, thereby helping ensure a complete a record as possible may be preserved for posterity. We are appealing to this community, and to any descendants or relatives, for information or images that may be relevant to the Project.

    Ultimately, this project will provide a valuable resource to this community, assisting researchers with an informative and visual history of those who fought and died.

    Please look at the fallen heroes blog/forum at http://fallenheroesofnormandy.wordpress.com/ for further details.

    All contributors will be duly acknowledged for their help in providing material for this valuable resource for the historical community.

    Feel free to drop me a Private Message or Email if needed.
    __________________________________________________________________________________

    Apologies to Moderators if this is the incorrect location to post in.
     
  2. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    This is a website and database that has been the lifes work of a number of people imcluding a WW2 Veteran and has now become the largest online remembrance project featuring the fallen of the battle of Normandy .

    My friend , fellow Guide , Military historian and author Carl Shilleto began the research for the site over 15 years ago and it now has 50,000 memorial pages of the British , American , Canadian , Polish and other Allied Nationalities casualties ( Killed in action ) in Normandy.

    The site is completely not for profit and is solely for the information of the families of the fallen , historians and researchers , who are encouraged to provide information / photos for the database and memorial pages for the use of all.

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy | Home

    I'm sure thaty many of you are already aware of the site but as the current 20 million pounds funded Ver sur Mer Memorial project is claiming that they are the first organisation to collate the names / details of the Normandy fallen even though they are fully aware of the Fallen Heroes website and the number of years it has been operating i thought i would give Carl and his project another shout . I sincerley hope that members here can benefit from and hopefully add to this ongoing honouring of the Normandy fallen

    Regards

    Paul
     
    Chris C, 17thDYRCH, SDP and 2 others like this.
  3. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    One of the heroes on that link, is also one of my heroes:
    Major Hugh Austin Woollatt. Because, he is one of the 4 officers with a home run from a total of 26 escapees from the Great Escape of Biberach. Tragic: Escaping in September 41 via Switzerland and Gibraltar back home, and to loose his life 3 years later in Normandy.
    I am in contact with his family sapprox. since 2012.


    Stefan.
     
  4. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    I have been wondering what is the best way to search the site, as there must be, I guess, a better way to search the site than I have been trying up to now.

    I think there must be something I am doing wrong.

    I tried for instance with the term "24th Lancers" and didn't seem to get any results - then I found a "drop-down" category under - "24 Lancers" - but no way to look for such things as "Key words" or type in a term that covered all the drop-downs, so as to see all of "24 Lancer" results it currently has listed somewhere there.

    So... hitting one of the dropdowns....

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy | List

    I got 22 names.

    Alternatively If you are looking for the name of someone i.e.

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy | Detail

    You can then click on the link to the "Unit / Ship / Battalion / Squadron" - associated with that name - for which I get 3 more names,

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy | List

    Different, because they are "listed" discretely - under "C" squadron of the 24 Lancers. Though there were far more than 3 - 24th L - "C" Squadron KIA casualties in Normandy.

    Then if I search: Fallen Heroes of Normandy | Quick Search

    i.e. with a 24th L "B" squadron name, I get the - page for them:

    Fallen Heroes of Normandy | List

    I know if I type in "24 Lancers" - in the search - I get a "drop down" that show things like the categories - A, B, 24 Lancers (8th Armoured Brigade) British), C and 24 Lancers headquarters squadron

    But I think I just want to search for keywords - like "24 Lancers" and get all of the results for them.

    I tried an alternative route just via google but I don't think google "drills" down far into the pages of the site.

    As I said though probably best to send a "a Private Message or Email if needed" - but as someone looking at the site, I thought I'd give an idea and ask if anyone can see a simple way to search via keywords or similar phrases that I am just missing at the mo.

    All the best,

    Rm.
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2018
    PaulE likes this.
  5. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    Are there plans to extend this beyond Normandy?

    I don't wish to appear negative about what seems to be an admirable project. However, those who served on D Day and in Normandy seem to be given greater prominence that those who fought in later, just as bloody campaigns to Liberate the rest of France, Belgium the Netherlands and Germany. It was the Normandy Veterans Association. The D Day beaches are focus of all commemorations, but the fighting went for nine months after the breakout.
     
  6. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    I think its a great site and it caters for the webmasters Carl Shilleto`s target audience and area of expertise? Its a bit like your own speciality with `The Royal Artillery` which you have a great knowledge of ,and which you naturally concentrate on ? Carl appears an expert on Normandy and this site is `massive` and I think any expansion would be unrealistic as he is attempting to commemorate as many soldiers as possible under the banner of `Normandy`.
    The commemorations do take place on the beaches but I dont think you could shift them anywhere else as the general public only really know `D-Day` and `The Normandy Invasion` and their natural association is the beaches. The subject is a little widely known on forums such as this and people,like myself,come here to learn more (if they have an interest which sadly a lot of people do not :( )
    Carl Shilleto has done a terrific job with his site perhaps someone else could take up the gauntlet and do similar for other campaigns both prior and post 1944? .

    More on the webmaster here;-

    Carl Shilleto Military Historian

    Best Wishes

    Kyle
     
    PaulE likes this.
  7. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    I can only agree completley with the comments made by Kyle , the Fallen Heroes of Normandy project is an enormous understanding by Carl and his wife Irena which has so far taken up much of the last 15 years and their personal income . It is an going project that currently has over 50,000 pages and to expand it beyond Normandy would be beyond it's scope and nigh on impossible to do within the limited resources it receives as a not for profit organisation. Carl is a personal friend and his dedication to FHoN and the Normandy veterans is relentless and will continue to be so long into the future .

    I understand and agree with your comments Frank but the cudgel to run a similar project to commemorate those who lost their lives in Northern France , Belguim , Holland and Germany will have to be picked up by others . As Kyle has said the limit of the knowledge of the majority of the public extends to D Day , not even the rest of the Battle for Normandy , then Arnhem and the end of the war , very few know of the Battles in between those events.

    I have just returned from Guiding a 5 day D Day and Normandy Tour which inludes a day looking at the Battles from 7th June to the Crossing of the Seine , as usual in the Airborne areas and along the beaches there were plenty of other tour groups around and other visitors but on the day inland we saw no one at all apart from the other coach from our company ! That sadly is the norm , even in the height of the season.

    The Ver sur Mer memorial project has been allocated £20,000,000 so perhaps this level of finance would be the opportunity to look at a project to commemorate all our war dead in the ETO , but that money wil be spent on Normandy alone.
     
    Tricky Dicky and Mr Jinks like this.
  8. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    This is currently what the Normandy Memorial Trust are claiming on their website

    " The task of compiling the Roll of Honour of names for inscription on the British Normandy Memorial has been an original piece of historical research undertaken by the trust. The names of all those who lost their lives under British command on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy have never, until now, been brought together. "

    Clearly this is not all true and is a totally false claim as some of those involved in the Trust are fully aware of the Fallen Heroes website and have been for many years , unfortunately maybe to justify the expenditure of part of the £20 Million they are ignoring those who have already carried out this work !!
     
  9. BobKat14

    BobKat14 Member

    I have read the above with great interest. Last year I submitted a photograph of my wife's uncle Sqn Ldr James Foulsham (DFC, AFC) along with a picture of the original grave marker shared by him and his navigator, Flt Lt John Swarbrick (DFC) to the Fallen Heroes website. However, nothing has appeared on the website for James Foulsham since. For some time I have been searching for John Swarbrick's family and I discovered that his photograph had been uploaded to The Fallen Heroes website by his granddaughters, Rachel and Lisa Harrison. I have asked Carl Shilleto if he could forward my contact details to them with a view to us getting in touch, but I have heard nothing further. I have tried again to make contact today, and have received a standard acknowledgement saying they are very busy and it may be some time before I hear further.

    I fully appreciate the huge task of compiling such a large database, but can you, Korps Steiner, please let me know if you are aware whether (in the light of what you say about the Normandy Memorial Trust) work is currently proceeding to continue to update the Fallen Heroes website? Perhaps my earlier messages have somehow been lost, and maybe I will eventually get a full reply to my latest message. However, it would be good if I could finally make contact with John Swarbrick's family through Carl Shilleto.
     
  10. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    I can confirm that Carl is working on the website on a daily basis except when he is Tour Guiding , i know that he has a massive back log of e mails , information / photos supplied and contacts but as he hasn't got the backing of £ 20 Million clearing it with the few volunteers he has can take quite a bit of time i'm afraid .

    What i can say is that the info submitted and your contact requests will not have been forgotten and FHoN will contact you . That said i'll let him know about your request and see if we can hurry things up for you ,

    cheers

    Paul
     
  11. BobKat14

    BobKat14 Member

    Many thanks Paul - much appreciated. I am content for the photographs to take their time in the queue now you have confirmed that work is continuing on the website. What would be particularly helpful is for Carl to pass my contact details (which he has in my e-mail dated 18 July) on to John Swarbrick's granddaughters, Rachel and Lisa Harrison, as soon as he is able to do so, and for him to ask them to contact me if they wish to do so. I have much information to share, particularly in relation to the memorial to the crew of Lancaster ED908 (60-Z) which was unveiled in the churchyard in Freulleville (where the crew were originally buried) on the 70th anniversary of the aircraft's loss on 20 July 1944 (picture attached). Rachel and Lisa are probably unaware of this. ED908 was the only Oboe-equipped Lancaster at the time. Foulsham and Swarbrick were Mosquito pathfinders from 109 Sqn, and they were controlling ED908 (from 582 Sqn) on its bombing run.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Many thanks for this information , i will contact him today to make him aware of your request
     
  13. BobKat14

    BobKat14 Member

    Many thanks for your efforts Paul. Sadly there is no response as yet. Perhaps Carl has been away on a guiding trip. I do hope he is able to make contact as it is probably the only way I am going to be able to get in touch with John Swarbrick's relatives - the last of the eight families of the crew members who were lost in July 1944. I am in contact with the other seven families, and it would enable me to complete my task and share what I know about Jim Foulsham and John Swarbrick and their time together in 109 Sqn.
     
  14. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    I've spoken with Carl and he is aware of yuour request . He is going to contact the relatives to check first that they are happy for him to pass their contact details on to you so it is in hand .
     
  15. BobKat14

    BobKat14 Member

    Very many thanks, Paul. That is just what I was hoping for. I will let you know what happens in due course.
    Bob.
     
  16. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Re. the "Normandy Memorial Trust" site - mentioned above, I've started a separate thread:

    Normandy Memorial Trust

    I had a brief browse i.e.

    Roll of Honour - Normandy Memorial Trust

    But I don't think yet, that there is a way to search by "Unit" there. They offer the option of "Service" i.e. "Army", "Royal navy", "Merchant Navy", "Royal Airforce" and "Civilian"

    As an example of a result:
    • KEITH CASTELLAIN DOUGLAS
      Service: Army
      Regiment: Royal Armoured Corps
      Service Number: 170611
      Date of death: 09-June-1944
    Though if you click on "More Information" e.g.

    KEITH CASTELLAIN DOUGLAS
    Service: Army
    Regiment: Royal Armoured Corps
    Unit: Nottinghamshire Yeomanry
    Service Number: 170611
    Date of death: 09-June-1944
    Age: 24
     
  17. Ellen Lewis

    Ellen Lewis New Member

    I'm researching Major Hugh as part of our family tree, it has been fascinating reading of his heroic achievements, sad also that he overcame so much, to die so young. Condolences to his closest family members x
     
    Lindele likes this.
  18. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Ihad been in touch with Hugh's family, but lost contact to both ladies.
    I was planning to include a short biography of Hugh in my book.
    Please send me a PM.
    Stefan.
     
    Dave55 likes this.
  19. Ellen Lewis

    Ellen Lewis New Member

    Yes, I would, but I don't know how to do that! Please advise.
    ATB Ellen
     
    Lindele likes this.
  20. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Hi Ellen,
    simply click on Lindele and start a conversation with me. If you disclose either an email address or tel Number, so that we could have a conversation on the subject.
    You could even include another member in this conversation.
    Stefan.
     

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