Arromanches +65 - A National Disgrace

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by Paul Reed, Jun 7, 2009.

  1. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Additional points I would like to your post:

    Once initially gathered in the square the host announced over the tannoy that they hadn't been expecting so many veterans and probably wouldn't have enough of the 65th commemorative medals available (surely you order significantly more than you need to avoid any such embarrassment?).

    All the NVA branches had to submit complete lists of all who went, so the correct number of medals would be available. So those who organised Arromanches would have known exactly who was coming.

    Whilst awaiting the parade next to the starting point, and packed in like sardines due to people trying to leave the town, the French police, parading soldiers and band blocked the road down to the start point thus forcing a large number of veterans, many frail and probably exhausted, down along the pavement and through the already heaving crowd. Eventually people managed to force a path down to the corner where I was stood and the imbecilic jobsworth of a policeman refused to open the barrier for them to join the parade. After much protest from the crowd and only seconds before the march took place - not a sore word from any veterans - they were let through. All this happening whilst the heavens opened up and soaked the patiently waiting march party.

    This I knew would happen and I told my vets to stay put. One of them, a chap who was incredibly fit for his 85 years, went anyway and reported this back to us.

    During this period it seemed that the entire schedule was on hold until Gordon Brown arrived which, apart from his obvious current unpopularity, was part of the reason he was booed when arriving. He got out of his car, proceeded to shake two or three hands in the crowd opposite and then file down inside the museum.

    This contributed greatly to the veterans misery and meant that had to stand in the rain for additional 30/45 minutes at least.

    Now it may only be my interpretation of events but it seemed as though the veterans had had enough of this shambles which seemed to hang on the timings of officials and politicians alike, the bemused french soldiers and band got bundled on to the pavement and the veterans started the march of their own accord.

    This is exactly what happened - they got fed up and said 'stuff this' and walked back into the square. Many said they were horrified not to see any chairs, some doing a double-take when they returned.

    Thanks for your comments - nice to have some further comments from someone else who was there.
     
  2. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Ditto, Rob ... Was in Arromanches last July, same cafe, same attitude. All this makes me wonder weather this poster on the side of the cafe is genuine, or just to get you to spend your Euros there?

    This is the poster that was to be seen throughout the British & Commonwealth sector. No mention of 'welcome veterans', which all my group picked up on. There is no doubt whom the French authorities thought was the VIP - and it wasn't the vets.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. soren1941

    soren1941 Living in Ypres

    I can not believe it......
     
  4. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    I can not believe it......

    This is the poster that was to be seen throughout the British & Commonwealth sector. No mention of 'welcome veterans', which all my group picked up on. There is no doubt whom the French authorities thought was the VIP - and it wasn't the vets.

    [​IMG]


    The Poster just about sums up the event.

    It is a great pity that the Politicians never do the real fighting
    for their country.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    That advert is a p**s take !

    Like I said the best statement the vets could have made is to have gone to the pub or turned their back on Gordon Brown when he steeped upto the mic.....Gordon Brown will have thought it was all loverly and he did his bit and everyone had a jolly time.

    The odd exception Paddy Pants Down :D
     
  6. yaksemaj

    yaksemaj Junior Member

    yaksemaj
    Well - it's all over now and it is very doubtful as there will be many D Day veterans left in five years time to parade - anywhere - except the big one upstairs -

    When the judge will ask - "and what did you do" to be answered - "I landed on D Day" -the answer will be - "then come on in son- you've done your bit " -

    NEXT - "what did you do ?" - "Oh, I was an important politician" - answer - "By the left - quick march to Hell "

    Now THAT - to my way of thinking - is the really important bit....but then - I'm odd !

    Cheers

    Please don't get me wrong Tom, I agree completely. It just would have been nice to show these people a little more respect on such a significant day. Despite feeling ashamed about the debacle, I still wouldn't have missed the trip for the world and it has only served to further endear the veterans to me and hold them in even higher esteem.

    As for the Obama poster, that's a whole other can of worms. This man makes his own invasion wherever he tips up! He visited a school in my road when in London for the G20 summit and I have never seen an entourage like it - there must have been 20+ vehicles and at least 60 policeman.

    As the poster and the royal family invite farce also demonstrates, subsequent coverage in local Normandy and all national papers I saw summed up the general consensus regarding the British involvement in the Normandy landings, and for that matter the whole campaign - the British were hardly there. Part of another can of worms, not for this post.

    Sorry for the rant. Although I had an incredible weekend in Normandy and spoke to the most amazing people, a hint of a bitter taste remains in my mouth.

    I won't forget the contribution made by all veterans - even the Americans.;)
     
  7. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    The odd exception Paddy Pants Down :D

    Eisenhower - I believe he had something to do with D-day...
    Denis Healey - Anzio beachmaster
    Ted Heath - RA (Once commanded a firing squad)
    Callaghan - RNVR
    Roy Jenkins - RA/Bletchley Park
    Norman Tebbit - Postwar national service in Meteors, Vampires, & Mosquitos
    Etc. Etc. Etc.

    There is a theory that a possible reason some politicos are perhaps a little glib about war these days is that they never served. I'm not entirely convinced as that would apparently require there to be regular major wars for them to have served in...

    ~A
     
  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I knew there would be more Adam...I do wonder how many served that are current politicians though. :unsure:
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    We can hardly judge that way though can we? WW2 & WW1 meant generations took to the colours whether they liked it or not, thankfully we haven't had to suffer a cataclysm of that size for a long time, so naturally there's less military experience across the entire social spectrum.
    (Is Pantsdown current? - Still doing the Bosnian thing?)

    Hmmm... Time for a thread on Politicians that served?
     
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I believe he's retired now after pretty much sorting out the whole Balkans affair. There's still a little rumbling going on I suspect in Kosovo but the British have pretty much pulled out now of Bosnia and Kosovo and haven't had troops in Croatia for a good few years now.

    Downtown Banja Luka in Bosnia 2004 (My Leaving do-Spot the squaddies with the 9mm down there trousers :lol:)
    [​IMG]
    It's actually a quite a nice place
     
  11. soren1941

    soren1941 Living in Ypres

    Perhaps we should never of gone there in the first place, back in '44.
     
  12. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Although I was there late in the afternoon of 7th I was disappointed to learn of what Paul has described, the previous day.

    The individual French people that I saw welcomed and treated the veternas well , perhaps the Goverments well on the sdtrengths of Paul's observations - and his word is good enough for me - the Goverments didn't really get their act together.

    I did hear via my friend Peter that the care of the politicians was second to none , bread baked to fit exactly on to plates , glasses and " eating irons" flown in from Paris....... the geverments may have forgotten that the focus of the day was on the veterans of all nationalities and that the politicians of all nationalities should have been taking a back seat to the men and women who were really important.

    Sad to learn of this.

    PS On the evening of the 6th we were in Bayeux and that rainfall was extreme - for elderly service men / veterans caught out in this ( and I say this with the greatest of respect) , it cannot have been a good experience.
     
  13. WotNoChad?

    WotNoChad? Senior Member

    Very sad, especially as it's the last visit for some. Have you considered approaching the press? I have a couple of contacts should you need them.
     
  14. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Some of my vets spoke to the local press in York, who called me today. I expect this will spread somewhat, but I am still trying to find out who organised it.
     
  15. stevew

    stevew Senior Member

    Having arrived in Arromanches in the late afternoon of the 6th, I am not surprised to read Paul's comments, personally I thought it was Bedlam trying to get into Arromanches. I know how tiring I found it standing around, so can only guess what it was like for the Vets. but as long as Gordon "Obama Beach" was ok I suppose nothing else matters
     
  16. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    VP -
    Don't forget the contribution of one Enoch Powell M.P. who served on the Itelligence staff of 8th Army in the desert - finished up as a Brigadier and as I recall his Intelligence followed him all the way into the House of Commons - a strange thing in a strange place - and correctly forecast the problems of too much immigration - for which he was castigated - but nevertheless quite correct as the years have unfolded ......unfortunately he was not quite PC...otherwise he would have straightened Britain out as Prime Minister - even before Maggie !

    Cheers
     
  17. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    "The French are always there when they need us" - now who said that?
    I'm reminded of a good book:

    Another incident was equally disturbing and illustrated very clearly the feelings of the inhabitants towards us. As we passed some old peasants who showed no signs of leaving their holding to join the retreat, one of our men good-naturedly shouted to them in pidgin-French that the enemy would soon be on them: "Allemand venez vite. Beaucoup bombarde!" They replied angrily that they were staying where they were, and that they had experienced the Germans in 1914 - some of them claimed to remember 1870 - and would stay with them again. "The Germans anyway were better than the Brtitish!" they declared, and rushing to the roadside, they spat at us in their rage. They were observed by a French officer, one of the very few incidentally that I saw that day, who was gentleman enough to blush for his countrmen. "Ne t'en fais pas!" he said coming across to me, "They did the same to us at Verdun!" It was a bitter commentary on the Gallic spirit in defeat. The observations of our men were equally bitter. At this period the conviction was growing that "we were fighting on the wrong side", a conviction I had heard expressed many times since 1917, but never before with such feeling.

    The Last Of The Ebb: The Battle Of The Aisne, 1918. Sidney Rogerson. 1937
     

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