As we left Portsmouth harbour and set sail across the English Channel heading for the Normandy shores of France, I (Cathy), thought about Charlie ('Gramps'), and wondered what it was like for him on that June 6 1944 day. The sun was not shining as it was for us, and the ride would not have been as smooth. Gramps was headed for the unknown... From my comfortable reclining chair in the lounge of the 'Normandie', I could see Ervin Clement sleeping. He is one of our D-Day veterans travelling with us, accompanied by his son Paul. He served with the Sherbrooke Fusiliers as a gunner, often in support of the SD&G Highlanders. This was Ervin's first visit to Juno Beach since June 6 1944. He said to me last night, "I'm not sure how I'm going to feel when I see the beach".
From where we docked at Ouistreham, only Sword Beach was visible. Leon Chamois, the curator of he SD&G Highlanders museum at the Cornwall Armoury provided tissues, and that's all I will say. We passed the fort built by William the Conquerer on the way to the Ibis Hotel in downtown Caen. All I can say is Caen looks much nicer to us than it did for Gramps - beautiful stone buildings and winding streets.
2 comments:
What a great shot of the beach...
c'est domage que votre voyage a traverse la manche (d'Anglais) n'est pas plus inegal........
Post a Comment