Bastogne 1944/45

Following my interest in the First and Second World War, I have been researching the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. The battle started on 16 December 1944 and was Hitler's last ditch attempt to fight back after the liberation of France by the allies. 

The Americans were 'resting' in the Ardennes after months of fighting and new recruits were being introduced to life in the field. As such, this area was seen by the Germans as a soft touch and a relatively easy route to retake the seaport Antwerp. They chose the winter of 1944 as a good time to strike, especially as the poor weather would make it impossible for the Americans to fly in more men and supplies. The attack took the Americans by surprise and forced them into a disorganised retreat with poor communications and tensions between commanders hindering the men on the ground. However, once they managed to take stock of their situation, they fought back with remarkable determination and courage.

A lot has been written about the 6 week battle, and films like Band of Brothers have depicted the trauma they all suffered (on both sides).

I plan to visit the area next spring and will write more about it I am sure but for now, I will just reproduce a quote from an American veteran, Ed Peniche of the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles:

The siege of Bastogne, Belgium was a frightful experience never to be forgotten; and hopefully, never to be repeated again. Misery on the battlefield was compounded by the severe winter of that year. YET, despite the adversity of war, all those involved were able to find warmth, strength, and comfort in man's eternal hope for universal fraternity and man's eternal search for divine guidance. As for me personally, like that of my fellow soldiers, it was my destiny to take part in and survive that gallant feat of arms; and, as miserable and terrifying as the experience was, it enriched my life forever because I learned to have faith and trust in my superior officers and in my fellow soldiers: it enriched my life because I learned first hand about the true spirit of America, by never hearing anyone ever express the word surrender. - - YES, Bastogne was part of the rendezvous with destiny of the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division, and I am proud for having been there - - I had had my first White Christmas in that small Belgian town, and there were enough lights to last me a life-time.

Back on air

Following a brief drop off in posts from me, I'm 'back on air'. Whoopee I hear you say.

Anyway, things are quiet in Suffolk. I've been busy over the last few months refurbishing another property to help stretch the pension but things are now quiet in the lead up to Christmas.

One thing to mention was my visit to Tidworth where I, and few other 'Dads' were treated by the 'Lads' to a day of play in the tanks of the Royal Engineers 26 Recce Regiment.

It was called 'Patrons Day' to say thank you to some of the people who support our armed forces but I can't say anymore (Official Secrets Act and all that). All I will say is how proud I felt and what fun we had! Now, zip it.

I also had a great day out at Pickering where the North York Steam Railway celebrated the 1940's with some fantastic events around the town. Again, I mustn't say any more; not because of the Official Secrets Act but because I wouldn't want any more people to attend. It was already packed with hundreds of people dressed in various 1940's civilian clothes and service uniforms and any more people next year might mean I can't get into the pubs!

Also, it's worth mentioning the new dog, Scrumpy. He has settled in well. He's fitting in with our various activities and learning the ropes both on land and water. 

I've resisted the urge to teach him to swim as I don't want him to keep jumping off the boat for fun. I know he can swim if needed but I don't want to keep pulling him out of the water while I'm going along. Nuff said.

New addition to the family

I've been 'off air' recently, introducing a new addition to the family. 

Meet Scrumpy...

He's a 5 month old Jack Russell Terrier cross (not sure what he's crossed with) but how could we resist those eyes at the Norfolk West RSPCA Rehoming Centre?

He's a real little character, well behaved, friendly and a bit on the cute side (I'm told).

He has also fitted in well at home, taking advantage of the house and garden and all the open spaces in and around the town.

In fact, yesterday I bought a miniature arm chair from the 1950's (don't ask me why, 'cos I don't know). Anyway, no sooner had I brought it into the house...

Once he's fully house-trained (he's almost there), I'll introduce him to a life on the ocean waves. I'm sure he'll make a good sea dog!

Two days away

Two days away, mainly to boost the batteries (Skylark's and mine) and to evict a few more jumbo spiders.

It never ceases to amaze me how much scrud develops inside and out when the boat is not being used. Everything from leaves, grass, dust, bird poo, spiders webs, dead insects, etc etc. They all find their way into various crooks and nannies. However, a concerted effort of a couple hours sorts it all out and returns Skylark to (almost) new.

I mentioned in a previous post I have created a new lamp for the bow and started to paint the exterior (first the roof) and thought a couple of photos would be good for the record before Blogger cuts me off...

Denver Fish Channel

This week I went up to Denver for a couple nights staying at Downham Market, popped into Kings Lynn, all the usual stuff including cleaning, sweeping and polishing. I'm pleased to see my new mid grey roof paint is still looking good, well after only a month it should be!

Need to think more about doing the sides. I like the two tone grey approach with maybe a light coach line but I need to be sure before I set to with the orbital sander.

It was interesting to see the works EA are doing next to the Relief Channel lock. They are putting in a long stepped concrete channel for salmon and eels to reach the Ouse. This is not a small piece of work and is probably costing them an arm and a leg but good on them. It's time this sort of thing was done. I wonder what plans they have for the rest of the system.

No other news apart from the fact that the river is still quiet; not many people about yet. I guess it may start to get busy now the school holidays have started and the weekends are brightening up.

One piece of news not related to boating is the announcement that the Blog platform I use is being done away with from 15 December 2015 and that I will have to find another way of communicating with the world. I also have to work out how to save what I have already written. It may take me the next few months to achieve that!

Normandy Beaches summing up

As I said at the start, I've not produced a blow by blow account - it would be too long and boring but I've just included a flavour of what I saw. There is so much to see, especially if you look at all the museums, visitor centres and visit the many memorials and plaques as well.

I did it in 10 days but that included about 1000 miles of driving, the two ferry crossings, visiting other stretches of coast, etc. If you were pressed for time and could plan your trip carefully around places to visit and their opening times, I guess it could be done comfortably in a week, less if fewer sites were visited.

Places to stay are manifold, whether camping or using hotels. I 'wild camped' in the Land Rover and provided discrete sites are found that are away from sources of noise or other disturbances, that should be fine for any tents, camper vans or similar.

Petrol and diesel prices are low. I found diesel in Carentan as low as 1.11 euros. The highest I paid was 1.15. Food prices were also very reasonable especially in local markets. The P&O ferry crossings were £100 both ways so that equates to only £10 a day. Entrance fees to museums range from 4 -15 euros; again, this is very cheap compared to the UK.

The places to visit are really all good quality but I've mentioned the tendency that some might be going towards a theme park but I would hope good sense will prevail. I certainly saw lots of money still being invested. I guess at some point the market will become saturated and investment will plateau or start to drop but until then everything seems buoyant.

I understand and fully support raising understanding and improving education for everyone, especially children, and if they can experience some of this to appreciate what our previous generations went through in the name of freedom (quite rightly), this is a good thing. But it does bug me when I see coach loads of kids being dragged around these historic places because they have to. Many are simply not interested (could it be the boring pre-trip pep-talk) or maybe they cannot see the relevance to them; some cannot even take their eyes off their I-Pads. Come on parents and teachers - inspire!

Of course most visitors seem to be genuinely interested. Others are clearly moved by what they see, me included.

Going to these sites just 'out-of-season' and certainly outside school holiday times is a good plan and visiting early in the morning is also a good thing. 

If it's peace and quiet you want for personal reflection, I think you have to accept that you will have to compromise or plan your trip to avoid or mentally block out the crowds.

Anyway, I must not end on a negative note so will sum up with a selection of photos that I have not included elsewhere. I think they bring out all the positives of the place and there are so many of them.

The bust of Major John Howard, at Pegasus Bridge - the Commanding Officer who led his troops in battle. A true and inspirational leader. Respect and Pride!

A German bunker - one of hundreds of military emplacements along the Atlantic Wall. A fantastic achievement but for all the wrong reasons. If only the Germans could have devoted their time and skills to something more positive.

The Germans were developing their own radar at Douvres-la-Delivrande but it was never as good as ours. Ironically, war has proved to be one of the greatest motivations for technological advancement.

Much of the new architecture was modern and inspirational yet sympathetic to their surroundings. However, some of the new museums left a bit to be desired like this one at Point du Hoc. I suppose an architectural student might argue that it was designed to be subservient to the intrinsic character of the important historic site (read about it and you'll know why)...or maybe they just used a rubbish architect with a limited budget!

On a personal front, I wanted to combine this trip with a tour around the northwest coast and, the further you drive west into the Contentin (Cherbourg) Peninsula, the more interesting it looks; a bit like Devon and Cornwall. It creates great opportunities for arty photos.

Finally, one of my primary aims was not to hit my shin on the rear step of the Landy again and I achieved this thanks to a crafty bit of yellow pipe insulation. All things considered, a very successful trip!

Dead Man's Corner

Prior to my visit I researched the area using Major and Mrs Holt's Definitive Battlefield Guide to the D-Day Landing ( a very good buy - same as I used for the Somme and Flanders). It mentioned Dead Man's Corner just to the north of Carentan in the American sector off Utah Beach. This site was held by the Germans as a center for their operations to protect the peninsula from further incursions by the Americans. It was therefore fought over intensely. It formed the basis of the book and tv film, Band of Brothers.

The house at the road junction was fought over and at one point a tank was hit and put out of action. The commander was killed and his body hung out of the hatch for 3 days before it could be taken down and buried - hence the name.

Originally the house was set up as a private museum and specialist military shop selling high quality (and high priced) original clothing and military ware. It is still there and I can see the couple of rooms are quite good but very limited in scope.

Now, here's the interesting bit - look behind the house, to the right...

...and you will see this...a brand new hanger with high quality exhibitions, a good gift shop and a Dakota aeroplane (I'll come back to that). It's only a month old and there's not even a muddy mark on the gleaming white car park and concrete paths.

Anyway, I was one of the first to arrive (always a good thing, before the people carriers and coaches arrive). I was advised it would take about 30 minutes to see the first bit of the exhibition, which it did. The young lady then said we were now ready for our briefing so the five of us, another gent and a family of three, went around a corridor into a mock-up of an air-force briefing room.

We sat down on the benches and waited. We could see a table and chair in the room, and a door. The lights went down and, as they came slowly back up again, the door opened and a flight lieutenant came in. He then went about briefing us on this momentous flight we were about to make; the culmination of all our training, to parachute into occupied France on D-Day. Gripping stuff.

After the briefing, we were taken into the next room, which looked like the hardstanding of an airfield and on it stood the Dakota. We were told to get in and strap ourselves in to our seats, which we did. The girl followed us to make sure we were ready and she then left, closing the door behind us. We waited.

In a few seconds we could hear the huge engines start and the plane vibrated under the strain. It started to move down the runway and we could see out of the windows, the airfield whizzed past. As it gathered speed it took off and it rocked and juddered as it gained in height. We could see other Dakotas alongside us doing the same in rough formation. We flew over the channel and as we reached the French coast we were targeted by anti-aircraft flak. We were battered about and then we heard a loud bang and could see one of our engines on fire. The plane took a nose dive and smoke came out of the cockpit. The tannoy told us to brace ourselves. We hit the ground in a controlled but heavy landing. As we came to a halt the girl came back in and told us to get out. It all lasted about 4-5 minutes I suppose but was a very good impression of the real thing (I guess) and I found it quite emotional really. 

While this was a bit at the theme park end of things, it was nevertheless a good experience and unique as far as I could tell. So, there is money in this military tourist experience. As I said, I just wonder how far it will go.

It was too dark too take any pictures inside. In fact, to be honest, it was so engaging, I forgot to take any but I did find this rather nice Landy parked outside...

Anyway, this museum is worth going to, especially before the carpark gets too may oil drips on it.

Utah Beach

The C47 Museum at Ste Mere Eglise is another 'must see' museum.

It contains, as you might expect, a full sized C47 and numerous other exhibits set in opulent surroundings.

You know, on that last point, once you've seen a few of these sites you start to realise the Americans know quite a bit about visitor attractions, the real visitor experience and how much has to be spent to get their message across. As the number of  WW2 veterans and military geeks reduce over time, they seem to be replaced by thousands of tourists seeking a place to go while on holiday and a quick fix of 'history and culture'. They bring loads of dough, which is obvious from the high financial investment put into the old and new sites, and, in away, you shouldn't knock it. It's good for the local economy, and its good for raising standards of provision and general understanding but I do wonder where it will all end. Will we, one day, see Normandy looking like Orlando?

The museum on Utah Beach has had money spent on it but it still retains much of its old style. 

A new exhibition hall, (should I say Hanger?) with a full scale B26 aeroplane and truck in it is a good example of something done well without turning it into a theme park ride.

Talking of which, I now turn inland to Dead Man's Corner - my next post.

Omaha Museum

Back to Omaha. Just at the top of the entrance road you will find the Omaha Museum containing some very good diaramas of battle scene with original refurbished vehicles and very life-like models (some older museums often have models, it seems, are taken from shop windows; some even have faces that are clearly female when they should obviously be male. I guess these will be replaced in the fullness of time!)

Elsewhere at Omaha you will find many memorials and plaques, too numerous to mention. 

The American Nation Guard Memorial is bold expression...

... as is the modern sculpture nearby, Les Braves...

The more traditional sculpture on the promenade may be to most people's taste...

Arromanches

Arromanches is most famous for being the location of the main Mulberry Harbour. It also has a fine 360 degree cinema Visitor Centre on the top of the eastern St Come cliff and an equally fine museum in the centre of the town. This naturally focuses on the harbour and you are left with the firm impression of the vast scale of this undertaking - it was truly astounding and without it the liberation would not have been sustained.

220,000 soldiers landed there together with 39,000 vehicles and thousands of tons of equipment and stores - breathtaking numbers.

Gold Beach

Opps, this is out of order. It should be between Juno and Omaha

The America Gold Beach Museum is off the beaten track, tucked inside a small housing estate as part of a Tourist Information Centre at Ver-Sur-Mer.

The first half concentrates on early American flight (locally important stuff) and the second half looks at the British storming of Gold. This place only cost 4 euros entrance fee so I was not expecting much and, to be honest, that's what I got. You could miss out this museum if you're pressed for time.

Omaha Beach

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is another 'Must See' site. This is the view over the reflective pool towards the cemetery.

It lies just inland from the beach itself and you can walk down to the beach along a new pathway. This gives a good impression of what the Americans were up against.

The new Visitor Centre, which leads to the cemetery, cost $30m to build and equip but once you get through security, including airport style X-rays, you are presented with a dimly lit and very thought-provoking exhibition and theatre presentation called, They walk with you. I won't tell you how it ends but I found the closing scene very moving, as did many others in the audience.

Then walk through the vast cemetery. It is as seen at the end of Saving Private Ryan. Again, very thought-provoking.

Juno Beach

Just sitting behind the sandy beach lies the shiny Juno Beach visitor Centre and Museum.

This is one of the nicest centres; very modern and well presented, with very helpful staff in the reception area.

Outside are various memorials, plaques, and the odd bunker or two. Again, this is a 'must see' site for any visit to the beaches.

One very moving relic is what's known as Cosy's Bunker, just down the beach...

After intense fighting, it was eventually taken by Lt William (Cosy) Aiten and his men of the Canadian Winnipeg Rifles by attacking with machine guns and rifle fire and throwing grenades into the apertures. 

Seeing this site and, of course, you can often see Hollywood films portraying such situations, I still find it hard to imagine what it must have been like to be under such intense fire and to move forward towards almost certain death. Minute by minute these men faced similar challenges, whether it was fighting in the streets, in the fields or house by house, room by room - quite remarkable and something I can only view with the utmost pride and respect.

Ouistraham Bunker

Just off the seafront of Sword Beach lies this bunker; most bunkers are built quite squat to the ground (for obvioius reasons), whereas this one is a reinforced concrete tower used primarily as a lookout.

It not only has a few vehicles and weapons outside on display but a good number of highly informative dioramas in the various rooms to give a very impression of life and work inside the bunker...

On D Day, the defending occupiers of the bunker held out for about 3 days with constant machine gun fire and stick grenades until Bob Orrell and 3 of his men eventually blasted the heavily armoured outside door off its hinges. They even found a box of explosives just inside the door left by the retreating occupiers! Anyway, when challenged, the two German Commanding Officers and their 50 men, 'invited' the British to go into the Bunker to get them out. Thinking quickly on his feet, Bob shouted up the stairs, 'Not bl**dy likely mate, you come down here.' The 4 British Tommies took the 52 German defenders as POWs.  If you had read this in a Boy's Own comic, you would find it hard to believe but it was true - not a bad days work! .

Merville Battery

Later, during the early hours of D Day, the 9th Parachute Battalion were tasked with taking the Merville Battery which contained 4 huge cannons aimed at the bay off the Normandy Beaches.

600 men parachuted in but, due to poor weather, many were dropped way off target; some landing in the sea, others in flooded fields, others shot in the air as the fell to ground. Only 150 found their rendezvous point. Their Commanding Officer, Lt-Col T Otway decided the attack could not wait as the landing depended on the guns being silenced. He urged his men on. Despite heavy casualties, they took the guns. 100 Germans were killed and 26 were taken prisoner.

At the entrance to the battery is a refurbished Dakota; one of only a few left in existence. These planes were the work horses of the War and many went on to civil aviation companies afterwards. This one was found decaying in Egypt.

The battery still contains the 4 huge gun casements and other buildings like the canteen, ammunition stores and blockhouses. Some of them have exhibitions inside and one has a sound and light show of what it would have been like on the night of the attack - not for the faint-hearted.

Pegasus Bridge

I won't bore you with all the details, but just post the highlights of my recent grip to France. 

I visited the Normandy Beaches about 10 years ago and have gathered things have changed in that time such as established museums being updated and new museums being built. I have been talking the trip over with my youngest son Ben but that trip might be some way off due to his work and family commitments so I thought a recce would be in order.

Starting at Pegasus Bridge, this was the extreme eastern edge of the landing grounds and had to taken and held by the British in the small hours of D Day. It was to be the main breakout point for the allies so the occupying Germans had to be overcome and stopped from blowing it up.

After months of training, the 6th Airborne landed their gliders within 50 meters of the bridge. This would have been a remarkable achievement in daylight after many practice runs but this was done first time in the dark over enemy occupied France. The bridge and its sister bridge were taken in the first ten minutes and held until reinforcements arrived later in the day. It is well documented so if you're interested, find it on line.

The existing bridge is a replacement in the original style... 

...but, following pressure, the original bridge has been preserved in the grounds of the museum. A very well informed and enthusiastic young guide illuminated the scene on the night of 6 June 1944.

The museum is a fantastic dedication to the men who fought at the bridge; not only those that lived to tell the tale but also those who died. One person in particular stands out. As the landing force ran over the bridge to take out the small defending sentries, Lt Den Brotheridge was mortally wounded in the neck. 

He was buried in the nearby Ranville civilian cemetery as the military cemetery had not been started at that point. He was the first man to die on D Day and didn't live to see his soon to be born baby girl.  His daughter has been back many times to pay respect to the father she never knew. Moving stuff.

A full sized replica of the Horsa glider is also on display. None of the original gliders still exist; they were designed to be used only once and after the landings they were stripped by locals for fire wood and mementos.

This is a 'must see' place on any trip to the Beaches - you cannot fail to be impressed by the bravery and tenacity of the men involved.

Oh, and don't forget to pop into the Cafe Gondree for some refreshments!

Is this bird simply mad?

Just spent 10 days touring the northwest coast of France by Landy - more to follow on that - but in the meantime, is this bird simply mad or just simple?

Cambridge with Lady Saga

Having bought my annual permit to enter Cambridge via the river Cam (£26), I took Lady Saga into the city. It was my second time and I thought Kay would enjoy it. And she did - despite the dull weather.

During the previous weekend, Midsummer Common had seen the annual Fair, and many of the residential boats had vacated their moorings due to the noise and other disturbance over the weekend. It's a shame people can be so disruptive - the fair has been going for about 800 years, they should have learnt by now to keep the noise down!

We moored near the water point as the visitor moorings were all full. We walked into the city and visited the shops and a few museums - we know how to have fun! Of yes and we had lunch and a pint at the Eagle RAF bar. I was served by a nice young lad who, unfortunately, ended each question or statement with the word 'sir'. I like a bit of respect and politeness but it wore a bit thin after the first six or seven times!

Returning to Little Ouse Moorings, I filled up with red diesel. At only 75p per litre, I don't get the same shudder as when I fill up the Land Rover for £1.21p. I think LOM must still be the cheapest place to fill up in the Fens - and you get a nice friendly chat with Nattie thrown in for free!

Blacking feedback

I picked up Skylark yesterday from Ken's marina at Stretham Ferry and all looked well. He had pressure washed it down to the metal, waited until the surface was completely dry then applied two coats of bitumen. His approach is to start at one end and roll one coat from the base plate to just above the water line, then apply the rest of that coat from the gunwales to just below the water line. Then he does it all again. That means the hull get two coats all over and the water line gets four.

He commented that the hull is still in good condition, which it should be after only 3 years, but recommended I should have it re-blacked every two years. I suppose he would say that wouldn't he but it makes sense really. I would prefer to prevent corrosion before it starts rather than deal with it afterwards. Personal choice. 

If you are boating in East Anglia and need blacking, I recommend Ken - he's a big, friendly bloke with tons of knowledge, he's got a cracking little dry dock tucked away next to his marina, he's skilled and his price is very competitive. Let's hope it stays that way. Give him a ring.

My first blacking

I took Skylark over to Stretham Ferry Marina on Sunday to have her bottom blacked. She should be ready by next Saturday. I'm hoping the next few days of brilliant weather means the coatings will stick well and last me a few years.

So far, I have been pleased with the service offered by Ken Mansfield at SFM and his prices are very competitive. He has a very quaint dry dock built deep into the side of the river and the feedback I have had from previous customers has been very good.  I'll hold fire on a final conclusion until I pick Skylark up again.

Lost in France

Well, to be honest I was determined not to get lost in France so I was using a nice new shiny satnav with all my intended destinations already logged in. In fact it proved very handy especially in places like Dieppe and Rouen but more about that later.

My trip to northwest France was mainly to visit the grave of my mothers second uncle who died on the Somme on 8 May 1915 - exactly one hundred years ago. I also wanted to visit some significant First and Second World War sites.

I left Dover by DFDS ferry and arrived in Calais as planned. Switch on the new satnav! I headed west and drove to Cap Blanc Nez. This is a prominent chalk headland overlooking the channel towards the south coast of the England. A bit too hazy to see England while I was there...

The headland was occupied by the Germans during WW2 as a prime spot to monitor movements in the channel and to blast away at anything that moved on the sea or in the air. It's still dotted with the remains of bunkers and gun emplacements. 

In the months leading up to the D-Day, the allies had devised a vast and extremely complex deception plan called Operation Fortitude which convinced Hitler and his Generals that the invasion would happen near Calais. The essence of deception then and now is to build on what the enemy already thinks and, by dropping careful hints, convince him that his suspicions are right when all along you have other plans. Of course the 1944 invasion actually took place on the Normandy coast many miles to the south and even while it was underway in the early morning of 6 June, Hitler still thought that Calais was the intended target. Many of his Generals were so afraid of the man himself that they didn't want to inform him or argue with him until he convinced himself of the actual invasion location. In fact he remained asleep for the early stages of the landing and no one dared wake him - mad or what!

Just along the coast is Gris Nez used by the Germans for the same purpose.

You have to use your imagination a bit to see what it might have looked like with barbed wire, camouflage netting, guns, German solders etc but it must have looked pretty intimidating to the locals and anyone planning to attack from the sea.

Now it's used by a marine agency monitoring shipping in the channel. I think this still looks quite intimidating but I'm sure all this high security is done for good reason.

Incidentally, you would think that most French people would have visited these places many times before but it seemed that most of them had chosen to visit on the day I was there. Do they all have Friday afternoon off?

Further down the coast I visited the Todt Battery Museum at Audinghen. This is a massive reinforced concrete gun emplacement that would have contained a cannon capable of easily reaching the south coast on England. During its operation it was surrounded by newly planted trees to help hide it and a domestic house was painted on the side to deter allied bombing. I can't imagine the allies would have been taken in by that.

It still shows the scars of war...

Inside, as you walk around various tunnels and chambers towards the place where the cannon stood, there are many exhibits of uniforms, guns, tools, materials, etc giving a good impression of what life was like working there during the war.

The cannon was vast and weighed over 100 tons and obviously pointed out to sea. It's hard to get the scale of this but the green fence at the front is about 7 feet high.

Alongside the concrete gun emplacement is one of the remaining gun carriages that was moved on rails around the countryside.

While it has been well restored, it still shows the dents from incoming bullets and shells while it was in active service...

My first over-night stop was at Boulogne-Sur-Mer next to the large medieval castle, containing a well preserved keep (bottom right hand corner of the map) and a complete curtain wall with four gate houses. Within the walls lie the old town buildings including shops, houses, hotels, restaurants, the impressive cathedral and official buildings. My spot for the night was next to the castle keep (blue arrow).

 My view from the gallery window of Chateau Land Rover was  quite nice...

A walk across the old town took about 5 minutes and a complete circuit of the walls, 20 minutes. 

There was no explanation why the east gate wasn't just called 'The East Gate'. Perhaps it was taken from a scene in Up Pompeii. You can just imagine Lurcio saying, 'Oh no, don't titter Mrs, any port in a storm!'

Anyway, next morning I went into the museum in the old castle. It was well laid out, nicely presented and, as it was set within a fantastic building, it oozed historic character. The circular walls and the courtyard reminded me a bit of Colditz.

The museum is strung out on 3 floors and in the basement where its original Roman foundations can be seen.

From Boulogne, I traveled further down the coast to Dieppe intending to visit the museum that explains the ill-fated raid during the second world war. The Military Top-Brass and leading Politicians, including Churchill, never really explained the real purpose of the raid but it was thought to act as a dry run for the D-Day landings. While it proved to be a complete and costly failure, afterwards it was said that important lessons were learnt and ultimately saved many lives on D-Day. 

When I arrived in the town, I found much of the town centre cordoned off for a street fair and I couldn't get to where I wanted to go even with the satnavs help so I parked and walked around the fair.

Eventually, I managed to park in a square near the sea front and went for a walk around the rest of the town. The church on the hilltop must have been quite a landmark for the allied soldiers but I don't think many of them would have reached it.

Later, I settled down for the night. In the morning, I decided not to bother with the museum as, from the outside, it looked like it would be disappointing.

I drove to Rouen. With a bit of satnav-aided exploration, I found my way to the riverside where people were walking, rollerskating, jogging, biking or just sitting in the sun. This area had essentially been the town's riverside port on the banks of the Seine. All the warehouses and holding areas had been cleared away, leaving just a hint of its historic past including the old railway lines. Once the landscaping is complete, it will be a fantastic resource.

The city must have been severely bombed during the Second World War, like so many other places. As a result, much of the built up area is modern but the central link through the town centre contains many fascinating buildings ranging from the main cathedral...

...to beautiful 17th century buildings used as shops, restaurants and flats...

The town is famous as the place where Joan of Arc was tried and burnt at the stake. A striking modern building marks the location
(try to ignore the round-about!)...

I met my son Matt later in the afternoon and we went to St Sever cemetery to pay our respects to Francis Stephen Bloomfield.

We know he died on 8 May 1015 but, as his military records were lost at some point, we don't know the circumstances. We assume he was shot on the Western Front and transferred to a dressing station just behind the front where his wounds would have been treated - just like a triage in a modern A&E Department. It appears he was then moved further back to a hospital in Rouen to help his recovery. Rouen had many hospitals like this. Some soldiers would recover and be sent back to the the front, others, who were not fit for active service, would be sent home - a Blighty wound. Francis, it appears died in Rouen and was buried in the military extension to the civilian cemetery.

Matt and I have now visited the two Bloomfield brothers who were lost in France 100 years ago. 

After our time at the cemetery, we walked into the centre for a bite to eat and a good chat. The next morning, we parted company and I headed for the town of Albert, which was a British military base during WW1. 

The Somme 1916 Museum, in the basement of the main church, is a 'must see' place for any trip around the Somme.

It's important to understand what the residents and temporary visitors put up with during the war. The next photo gives a good impression...

The museum follows one of the main underground bunkers 10m below the church, and is very atmospheric. I won't spoil any visit you may make by adding photos of the interior, so just a shot of the main entrance...

The Lochnagar Crater lies about 3 miles up the road at the small village of La Boisselle. It was created by the Sappers mining under no-mans land and was blown up just a few minutes before the first day of the Somme battle - 1 July 1916.



It, and many others like it, blasted great gaping holes in the German trenches.  Unfortunately, the week-long heavy artillery barrage and these explosions along the front line did not weaken the German positions enough and, when the smoke cleared, the German infantry, snipers and machine gunners resurfaced from their deep underground bunkers and wiped out most of the attacking Tommies. The statistics along the whole front are hard to comprehend with nearly 60,000 men lost just on the first day; 20,000 were killed. Of the 3 million men fighting at the front, 1.2 million were lost during the battle from July to November.

This crater, which is owned by an Englishman, now leaves a depression of 91 metres in diameter and 21 deep. It's scale can really only be appreciated from the air or actually walking around it. This photo shows about half of it!

I went on to visit a number of monuments and memorials to the east of Albert and there are many of them, after all this was at the centre of the fighting during the war, moving only short distances back and forth, with the loss of many thousands of lives.

My next significant stop was at Peronne, in the town held by the Germans for much of the war but then largely destroyed when they were forced to leave. The fine entrance towers and various walls nearby are now all that remains of the old castle; the rest of the building is new and houses a very good museum.

My next 'must see' memorial was at Mametz Wood, a vast woodland set within a rolling landscape that cost the allies thousands of lives to take from the Germans. While much of the wood was taken, the eastern section remained in German hands and they refused to leave.  Send for the Welsh!

Despite ferocious fighting in the face of well protected machine gun positions, the Welsh took the remaining part of the wood and a few years ago a new monument was erected to commemorate this remarkable achievement and terrible loss of life. The red Welsh Dragon stands in the position the Welsh found themselves in as they prepared to attack across a low, very open valley. It must have been terrifying. This location is quite remote and a bit off the beaten track but it well worth visiting. It's now a beautiful, peaceful place to reflect on the horror of this particular engagement and the war in general.

While there I bumped into Ian Truck-Shunter (not his real name), Barry and his wife (who went into the wood to look at various memorials), and Gary The *Big Canadian Lorry Driver (right). What a nice bunch of people! In fact they kept popping up all over the place during the rest of the day. It was great to meet them all.

* In fact, he was not that big, he just drives big Canadian lorries.

The next significant 'must see' sight is the vast memorial at Thiepval. At 45m high, it is the largest British memorial in the world with over 72,000 names engraved in the stone pillars

It is supported by a very good visitor centre, large car park and very attractive grounds.

Do you know, it's a small world. Not only did I bump into the Big Canadian Lorry Driver again but also someone from my home village in Suffolk. I was starting to think I was being followed!

The Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel commemorates the significant role played by the men of Newfoundland on the first day of the Somme and during the following months. This site, contains a good visitor centre, restored trench systems and cemeteries, extends to about 30 acres, and lies on the spot were the whole regiment was trapped while being pinned down by ferocious machine gun fire. After half an hour on the first day of the battle only 68 men remained. They suffered one of the highest casualty rates on the 1st July.

The regiments mascot, a Caribou, is reflected in this life-sized bronze statue. Quite striking!

On my way back to Calais, I stopped at Le Blockhaus, just off the A26. This site lies in a wooded glade and was one of the most significant WW2 sites where slave labourers built a vast reinforced concrete factory to build and launch the infamous V1 and V2 rockets. The scale of the place is breath-taking. It measures 33 high (just the part seen above ground), 75 m long and 40m wide. It took 90,000 tons of concrete to build.

For a long while the allies didn't know it existed and when they discovered it, they still couldn't work out what it was used for. However, they knew it had to be destroyed so a massive bombing raid was carried out on 27 August 1943 and it was put out of action. The scars of the bombing are plain to see. A number of bombs scored direct hits, like the one below, but it was a 'tall boy' bomb that finally put it out of action. It landed about 30m away, drilled itself into the ground and, when it exploded on a delay fuse, it sent an earthquake through the ground to shake the factory to its foundations. The factory was considered unsafe and closed.

It stands as a gruesome monument to one of the most evil wars in human history and to the people who build the structure and died there.

Photos cannot do it justice. I suggest you go and see it - its only a few miles from Calais.

Speaking of Calais, an odd site to visit lies in the heart of the town. This little museum is located in a German communications bunker in a modern park. It traces the history of the Second World War as seen by the people of Calais. 

It's comprehensive and quite interesting but is showing its age. The exhibits are largely original but are presented in an old fashioned almost 'DIY' style. When compared with modern museums and their 21st century interpretation and computers, it has a lot to live up to and struggles. I suggest you only visit it if you're waiting for your ferry on a wet Thursday afternoon.

Score: 4/10 could do better. Ouch...

So, back to the ferry and home. 

I'm pleased to say the trip lived up to my expectations. The sites were fantastic, all the people I met enhanced the trip and I learnt a lot more by seeing the places where history was made. I also got a much better understanding of what so many men went through.

Visiting the grave of Francis Stephen was important to both me and Matt. There is no one alive now who knew Stephen. I certainly didn't know him but it's important to pay respect when you can. 

They, and many thousands, may have been lost in France but they have not been forgotten.