|
Myself
Mick Edmondson, Colin Dixon and his son Craig travelled to Normandy
with 3 Matchless WDG3L Motorbikes in a large van and our camping
equipment.
We
were staying with a group of motorcyclists who we had stayed with the
previous year who call themselves the NOBS (Normandy Old Bikers
Society) who in turn camped with a French Juno Military Vehicle Club,
the camp site was at Luc-sur-mer. On the first day Thursday 4th
June we rode down the coast showing Craig the places we had been to
the previous year and ending up at the Longues battery.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
On
Friday 5th June we formed up and escorted the French
Vehicles to the ceremony at Montgomery-Coleville where we lined up
about 40 motorcycles and watched the ceremony and the fly past of the
Lancaster and two Spitfires and a lone Spitfire with the D-Day
markings. We were then invited to line up in front of the beach when a
Veteran who had landed on D-Day with his motorcycle came along and
told of his experiences and had a sit on one of the Matchless bikes.
We
then went to the Hillman fortification and met up with other WD bikes
about 85 of us in total. We then went en-mass to Pegasus Bridge and
the museum and then on to Merville Battery. The traffic around Pegasus
was chaotic. On the evening we walked to the beach and watched the 50
miles of fireworks display all along the coast.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| On
Saturday 6th we escorted the French to Douvres where they
formed up in the square. We went on to Ver-sur-mer to meet up with all
the motorcycles going to Arromanches. We filled in forms and formed up
in two’s
on the road side to travel two recorded miles with photographic
evidence for the Guinness book of records. There was 142 of us. We
then continued to Arromanches and lined up on the promenade. At 3 o’clock
we then went down onto the beach and lined up with about 100 MVT
vehicles, there was also a large landing craft on the beach and
various amphibious vehicles in and out of the water. A sight never to
be forgotten. |
|
On
Sun 7th we again escorted the French to Sannerville near
Caen where operation Goodwood took place. We took part in the
ceremonies and were then invited into a large marquee and were given a
full meal with wine and cider.
On
Monday 8th we set off at 7am to Ver-sur-mer to a British
camp to escort two 25 pounders around Bayeux to a village a few miles
from Tilly. This is where the 25 pounders were first in action after
D-Day and the site where they actually fired from.
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| They
fired 10 rounds each the last two being supercharged rounds which
really made the ground shake, the Mayor and his deputy fired the first
rounds. We then went into the village hall and were given Cider with
Blackcurrant and also nibbles. Then on to Tilly where we toured the
museum in a church and heard an account from a French lady who was a girl there during the bombardment. On our way back we called
in to the Jerusalem Cemetery where the youngest soldier to be killed
at 16 years was buried.
It was a fantastic experience.
|
