Countdown to D-Day 60 years on

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29/03/2004, 12:47 AM

Norrie Day is not online. Last active: 15/11/2005 14:43:47 Norrie Day

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Countdown to D-Day 60 years on

My participation was minimal. As a young boy living in Norwich i remember listening to the early morning news that Allied forces had landed on the beaches of Normandy. I held my mother and cried , my father was in the 6th Airborne Division and we knew he was there. How little does the modern generation really appreciate what we owe these brave men. I live in New Zealand but every ANZAC Day i pay tribute to all those who fought and died to protect our freedom.
I also recall all the military hardware such as tanks, bren gun carriers, jeeps etc that were parked along from Trowse and Martinue Lane, Lakenham. A few days before D Day we awoke in the morning and they were all gone and nobody heard a sound . Yes and i fly my cross of ST George and dammed proud of it. Flick.

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30/03/2004, 4:36 PM

Matty is not online. Last active: 11/11/2009 22:11:08 Matty

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Re: Countdown to D-Day 60 years on

Once again just an observer. I was 8 yrs old, living on the North Norfolk coast. When the loads of planes went over the houses actually shook - the planes were pretty low. Several folks including all us kids ran to the cliff and one old lady was waving a sheet.
I stood with the fishermen who quietly and solemnly said " They're going in ". The streets were full of people. The children were shouting out the names of the planes.

The planes were flashing red and green lights on and off. We all asked mother what it meant and mother just said " It's the big one I think, perhaps you will be sleeping in your own beds again soon " pointing to the massive Morrison shelter in the living room in which six children and mother slept most nights. Last thing at night we always prayed for Dad's safe keeping - he was in the Navy. The news on the radio that night was met by cheers by the kids but mother made herself busy, she knew the possible consequences.
Matty.

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06/04/2004, 10:25 PM

Ralph Woodgate is not online. Last active: 15/11/2005 15:08:18 Ralph Woodgate

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Re: Countdown to D-Day 60 years on

I was in the RAF at Cranfield and we knew the invasion of Europe was drawing near when a huge glider came down in the fields nearby and it had to be quickly brought into the airfield. I guess for security reasons there was no time to do more than tow it down the road and the telephone poles were pulled down to permit the wings to pass. The next day it was flown away. A few days later as dawn arrived the skies were black with aircraft from one horizon to the other and we knew the big day had arrived. A few months previously a machine gun site had been set up near our RADAR worshop and we had all been trained to operate the guns. We were told that it was feared the Germans might send in paratroops to try and sieze the airfield if only temporarily to try and confuse the invasion.
Old Man

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