On Monday, 7 September, my wife and I fly out of Sydney to Paris and from there I will go to Normandy for a few days. With me will be a number of Australian flags. I have the location of some of the pilots from 453 (RAAF) Squadron (the subject of my book) and will be visiting their graves and the B.11 memorial at Longues-sur-mer where I will plant a flag for them. Not just because I am writing a book about them, not just because I am Australian, but because they fought in Normandy and often they are forgotten, or not recognised at all. The whole project to date has certainly been an education for me. Hopefully when people pass by they will see the flag and recognise that Australians fought there too.
Hi Adam, I know he is not one of 453's men, but if you can spare the time, take a trip to Graignes to see the church where Flt. Sgt Stanley Black was killed with several American paratroopers when the village was re-captured. I took a shot of his photo on the wall of the church ruins last year - see post #17 of 'Pat's Irish Tour - July 2014' thread. In any event, enjoy your trip Regards, Pat
hi Pat, I have checked my photos from 2014 and found that I did take a photo of his headstone at Bayeux and leave a flag for him, so I can say that he hasn't been missed. I don't think I'll have time to get to the American sector, but we'll see. Thanks for the tip. Adam