6 June 1944

Portal

This doorway was one of the last which men passed through on their way down to the troop ships in Operation Overlord.  

It would be poetic if it had once been a chapel but it was probably a latrine. 

Being shit scared didn't stop them.

Thank you.

Bloggers:

Subrosa

Counting Cats
Gildas at Anna Raccoon 
Mark Wadsworth

Ken Wallis - A Celebration

To Old Buckenham Airfield for a celebration of the life of  Our Ken - Wing Commander Kenneth Horatio Wallis MBE, DEng (hc), Ph.D (hc), CEng, FRAeS, FSETP,  FlnsTA(hc), RAF (Ret'd) who died on September 1st 2013. 

Amongst the extraordinary feats in his life was getting an obituary in The Stage since he had worked as a stuntman doubling for Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice, where he did not just fly the autogyro but also built and modified it for filming.  

In an age of tarnished celebrity Ken Wallis was the real deal; a man who deserved to be famous for the valour of his life and his achievements.  Amongst those was a determination to go his own way but always making friends.  No matter how tired he might be, Wallis was  unfailingly polite and took care that every person he spoke to became a potential ally to aviation, engineering and innovation but always with a regard for the traditions which he knew his friends valued. 

He knew everybody and everybody knew him.  As a result, when Old Buckenham airfield - where he was member 007 -  suggested holding an appreciation day, the event snowballed. 

An estimated 500 cars attended  as spectators with about another 200 classic cars putting on a display of automotive engineering which spanned his lifetime.

At least 80 landing slots were booked for visiting aircraft which in the end became so numerous that the organizers had to ask them to come by car - they had run out of capacity to get everyone landed by the time the family wanted to make an address to the crowd of  around 2,000, filling the hangar and spilling out over the fields.

 In recognition of his development of the autogyro and all the stories he told about them, as many as possible flew in and lined up by Little Nellie's hangar.

We were blessed with a bright, warm and breezy day to give thanks for the life of Wing Commander Ken Wallis MBE.

News from other guests:  Eastern Daily Press,   Old Buckenham Blog Norwich Evening News

Wanna buya Peter Oborne nuddy calendar?

Clutching a lace hanky and smelling salts, Peter Oborne launches in to Prince Harry on the basis that he shouldn't be having all this FUN with a willing young woman in case it fuels the fires of Republicanism.

Really? There has been comment about what we pay for the Prince, but then there would be anyway even if Harry was a cross between Cliff Richard and Mother Theresa. Even the staunchest anti-monarchist I know doesn't think that a young man doing something legal with a consenting adult in the privacy of his own hotel room should be pilloried because a scumbag took photos they should not have.

But since they did, let's be clear: this is a PR triumph.

The overwhelming response has been "Yaaaayyy, go for it Hazza" with a muttered side order of "Lucky sod, he even photographs well".  See our Prince? That one, the one who has plenty of blood in his veins, enough to raise a flagpole, well, that's how a Tudor prince is supposed to look. That's how we like 'em, as if they can kiss and fight and have a go at a serenade.

Of course, this would look saddo if he were still playing strip billiards in ten years time and begun to look as if his skin needed ironing, and the pretty girls exchanged for hanging about with creepy-looking ladyboys the way his great-uncle went over  the late Wallis Simpson, so he shouldn't make a life-long habit of it.

But right now the wisdom of Max Bialystock applies:  When you  got it, baby, flaunt it.

Remembrance Sunday 2011

We do not remember for Their sake alone
Although that would be enough.

Forgetfulness is the opiate justified for the immediately suffering
But not for us.

Remembrance is for our own sake.

Armistice 2011

This year I was privileged to visit the churchyard of St Just in Roseland, Cornwall.



The churchyard is famous for its graves on a steep hill where the church lies in the cup of the surrounding paths in a sub-tropical garden with a tidal pool at the bottom. The sea coming and going and the exotic planting make the spot simultaneously unearthly but eccentrically English.

The high tide coincided with sunrise, so I was there to watch the church emerge from darkness. Because the natural form of the bay is a deep amphitheatre, the light produces extraordinary effects such as the church tower not having a top but carrying on up to heaven.

Looking around the graves there were several elegant War Grave headstones, particularly fine black ones which take a sharp cut and don't easily wear away. It was pleasing to find that volunteers have been photographing them and indexing them.

There are several searches one can do. This one was for war graves in St Just in Roseland.
Clicking on any of the returned names goes to a photograph of the individual gravestone with details which are known about the person.

Remembrance

The price they paid was very great.



But then look how beautiful their children are.

It is time now that only those who served or are serving can lay wreaths on our behalf. I’d rather be represented by them. For some years there was a justification that the politicians themselves had taken some measure of risk, but that no longer applies.

No more grandstanding for pols; they get to stand at the back quietly while better men and women step forward.

Homecoming

Down to Ely to watch the Royal Anglian Regiment's Homecoming parade, this being the first battalion, The Vikings.

The weather was perfect; warm but not hot and with a lazy breeze. Cardigan weather for the casual, blazers and Panama hats for the more formal. What was surprising was the level of security and the police looking nervous, attending with camera vans. Having seen yesterday's coverage from East London, that might explain their fretfulness.

The Royal Anglians have the Freedom of the City, which means they do all the hard PR work of marching and carrying weapons while the folk clap politely and stand the poor devils a tea and sandwiches reception but only after they've performed for the kiddies, listened to the big-wigs whilst shouldering a rifle, waited for the veterans of the British Legion to form up, and risked their necks on the slippery stones of the nave of Ely Cathedral where their parade boots struggle to get a grip.

The market square and approach roads were gratifyingly full; the police did civilian crowd management while quietly-placed soldiers stood at the corners of the square watching, checking for trouble. Fortunately it is a place with plenty of exits; if you had to clear the area it wouldn't be difficult to do so but it could take a little while considering the number of slow-moving elderly and disabled people.

In the event nothing untoward happened, the crowd were happy to see the Regiment and were reminded that these are not clones grown in a lab somewhere; these fighters are from our families.

People with reservations about the conduct of the war behaved themselves in the traditional and correct fashion of these parts; they scowled and chose which statements to applaud. But they turned out to make it clear: whatever your political views, the soldiers are owed respect. It is high time that sentiment was demonstrated by guaranteeing the welfare of soldiers' families if the worst happens, and full support whatever else happens. It is relatively simple to enlist sympathy for the wounded and physically disabled where we can see the damage, but too many ex-service people are amongst the homeless, addicted or psychologically incapacitated.

Even when money is tight - especially when money is tight - it is reasonable to pick and choose your priorities for social care and these soldiers have earned their place at the head of the queue.

In the meantime, the Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity tries to respond within 24 hours to requests for help for former members and their families, which may make all the difference in a critical situation. You may care to donate money or sponsor a charity walker in July. If you are in East Anglia anytime between 16-25 July, you may wish to join the walk for a while and make a donation to do so.