The Floating Harbours at Arromanches

There were many factors contributing to the success of D-Day. Strategic planning, deception and the successful outcome of some of the initial targets was critical, such as Pegasus Bridge, and Point du Hoc. But the major challenge of landing at Normandy was that it had no harbor. The beaches were suitable for landing heavy armor and it was within range of Allied air cover. Once liberated, the Normandy port of Cherbourg would provide vital access for further supplies but there was no where to dock ships and unload vehicles and tanks.

With remarkable intuition, Churchill had discussed this issue back in May 30th 1942, determining that if there was no port, one would have to be built. Huge mulberries comprising of floating roadways and pier heads which would go up and down with the tide were constructed in England, towed across the Channel and assembled off the Normandy coast. Misinformation spread by the Allies helped to ensure that the enemy were expecting an invasion at Calais, not Normandy and Arromanches-les-Bains was chosen to set up Churchill's incredible floating harbor.

Churchill's floating harbor is still visible at the picturesque little town of Arromanches-les-Bains.

Despite the British resources being at breaking point, they completed the work within 9 months. Arromanches was liberated by nightfall on June 6th and the first ships scuttled the next day. In order to avoid rough seas, huge hollow concrete blocks and old hulks were sunk to form a breakwater, by June 8th the first of these Phoenix Caissons had been submerged and on June 14th the first cargoes were unloaded.

Photograph of The Mulberry Harbours at The Arromanches 360 Cinema

The port at Arromanches was totally operational by the beginning of July, so later that month when Montgomery launched his large-scale offensive against Caen, up to 18,000 tonnes of goods were unloaded daily. An incredible engineering feat, this newly created port was the key to victory in Europe.

The remains of the Mulberry Harbours are still on the beach at Arromanches today.

Several dozen Phoenix Caissons continue to provide a calm and sheltered stretch of water.

 D-Day 75 Garden

High on the cliff over looking overlooking Arromanches and the Mulberry Harbors is this new garden memorial. It was designed to pay tribute to the D-Day veterans on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

The statue depicts 97 year-old Bill Pendell MD looking back at himself as a 22 year-old landing on the beaches 75 years earlier.

The garden was first exhibited in 2019 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, during The Chelsea Flower Show. It was gifted to the mayor of Arromanches-les-Bains by Field Marshall Montgomery's grand-children to remain as lasting legacy to D-Day.

Arromanches 360 : Circular cinema

The fascinating 360 degree cinema which brings the D-Day story to life is perched just below the D-Day 75 garden. It is well worth a visit. Tickets can be bought online, click here for details

Arromanches Museum

In the town itself, is the Arromanches Museum, also should not be missed. Click here for details

The Normandy Memorials

Visiting The Normandy Memorials like all war memorials and cemeteries is very emotional. The sheer scale of human sacrifice is intensely humbling. It's a debt that can never be repaid.

British Memorial at Normandy

It is hard to believe that until 2019 there was no official British Memorial at Normandy. Situated near the village of Ver-sur-Mer it is managed by the Common Wealth War Graves Foundation.  It was unveiled by The Prince of Wales, on 6 June 2021, the 77th anniversary of D-Day.

The pathway leading to the main monument is flanked with commemorative pillars that tell the Normandy story.

THE BEACHES AND THE BRIDGEHEAD 6 June -15 June 1944

STRUGGLING TO ADVANCE 16 June -30 June 1944

BATTLE FOR CAEN 1 July- 15 July 1944

This incredible story continues as the path way continues towards the main monument

THE BREAK-OUT BEGINS 30 July-15 August 1944

VICTORY IN NORMANDY 16 August-31 August 1944

And then you arrive at the monument's center.

On the main walls words of key World War II leaders have been chosen for each face. On the front, motivational encouragement from Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery's before he led his soldiers into battle:

“To us is given the honor of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history And in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings” Field Marshal B.L. Montgomery

On the opposite side, running up from the beach is a statue of those soldiers.

They are facing the other side of the monument, engraved with Churchill's famous 'We shall fight on the beaches' speech alongside King George VI's inspiring D-Day broadcast:

“Four years ago our nation and empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy with our backs to the wall tested as never before in our history once more the supreme test has to be faced this time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to win the final victory for the good of all and for a world in which goodness and honor may be the foundation of the life in every land” King George VI June 6 1944

There is also the support offered by Charles de Gaulle from London, aimed specifically at the French:

"The supreme battle has begun . An immense force of attack or to us of assistance has begun to be deployed from the shores of old England. France submerged for four years, but by no means reduced or defeated stands ready to participate. From behind the heavy cloud of our blood and our tears the sun of our grandeur is starting to reappear.”  Charles de Gaulle June 6 1944

And then there are the names. Thousands of brave British soldiers who lost their lives, for all of us, on the beaches of Normandy............

Harry Billinge

One of the soldiers who landed on Gold Beach all those years ago, was a young 17 year-old soldier, Harry Billinge. Harry survived while all around him his friends fell. He has never forgotten them and throughout his life Harry strived continually to champion the building of this memorial. He was able to be here when it was opened and only passed away a few weeks before my own visit. Much loved by all who knew him and a hero of Normandy you can read his heartfelt tribute here.

Like all the Normandy memorials, it is free to visit this thought provoking, astounding place, sat above the beach known as 'Gold Beach' on D-day. Click here for more information

The Canadian Memorial

The Canadian War Cemetery, is situated about 11km east of the British Memorial, closer to Caen, at Bény-sur-Mer.

At this beautiful, tranquil spot we remember Canadian soldiers from the ‘Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada House’, now known simply as Canada House.

The Canadians landed at 'Juno Beach'.

The 2,049 Canadians who lie here were killed either on that beach or during the subsequent month-long Battle of Caen, or were executed while prisoners of war.

This immaculately kept memorial with its beautiful plants and shrubs is one of two Commonwealth burial grounds also maintained by the The Commonwealth War Graves Commission devoted to Canadians. Click here for more information

The second memorial can be found at the Juno Beach Centre and memorial park near Courseulles-sur-Mer. The centre runs its own guided tours of the museum and the beach, and the German beach defences there can be visited underground (April to October) Click here to learn more

The American Normandy Memorial and Cemetery

The American Normandy Memorial is at Colleville-sur-Mer. If you were driving along the coast you'd probably visit the Canadian Memorial first (45km to the east of the American) then the British (27km east) before continuing to the American. Situated above Utah Beach where the Americans landed there is an informative museum which tells the American's D-Day story. The memorial is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission

The entrance to the memorial gardens is stunning.

Like the other memorials, the American memorial looks down 'Omaha Beach' one of the D-Day beaches where the Americans Landed, 'Utah Beach' being the other.

The thousands of white crosses are a stark reminder of the tragic loss of life. Like their British and Canadian allies these young American boys landed in Normandy with no thought of personal gain but to fight for the freedom of the world. The fighting on Omaha beach on D-Day was one of the the bloodiest with over 3000 casualties.

The memorial pays tribute to those soldiers. Click here for more information about visiting this site.

Ultimately the Allies were successful, the careful planning, deception and strategy meant that three months after D-Day, Normandy was captured, it marked the beginning of the end. Yet the loss of life which the memorials attest to, was horrendous.

There are many other sites to visit at Normandy which remember what happened there on D-Day.  Click here to learn more and plan your visit.

words of General Bradley spoken about the landings, which I read at the American memorial, will remain with me and seem an appropriate way to end this post:

"The battle belonged that morning to the thin, wet line of khaki that dragged itself ashore on the channel coast of France" 

General Omar Bradley US First Army Commander June 6 1944

A line of khaki we should never forget.....

The post Arromanches and The Memorials of Normandy appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

D-Day, June 6 1944, known by the brilliant strategists that oversaw it as 'Operation Overlord', is perhaps one of the most meticulously researched and planned military operations ever executed. An immortal day, forever written in the sands of time that mercifully changed the fate of the world in the battle to overcome oppression. Four years earlier, faced with impossible odds and standing almost entirely alone, the newly elected British prime minister, Winston Churchill, had inspired his nation and perhaps the entire world that, whatever the cost, he would lead them in this battle for freedom. It was a promise that he kept.

“...... we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”  Winston Churchill June 4 1940

No matter the length of time that has passed or the number of times one visits, the momentous sacrifice and achievement of Normandy remains both humbling and astoundingly impressive. Never more so than this time with my eighty-seven year old mother, watching her at the British Normandy Memorial gazing up at the statue of the soldiers, remembering her father who fought and the war that stole her childhood.

Gazing out across the calm waters and clear skies on an early summer morning it seemed almost impossible that this was the stage for such terrifying theatre.

Then the horizon flickered and you could almost hear the chilling noise of battle, imagining the horrific assault that took place here nearly eighty years ago when thousands of Allied troops landed on the Normandy Beaches. Assaulted by heavy gunfire, battling through the waves, their boots sinking into the sand, surrounded by the agonized cries of the dying and stench of death they stormed these shores.

A photograph from the Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial

With the fate of the entire free world resting on their shoulders, supported throughout the day by Allied naval and air services, sixty two thousand British soldiers landed on Gold and Sword Beaches, fourteen thousand Canadians on Juno Beach and seventy three thousand Americans on Omaha and Utah Beaches.

Against all odds, with an armor of courage and determination, these predominantly very young men plundered through rapidly expanding, watery, graveyards, knowing at any moment they could fall into the same final resting place. By nightfall thousands of lives had been sacrificed but the door to liberation had been opened, the battle for Normandy begun.

Pegasus Bridge

Pegasus Bridge, (originally called the Bénouville Bridge after its neighbouring village), was one of the first objectives of the entire Normandy invasion. Along with the bridge over the River Orne bridging the gap between Caen and the sea, these bridges were of immense strategic importance.

The replica of the original bridge at the Pegasus Bridge Memorial

Just after the clock struck midnight on the dawn of June 6th 1944, six Horsa gliders carrying assault troops were cast off from a Halifax tug aircraft six miles from their target.

Painting at The Pegasus Bridge Memorial of Horsa gliders landing at Pegasus Bridge

Within the first thirty minutes of the D-Day operation, the bridges were captured by the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire light Infantry, (part of the 6th Airborne Division) led by Major John Howard. The precision and courage of these pilots is considered one of the war's finest feats of airman ship.

None of the existing gliders remain in existence but in 2002 the D-Day Commemoration Committee financed a full-sized replica.

During the Normandy Landings a total of three hundred & eighteen Horsa gliders landed with the 6th British Airborne Division. These gliders could transport up to thirty troops with a jeep and trailer or six pound anti-tank gun, motorbikes and bicycles.

This photograph of Pegasus Bridge shows the three Horsa gliders in the background. The trees to the right were later cut down and used as decking for the Bailey bridges across the River Orne and Caen Canal.

Photograph at The Pegasus Beach Memorial of the original Pegasus Bridge on D-Day

For information about visiting The Pegasus Bridge Memorial click here

The Atlantic Wall

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel masterminded the defenses of Europe with a vast network of coastal fortifications known as the 'Atlantic Wall'. Built between 1943 -1944 they covered 1670 miles from The North Cape in Norway to the border between Spain and France. The strongest fortifications faced Great Britain. There were also thousands of sea and land mines and long range artillery capable of shooting up to twenty five miles known as ‘Rommel’s Asparagus’. In addition to the natural obstacles of the weather, sea and steep cliffs these defenses had to be overcome.

The Merville Coast Battery

The fortified Merville Coast Battery were part of Rommel's defenses. Its guns protected Sword Beach and had to be eliminated before the D-Day landings could take place.

Rommel's 'Atlantic Wall' fat the Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial

Early on D-Day at 0.05, seven hundred men from the British Parachute Battalion were dropped scattering over many miles, only hundred and fifty of them landed on target.

Photograph at Pegasus Bridge Memorial of a Paratrooper from Britain's 9th Parachute Battalion

With only one medium machine gun, no mortars or mine detectors and a minimum number of explosives these paratroopers heroically overran the enemy. Just half of them survived, one thousand men from the 6th Airborne division were killed.

Pointe-Du-Hoc

In addition to Pegasus Bridge the other critical place needing to be captured on D-Day was Pointe-Du-Hoc. Before the war Pointe -du-Hoc was a quiet, coastal spot which the Germans had transformed into a fortified stronghold protecting a battery of heavy guns.

The Cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc and craters created by allied bombardments

The Germans had planned to build six gun 155mm coastal gun casements at Pointe-du-Hoc to protect their guns and the soldiers.

The remains of a German gun emplacements at Pointe-du-Hoc

However Allied bombardment and sabotage by the French Resistance meant there were only two completed by D-Day.

Inside a German gun emplacement at Pointe-Du-Hoc

This heavily defended point upon the cliffs had artillery with a range of twelve miles with the potential to destroy both ships and soldiers on Omaha and Utah beaches. Seizing Pointe-du-Hoc was one of the highest priorities on D-Day.

The tip of Pointe-du-Hoc

Its' strategic position on a narrow outcrop made an attack from the rear or a parachute drop almost impossible. An assault from the front up the perilous cliff faces below the beach was the only choice.

The cliff faces at Pointe-Du-Hoc

Following an extensive naval bombardment, the Germans were ready to attack the small landing craft carrying two hundred and twenty five men from the 2nd US Ranger Battalion. Under the command of Colonel James E. Rudder it arrived in the early morning of June 6 1944. Battling fierce gunfire and hand grenades the rangers launched their grappling hooks and rope ladders scaling the 90 foot surrounding cliffs and within twenty five minutes one hundred and fifty survivors had seized Pointe-Du-Hoc. A foothold in Normandy had been established and the liberation of France begun.

Once the Rangers had overcame the enemy they found Allied bombing raids had damaged one of the enemy guns which the Germans had replaced with wooden dummies. In addition, the guns pointing at Utah beach were unmanned. However the rangers were cornered against the clifftop of this tiny coastal spot and had to fight for two days until 8 June when tanks came to their rescue. By then there were just ninety men left.

The Memorial at Pointe-Du-Hoc

For information to visit Pointe-du-Hoc click here

Operation Fortitude

One of the contributing factors of the success of the D-Day landings was the elaborate web of deception, spun by the allies, ahead of time. Operation Fortitude involved setting up phantom field armies opposite occupied locations in Norway and Calais and helped to convince the Nazis that this was where the attack would take place.

Hundreds of fake parachutes were dropped away from the Normandy Beaches to divert attention.

German double agents working for the Allies fed false information. Deception went as far as using an Australian actor, Lieutenant M. Clifton James, to impersonate Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. James was placed in locations to mask Montgomery’s true location.

The battle for Normandy did not end on June 6^th but took three, long grueling months. The loss of life was devastating especially on D-Day itself. After four, miserable years of occupation, despite the subsequent terrible events the French welcomed the Allies. But liberation came at a severe cost. As troops advanced towards Paris in August 1944, 225 000 were dead, wounded or missing; 134 000 Americans, 91 000 British, Canadian and Poles and 18 000 French civilians. The Germans had more than 400 000 casualties as they retreated across France.

Lives sacrificed in the name of liberty so future generations could live in freedom. How tragic that a similar bitter fight for democracy against evil and tyranny is occurring right now in Ukraine.

This has been a long post, thank you for staying with me there's much more to share. Next time I will take you to Normandy's cemeteries and memorials, an enduring testament to the brave and courageous, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, for each and everyone of us......

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I'm delighted to have been invited to speak at the Pilsudski Institute, London on May 14th 2019 about my novel  THE SUNFLOWER FIELD

Interwoven with a modern day, fictitious wartime mystery, THE SUNFLOWER FIELD  tells the true story of three Polish mathematicians who in 1932 first cracked the ENIGMA code. Considered completely unbreakable, the ENIGMA code was used by the Nazi's to encrypt their messages before transmission. Sharing this intelligence with the Allies on the eve of World War II, it was one of the most significant contributions to the Allied victory and the foundation for subsequent wartime code-breaking efforts.

Barely acknowledged and forgotten within the folds of history it's a story that's hardly been told, until now.

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“Never before in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to...." one man.

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill  

In May 1940, after the shadow of war had descended across Europe, having been ignored for years about the increasing threat of Hitler, Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister. Driven by an incredible sense of what was right he stood alone but he stood firm and using the power of his words he galvanized a nation, "mobilizing the English language and sending it into battle.” He later commented 'It felt as if I were walking with destiny and that my whole life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”

Recently magnificently portrayed by Gary Oldman in ‘Darkest Hour’  (which has already won him a Golden Globe, a B.A.F.T.A and the Oscar nomination) this film leaves one in no doubt as to the accuracy of those words.

The story of this incredible man, arguably the greatest leader of all time, began a few miles from the university spires of Oxford, at Blenheim Palace Woodstock. I have written about and visited the palace often, twice last autumn. It's somewhere I'm always drawn back to, perhaps in large part because Blenheim is one of England's most resplendent stately homes, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1987, but also because of my passionate regard for Sir Winston Churchill.

The History of Blenheim Palace

The estate and title 'Duke of Marlborough' was given to the army General, John Churchill, Winston Churchill's great forebear, in 1705, by Queen Ann in recognition for his great victory at the Battle of Blenheim on August 13 1704. The palace was designed by Vanbrugh and took 17 years to build. John Churchill and his wife Sarah oversaw the project although only Sarah saw its completion.

The front of Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace remains the only property in the United Kingdom which is not a royal residence to be called a palace. This is thought to be because when it was built the locals proudly referred to it as such and the name stuck!

The Rear of Blenheim Palace

The Battle of Blenheim

The Battle of Blenheim led to the end of the War of Spanish Succession. The battle is depicted on a series of beautiful Belgian tapestries which line the walls of the palace.

Winston Churchill and Blenheim Palace

Winston always felt a deep seated connection to Blenheim Palace and his illustrious ancestor John Churchill. As a profuse historical writer Winston once remarked “The longer you look back, the farther you can look forward.” His first book was an epic biography of John Churchill. He went on to produce multi-volume works on the two world wars and then 'The History of the English-Speaking Peoples'. In 1957 he won the Nobel Prize for literature "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values".

Although John Churchill, was the first Duke of Marlborough, Winston was not born to the dukedom, his father Randolph, being the 3rd son to John Spencer Churchill, the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Destiny, however determined that Blenheim should be Winston's birth place when he arrived a few weeks early during a family visit to the palace. Winston was thrilled to have been born at Blenheim.“I am proud to be born at Blenheim ….. this great house is one of the precious links which joins us to our famous past, which is also the history of the English speaking people on whose unity the future of the free world depends.” 

The room at Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born

The 9th Duke of Marlborough and Consuelo Vanderbilt

Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome was American and not the only American to marry into the family. Churchill’s cousin, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough, married the beautiful American railway heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, who at just 17 was coerced against her wishes to marry the 9th Duke.

The marriage was not happy and once 'the heir and spare' had been born it ended in divorce. But the marriages achieved  its objectives, the title’s succession was assured, the Vanderbilt money saved the Palace from near ruin and the Vanderbilts won themselves a much coveted English title.

Despite the divorce, Winston remained close to both Consuelo and his cousin (known as Sunny) who always welcomed warmly Winston to Blenheim. Throughout his life Blenheim remained dear to Winston's heart and it was at Blenheim, in 1917 that he proposed to the love of his life Clementine Hozier, marrying her just a month later in London.

Winston Churchill as a statesman

Like his great ancestor John Churchill, Winston Churchill had an illustrious military career before following his father into politics. And just like John Churchill it was a world crisis that called him to meet his greatest challenge.

As Prime Minister, during the dark days of World War II, Winston Churchill's courage and determination saved the nation he so loved. Refusing to contemplate defeat and to 'never surrender', as a master orator his speeches, broadcast around the world, inspired and strengthened the Allies' will to defeat the common Nazi enemy.

In June 1944 when victory in Europe had been secured, this much deserved poem, on display at Blenheim, was published in the Times, in England.

St Martin's Church, Bladon

The gargantuan, inspiring life of this great man began at Blenheim Palace and it ended on its doorstep. Sir Winston Churchill chose to be buried within the shadows of the palace, in the humble graveyard of St Martin's, Bladon next to the Blenheim Estate.

The grave of Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill should never be forgotten. The Churchill Exhibition at Blenheim Palace pays homage to this great man to whom the free world will remain indebted to for eternity.

Blenheim Palace is open to the public throughout the year hosting numerous events check the website for details.

Within in an hour of London, I highly recommend  a visit and do allow yourself time to spot by in adjacent, picturesque Woodstock, you won't be disappointed!

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'The Sunflower Field,' my debut novel, is written to honor the ‘few’, of which there were thousands, who during World War II, in words inspired by Winston Churchill, "gave so much, for so many." In particular for three of those ‘few’, the Polish mathematicians, Jerzy Rozycki, Marian Rejewski and Henryk Zygalski, with whom lies the origins of one of the most significant contributions to the allied victory of World War II, the deciphering of the Nazi encrypted communication system, the Enigma code.

Château des Fouzes ~ World War II intelligence center

I discovered their story having lived in Uzès in the south of France. It led me to the gates of Château des Fouzes, a few kilometers from the town center. It was here, from 1940 to 1942, that these three men worked in secret, at this intelligence centre, code named CADIX, as part of an allied decryption unit.

The Legacy of the Poles who cracked the Enigma Code

As I stood outside the château’s gates, over seventy years later, the persistent chirping of crickets, like the ceaseless ticking of a clock, reminded me of all the minutes which had passed since these men had been here.

Yet World War II was not so long ago, it was my grandparents war, they fought in it, my parents lived through its deprivation, I, like my children, learnt about it in school and I studied it in college.

Like millions of others, I have visited the war memorials, line after line of white crosses, the museums filled with history, the beaches filled with memories, the concentration camps filled with glass containers of tiny shoes and the decimated villages filled with ruins and I have felt very small and humble. But never more so than when I stood outside Château des Fouzes, reading this small plaque, thinking about the unsung heroes it commemorates.

The Enigma Code

Rozycki, Rejewski and Zygalski, first cracked the Enigma code in 1932. The Enigma machine was originally developed in Holland just after the First World War as a cipher apparatus.

This small, typewriter looking device became available commercially and was popular with the banking industry.

Once it came into the exclusive hands of the German Armed Forces, it was developed further so that its possible configurations of approximately 158 million, million, million, made the Enigma code one that was considered unbreakable.

Bletchley Park ~ World War II code breaking

The importance of the Poles’ intelligence about the Enigma code, which they shared with the Allies on the eve of World War II, cannot be over emphasized. It lay the foundation for the subsequent decryption efforts at Bletchley Park in England, led by Alan Turing. Even with Turing’s unquestioned genius, without the Poles' contribution the ultimate final cracking of the Enigma code would have been delayed, World War II would have continued for perhaps as much as two further years, at a cost of thousands more lives.

The role the Poles played did not end in 1939, after the war had started they continued their critically important work from Paris and then in October 1940, assisted by the Resistance, from within the shadows of Château des Fouzes, until they were forced to flee in November 1942. Their achievements were monumental, the recognition for what they did far less so.

"...we shall fight in the fields and streets..... we shall never surrender."

 (W.S. Churchill June 1940)

Standing by the château gates, contemplating all that had happened during those desperate times, I asked myself, if I had been alive then, what role would I have had? Would I have joined the Resistance, would I have had their courage, their resilience, their determination, prepared to risk my all in a world besieged by terror? Would I have been able to make the types of decisions that were forced upon them, to act without hesitation, to take another’s life, to stare death in the face and play my part in the fight for a cause so much bigger than myself?

People weren’t made differently seventy years ago, what was different were the unprecedented times they found themselves living in. It was perhaps the world’s darkest hour. It bought together many people from many nations, such as these Poles who, working alongside the French and the Spanish, sent their critically important decryptions back to the British.

I am not Polish, nor do I have any connections to Poland but staring across the château’s deserted courtyard I realised that the freedom and liberties I enjoy today was because of people like them.

Wandering away from this forgotten place, buried in the south of France, my path took me down the same rutted track where their feet had trodden, between fields of dancing sunflowers and I knew that theirs was a story I had to tell.

I believe in serendipity, that maybe we are all connected by a mere six degrees of separation. So if anyone reading this can help me, as I actively seek The Sunflower Field’s publication, I’d be forever grateful. I would so love to publish this book, yes of course for me but more importantly for Jerzy Rozycki, Marian Rejewski and Henryk Zygalski, some of “the few, who gave so much, for so many………..”

Read more about The Sunflower Field by clicking here

Contact me here

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It is strange this week to be in England as Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Here there is no ‘Thanksgiving' anywhere, just lots of 'Christmas'! I’m not rushing around food shopping or thinking about how I am going to decorate my table (my favorite part!), nor am I gathering piles of burnt umber leaves or an assortment of gourds and pumpkins. As an English girl living in California, Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that our family has fully embraced, although sadly we seldom have any of the rest of our family with us. However, this week, although not officially celebrating, no turkey or pumpkin, we are in fact enjoying the very essence of the occasion, spending time catching up with our family who are all normally an ocean away.

On Monday we followed the twists and turns of the local country lanes through the woodlands by the Fleming Estate (as in Ian Fleming of James Bond fame!) where brilliant sunshine dappled through the few remaining leaves,


to Woodstock, Oxfordshire and the home of Blenheim Palace where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

It was a crisp, winters day, requiring gloves and wooly scarves; a morning which made your cheeks glow and your nose turn pink. It felt good to be out in the chill as leaves scrunched underfoot and we strode round the splendid Blenheim Grounds, laid out centuries before by Capability Brown.
A veil of mist hung over the lake by the bridge.

In the far distance, the First Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, still oversaw his grand estate from his lofty pinnacle,

A group of feathered friends, unperturbed by the visitors, waddled their way across the grass.

As we took in the opulent grandeur of the palace, one could not help but imagine what it must have been like to be a guest here, arriving by carriage in great pomp and splendor.

In charming, adjacent Woodstock we browsed the antique shops, amazed that the teacups at The Feathers Hotel didn't topple over!

Christmas temptations were profuse, especially at the Blenheim gift shop.

The local, honeyed Cotswold stone was everywhere.


We peeked into the Bear Hotel from this archway. It has been welcoming guests for over 700 years, including one night in the 1960's, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Taylor!

By twilight we were in Henley-on-Thames, the famed summer regatta course barely visible in the fading light.

The streets, almost deserted at 5.30pm, twinkled with Christmas sparkle, which was after all just around the corner.

So not preparing for Thanksgiving this year but enjoying my time in England and wishing all of you in the USA a happy and joyful day on Thursday as you celebrate this, your special American tradition!

Where to find Woodstock and Blenheim ~ Oxfordshire, England

Where to find Henley-on-Thames  ~ Oxfordshire, England

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"We shall fight on the beaches……..but we shall never surrender” the immortal words of Sir Winston Churchill. And fight on the beaches is what thousands of brave Allied troops, did. Under the joint command of Generals Montgomery and Eisenhower, thousands of men courageously jumped into a violent and raging sea. Rained upon by Nazi gunfire from coastline defenses, known as the 'Atlantic Wall', many never even reached the beach. This was the D-Day Landings, the Allied invasion of the Normandy Beaches, on June 6th 1944, which mercifully changed the course of history forever, ridding the world of the Nazi reign of terror which had spread its evil like a cancerous mass across mainland Europe. 

In the early hours of June 6th 1944 an Armada of 5000 ships slipped across the English Channel. When they opened fire, the Nazis, battered by recent ferocious storms, were completely taken by surprise.

Seventy years later, standing beside a calm and tranquil sea which glistened like liquid steel, we stared at one of these troop carriers. Bathed in brilliant sunshine, it was hard to imagine all the chaos and terror that had occurred in 1944. Soldiers, burdened by uniforms and supplies, crammed together like canned fish, determinedly clutching their weapons, being thrown and jostled as these flimsy crafts were tossed amongst the tumultuous waves. The smell of fear must have pervaded the air, as each man contemplated that second when the bow would open and there would be nowhere to go but forward. Spewed out like lemmings, many to an immediate watery grave, these brave boys, helped free the world for people such as us.

Pegasus Bridge

It was a massive military operation, relying on the success of so many smaller but critical events, the success of each ensuring the overall victory of the whole. One of these, codenamed 'Operation Deadstick', occurred at what became to be known as ‘Pegasus Bridge’. In the early hours of June 6th 1944, the British 6th Airborne Division silently descended like giant moths in gliders next to Pegasus Bridge. Although many lives were tragically lost in crash landings, the German defenses were overwhelmed within a few minutes. It was a significant triumph enabling Allied troops to land at Sword Beach and cross the river. This same division then destroyed a series of bridges which together with the destructive skills of the French Resistance, prevented German reinforcements reaching Normandy.

Pegasus Bridge today, a replica of the original, which now stands at the nearby Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum

An original photograph of the landed gliders

The original Pegasus Bridge

Images of The French Resistance

Port Winston

Another key component to the Allied success was ‘Operation Fortitude’, which fooled the Nazi High Command into believing that the Allied attack would occur in Pas du Calais further to the north. There were no significant harbours to the south which helped make the deception credible. However, this meant that the Allies had to create artificial harbours to enable their fleets to moor and off-load their gargantuan army of supplies; troops, tanks, trucks and armaments.

Remains of the Mulberry Harbour at 'Port Winston', Arromanches.

It was a daunting task and one of the greatest engineering feats of the war. The creation of these artificial, Mulberry Harbours’ began on June 7^th 1944. Sixty retired battle ships were scuttled across the English Channel to be sunk in two locations, at Omaha Beach, where the Americans had landed and just off Arromanches which became known as ‘Port Winston’. One hundred and forty caissons were towed across the Channel at 5mph and set in place over the following 10 days, creating Mulberry Harbours which covered a stretch of 2 ½ miles along the coastline. Within just two weeks the Allies had gained the upper hand.

At the end of 1944 most of these caissons were dismantled and towed to the Netherlands to become part of their dike system. These few remain today, an enduring reminder of D-Day.

Juno Beach

Juno Beach, where the Canadian troops landed. Due to its' proximity to the HQ of the Allied ground forces, Juno Beach was the site where many important visitors arrived. On 12^th June British Prime Minister Winston Churchill,  June 14^th  Charles De Gaulle, June 16th King George VI, June 19^th the South African Prime Minister shortly followed by The Belgian Prime Minister and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

An Allied Tank

Local French Reaction

The French had suffered the miseries of Nazi occupation since May 1940 together with the division of their country.

Whilst the north remained occupied, the country was split in two. ‘Vichy France’ to the south, was created under the ‘puppet leader’ Philippe Pétain who, wishing to prevent further loss of life, surrendered and subsequently cooperated with the Nazis.

During this time the lives of the local people had been decimated. They lived with little to eat and in constant fear, unable to trust anyone. When the Allies arrived and the Nazis slowly began to be pushed south, the people of Normandy were jubilant. Sadly this enthusiasm was severely dampened by the subsequent Allied ariel invasion which destroyed many of the surrounding towns as part of the offensive to decimate the Nazi stronghold.

Artwork from 10 year of French children in 1944 depicts the sentiment of the time

A small child's dress, made from the remnants of an Allied parachute

This was a dark time for the people of Normandy, who witnessed the almost total destruction of many of their beautiful cities and the death of its citizens, which continued until the end of August 1944

2014 memorial to D-Day outside the Memorial Museum in Caen

Port Winston today

Allied pilots about to embark for Normandy

Caen Memorial Museum, remembering D-Day, 70 years later in 2014

We should never forget.............

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A winter’s day at Blenheim Palace, under a clear and crisp December sky. The palace, dressed for the season showing off all its magnificence and its Christmas splendor. Grand Christmas trees at both the entry and in the main hallway.

Blenheim Palace is a stately home, visited by Kings, Queens and royalty over the centuries, provides a fitting backdrop for the majesty of the 3 Kings. Throughout the grand rooms, rich silks, decorations and treasures, tell the story of the 3 Magi. One of England's most stunning palaces, built for The Duke of Marlborough, Sir John Churchill. Blenheim Palace is also famous for being the birth place of one of Britain's greatest leaders, Sir Winston Churchill.

School children singing carols under yet another glorious tree, their sweet, innocent voices soaring high into the vaulted ceiling of Blenheim Palace's stunningly beautiful ballroom.

A captivated audience, doubtless remembering Christmases gone by where other young children sang the same beautiful verses  telling the Christmas story. We left Blenheim Palace with hearts warmed, reminding us of the true meaning of this time of year.

The last remnants of daylight by the Christmas tree sellers, fresh pine fragrance gently perfuming the air. Christmas is just around the corner......

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Snow in Lourmarin, Provence, what could encapsulate the atmosphere of the season more than snow?

As I watched great cotton wool flakes settle on the clay tiled roofs around me I couldn’t wait to see how this icing sugar dusting would transform everything into a winter wonderland.

Bundled up I hurried outside, blinking as soft flakes fell on my eye lashes. Everywhere was hushed and silent few people had braved the cold, they were missing a treat!

Strolling back from the Chateau the lamp posts reminded me of  Mr Tumnus' and Lucy's lamp post, from the treasured children's story 'The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe'

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, the view from my bedroom window, a white candyfloss of the previous afternoon's snowfall, Christmas was just around the corner.

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Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, this beautiful site was bestowed to John Churchill, by a grateful Queen Anne and thankful nation following the victory at the Battle of Blenheim, in 1704, against the French and Bavarians.
How fitting therefore, that this should be the birth-place of arguably the most famous Churchill of all, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, destined to lead his country and the world in its darkest hour. A great man, who like his famous and much admired ancestor also earned the gratitude of his monarch and a beloved nation.

Blenheim was built by Sir John Vanbrugh between 1705 -1724 in the English Baroque style. Blenheim became the ancestral home  of the Churchill’s for the next 300 years and was saved from ruin at the end of the 19^th century by the 9^th duke’s marriage to the American beauty and heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt.
Thanks to the Vanderbilt fortune, which enabled extensive renovations to take place, Blenheim Palace today remains in good repair.

Sir Winston Churchill perhaps knew his destiny when he 'chose' to be born here on November 30th 1874. Catching everyone by surprise he arrived a few weeks early when his parents, Lord and Lady (formerly Jenny Jerome) Randolph Churchill were visiting. Churchill was the grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough.

Churchill's father, Randolph  was the 2^nd son, hence the tile did not pass to either him or Winston.

Blenheim was much loved by Churchill and he was a frequent visitor. It is the place he was born, christened and where he proposed to the love of his life, Clementine Hozier.

So special was this spot to Churchill that he declined a grand burial site in London as  befitting of his status but asked instead to be buried in the local churchyard of St Martins Church, Bladon, just a few miles from Blenheim.

Blenheim Palace been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Britain’s finest palaces, truly worthy of a visit.

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