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......

The post D-Day: Operation Overlord ~ The Normandy Beaches appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

I haven’t written a post for a while, feeling unsure during these difficult times about what people might want to read.

Springtime in Provence?

But then I’m not actually there, and like most people can’t even get there.....

Life on the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe?

Perhaps that would sound too idyllic? Living on the ski slopes at Lake Tahoe's ski resort, Northstar, especially now, has been very special. We've felt blessed to be surrounded by such breathtaking winter beauty, able to ski from our front door, but even here, life has been restricted and often lonely.....

Then I thought about comparing life under COVID in Britain, California and Provence? But despite the glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel, would people really want to read any more about COVID?

I started to question why I even write this blog, that perhaps my silence had driven my readers away?

And then I received two comments on posts I’d written several years ago. One about the WWII American Air base at Greenham Common in England (written in 2018) and the other about Changi Gaol in Singapore (written in (2015). Both very personal and both connected to World War II. A reminder that however challenging and for some tragic, this last year has been, we haven’t had to endure the horrific challenges of war ~ the tyranny of occupation, the terror of being bombed or despair of parting with our loved ones leaving to fighting a war no one ever wanted……

That these people had reached out to me also helped me realize why I write; connecting with others, that my ramblings get found and resonate. I often fret that my focus should be about sharing useful information, travel related or otherwise, when in fact the posts which receive the most love are often those about the journey of life, written from the heart. So forgive me, here are some seasonal, heart-felt perspectives about my three special places.

Provence in the spring

I've been in Provence in the spring many times and of course it’s beautiful!  Like many other places at this time of year the air smells fresh and crisp, the buds and leaves are bursting, Provence's abundant fruit trees kissed with blossom petals. These cherry blossoms bloom outside our front door, hence the name of our house ~ Maison des Cerises ~House of the Cherry Trees.

All across the region, throughout the sprawling vineyards, the vines' gnarly fists begin to show the promise of the coming season's abundance as the leaves of surrounding trees unfurl into a canopy of green.

Spring flowers splash cheer along the roadside heralding new life, brimming their radiance in the market stalls and shops. Lourmarin's delightful florist 'Une Fleur M'a Di' welcoming the season with a whimsical touch.

And in Provence's markets, bright yellow bouquets of Mimosa take center stage.

El-fresco diners flow onto the cobbled streets where below the clay tiled rooftops and shuttered windows the ambience of this ancient place is so beguiling.

The video art spectacle Carrières de Lumières resumes next month, April 3 2021, one of my favorite places to visit and take our visitors. This year it will be profiling the work of Cezanne and Kandinsky. Even though Carrières de Lumières' stunning Van Gogh production is  now being shown in other cities, including San Francisco, its' setting at Les Baux-de-Provence in an old bauxite quarry cave, nestled under the crumbling ramparts of a medieval Provencal village perché, is somehow more enticing!!

There’s been some changes in the 13 months since we've been in Lourmarin. An impressive new shop for our wonderful bakery ~ Boulangerie de Stéphane Riquier ~an even shorter stroll from our house! And next door Lourmarin has been blessed with the addition of a butcher, Boucherie de Lourmarin ~ Avenue du 8 mai 1945 Route d'Apt 84160 Lourmarin ~ thanks to the wonders of their social media posts I know I'm going to be a regular customer! I so hope later this year we can return to our enchanting Provencal village.

England in the spring

In early March the British Isles become resplendent with spring flowers and blossoms, stunning banks of primroses tumbling throughout the woodlands. My own Home thoughts from Abroad, so aptly written by Robert Browning, years ago, resonate deeply ~ “Oh to be in England now that Spring is here”

Fields of baby lambs.

Normally at this time of year pub gardens get busy, people happy to be able to enjoy a pint and lunch outside. Sadly, this year, during COVID, they'll have to wait, hopefully only until mid April.

And in spring, English gardens everywhere burst into life.

A tad cooler than Provence, but that same feeling of expectancy, with blossoms sprinkling a confetti of petals across the tree branches.

Lake Tahoe, California

When we first arrived in Lake Tahoe in mid-November, just the highest slopes of The Northstar Ski Resort, where we've been living, were dusted with snow.

And then the snow came and the resort sprung to life. Thanks to Northstar's efficiency and their COVID precautions, the resort has stayed open and we've felt safe enjoying skiing in this stunning place.

Those initial days of powder were soon followed by winter storms. The view from our window became a blanket of winter white.

Not without its challenges for those that needed to travel!

But making the magnificent views across the lake from the top of the mountain even more spectacular.

The nearby town of Truckee became carpeted with banks of thick cotton wool.

And we watched in delight and pride as our our 2 year-old granddaughter became competent with her tiny boots and skis for the first time ~ "More Grandpa! More!"

And then there's Lake Tahoe itself ..........

My three vey special places in the early spring. I hope you are reading this from somewhere you love as much, stay safe, things are getting better!

The post Spring in Provence, England and Lake Tahoe, California appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

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.

The post Speaking at The Pilsudski Institute about the Poles who cracked Enigma appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

On June 5th 1944, with the world spinning on its axis, General Dwight Eisenhower addressed 1430 American paratroopers, from Greenham Common, England. “The eyes of the world are upon you.”  He announced, watching at just before midnight, as at 11 second intervals, eighty one C-47 Dakotas took off for Normandy to participate in one of the most decisive events of World War II, D-DAY.

Greenham Common's military past

Eisenhower was sixty miles west of London at a United States Air Force (USAF) base on Greenham Common, a well established historical military site. In 1643, during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell’s men had waited there to stop the forces of King Charles I. In 1745, it was where five thousand troops prepared to quell an invading Scottish rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. In World War I, British tank troops had trained there and in March 1941 before America became involved in World War II, RAF Bomber Command was based there.

Greenham Common as an American World War II base

When the USAF arrived at Greenham in 1942 one of its lodges became the HQ for the 101st Airborne division and one of its manors, Bowden House, the HQ for USSAF 51st Troop Carrier Wing. It was from here that the invasion of North Africa was planned and where in 1944 Churchill, De Gaulle and Eisenhower planned the airborne element of the D-Day landings.

During the time the Americans were based at Greenham, it hosted several famous American stars who visited to entertain the troops. Bing Crosby, Betty Grable, Dorothy Lamour, Louis Armstrong and Glenn Miller were just some of it’s illustrious visitors.

It was also from here that my father, whose family home was a couple of miles away, first became acquainted with Americans. Servicemen, who according to my father's teenage recollections, were all handsome and smartly dressed, happy to share their candy with ration deprived English children. It was the beginning of a life long respect and admiration for a country, that over fifty years later, would be where I would live.

Greenham Common is nestled next to the bustling market of town of Newbury where my parents met and to the south lies Watership Down, (immortalized in Richard Adam’s novel of the same name) where bunnies still hop. Close by is Highclere Castle, now world famous as the location for Downton Abbey.

Covering just over two square miles, resplendent with gorse, bracken and purple heather it was where as a child I was taken to pick blackberries and where a few days ago I returned. I went to visit its 1951 Control Tower, recently opened to the public to tell its Cold War story.

The Greenham Common Control Tower

Surveying the panorama before me and blessed with clear skies I discovered other fascinating facts about Greenham. In addition to its military connections, in 1839 it was at Greenham that the winning post of one of England's finest horse race tracks stood, for the Newbury races. In 1873 it was the site of the Crookham Golf Club, one of the first inland courses in England.

Beginning in 1973 it became the host for Six International Air tattoos several of which I had attended! In 1980 Richard Noble broke the British land speed record here, reaching a speed of 245mph. Chosen by Noble probably because of the length of its runaway, for the same reason, at one point Greenham was designated as an alternative to Heathrow airport for Concorde and as the European landing ground for the Space shuttle.

At the top of the Control tower

The Control Tower was built in 1951 during the Cold War, when the USAF returned to Greenham, and new runways and buildings were constructed. B47 jets were deployed from Greenham followed by B52 bombers until the Americans departed again in 1964. The USAF maintenance hangers, are clearly visible from the tower now part of New Greenham Park Industrial Park.

Greenham as a Cruise Missile Base

The threat of the Cold War gripped the world on into the 1980's and as a consequence the Americans returned. Greenham became a controversial cruise missile base resulting in a woman’s protest camp being established round its boundaries. When it was announced that 96 cruise missiles would be arriving, on 12 December 1980, thirty thousand people, mostly women, joined hands in protest, circling Greenham’s entire 9 mile perimeter fence. In 1981 seventy thousand people formed a human fourteen mile chain from Greenham to the Atomic Weapon and Research Establishment at Aldermaston where Britain’s nuclear weapons are made.

In 1982 the USAF's 501st Tactical Missile Wing was activated as a launching ground at Greenham and a year later the first missiles arrived. An Alert and Maintenance Area (GAMA) site had been built to house the missiles, six shelters all designed to be able to withstand a direct hit. Each one was 50 feet high, 150 feet long and 16 feet wide, covered in reinforced concrete, titanium sheeting, sand and clay one being designed to be on permanent alert with living quarters.

Today they are privately owned and often rented out as movies locations, Star Wars and Top Gear have both been filmed here as well as a music video for singer Beyoncé.

The GAMA shelters at Greenham Common

In 1988, following the signing of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in which USSR & USA agreed to destroy their missiles a Soviet Inspection took place at Greenham. In 1991 the cruise missiles were destroyed and in 1992 the USAF returned Greenham Common to the Ministry of Defence.

In 1994 the airbase was designated as being of special scientific interest and in 1997 the Greenham Common Trust bought it for a million pounds. It eventually became a business park and Newbury District Council bought the open common for one pound. In 2000 the last of the peace camp disbanded and by 2002 the common was opened for all to enjoy as it is today.

In September 2018 The Greenham Common Control Tower was opened.

If you would like to visit it's free, the tower hosts events and talks, check the website for details and hours. Choose a sunny day and bring your walking shoes as the common is a delight to explore!

The post The story of Greenham Common, England appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

The Spread Eagle Hotel can be found in the pretty market town of Midhurst, West Sussex, in the heart of the beautiful South Downs, just over an hour south of London. Steeped in history, it is one of the oldest buildings in the region, boasting original medieval lattice windows, exposed oak beams, ancient doorways, equisite tapestries, undulating floors and inglenook fireplaces large enough to sit in next to squashy sofas and an inviting bar! Dine in the room which once hosted medieval Lords, sleep where a Tudor Queen once rested her head or just sit and sip something delicious in the place where Nazi leaders once conspired. The Spread Eagle oozes ambience from every crook and cranny, safely guarding centuries of history, an atmospheric and charming place to visit whether it be to sip, dine, stay or if you have time, all three!

Dating back to 1430, The Spread Eagle was built on the foundations of an early medieval building, next to the estates of the local Knights of St John. Following the growth of a new merchant class during the Tudor period, after 1650, as the need for travel accommodation increased, the inn underwent extensive improvements. Eventually The Spread Eagle became an important stage coach inn on the route between the docks at Portsmouth and London.

Over the centuries further renovations have been completed each being careful to preserve the hotel's delightful historical character. You can dine today right next to this tremendous inglenook fireplace!

The Christmas puddings dangling above the fireplace hang there all year ready for guests to enjoy for their annual Christmas lunch!

Cowdray House

The story of The Spread Eagle has close connections to the nearby ruins of Cowdray House, constructed by Sir David Owen, the illegitimate son of the Tudor dynasty’s founder Owen Tudor. Sir David inherited the estate through marriage into the de Bohun family and his role in placing Henry Tudor on the English throne meant that Cowdray became an estate of immense importance. Cowdray attracted many distinguished guests some of whom stayed at The Spread Eagle Hotel.

Guests at The Spread Eagle

Other famous guests to the hotel include Queen Elizabeth I, you can still stay in the room where she slept! Also Admiral Horatio Nelson with his mistress Emma and later, Prince Charles, H.G. Wells  the Maharajah of Cooch Behar and my grandparents in the 1950's!

The link to the  'Spread Eagle' and the inn

The ‘Spread Eagle’ was a powerful symbol in European history. During the Middle Ages the German dominated Holy Roman Empire adopted it as its emblem which is maybe why the Knights of St John came to Midhust.

In July 1939, Hitler's Ambassador to England, Joachim Von Ribbentrop dined at The Spread Eagle with Hermann Goering and four other officers after attending the Goodwood Races. Before coming to The Spread Eagle, Goering had been visiting Leonardslee near Horsham, then the home of Lady Loder, and it is believed that he had selected this beautiful property to be his H.Q. after the invasion of England.

Here is Von Ribbentrop signature in the The Spread Eagle's guest book.

During the World War II American GI’s based at Cowdray House often came to The Spread Eagle. It is rumored that when they returned to Midhurst after the war they bought with them this Eagle taken from Hermann Goering’s office in the Reichstag, Berlin.

They donated it to the hotel to thank them for all the happy times spent there during World War II.

The Spread Eagle today

The Spread Eagle  Midhurst is now privately owned, one of three in a group of historic Sussex hotels, each one having their own fascinating story to tell.

Do stop off at The Spread Eagle should you be visiting this pretty corner of southern England, even if it's just for a drink, although I would suggest you find the time to spend longer!!

 The Spread Eagle Hotel, South Street, Midhurst, Gu29 9NH +44 (0)1730 816911

Click here to read more about other places to visit about an hour from London

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I am delighted to share my recent interview with Carolyne at Perfectly Provence about my World War II novel, The Sunflower Field:

The Sunflower Field, a World War II Novel set in Provence ~ by Perfectly Provence

Inspired by her expat experiences in the South of France, Caroline Longstaffe began writing her blog “Shutters and Sunflowers” in 2012. Her stories transport you from the United States to Provence, with the occasional dispatch from the United Kingdom. Longstaffe’s articles, provide readers with well-researched “Travel Tips from an English Girl in California, in love with Provence.“

Since 1999, San Francisco has been home-base for the Longstaffe family. However, once their children were pursuing advanced study programs in Europe, it seemed like the time to explore the couple’s dream of owning a house in the South of France. Although they spent 18 months between Uzès and Lourmarin, they did not come away with a new home. However, did have a deeper enthusiasm for the area. Read the full backstory here.

On her return to California, Caroline Longstaffe had the germ of an idea for a novel. A book inspired by real World War II characters set in Provence. After, two years of research and writing she has finished the draft of her debut novel – “The Sunflower Field.”  The book combines Longstaffe’s background as a student and teacher of history, with her love of Provence.

It may have been serendipity when Longstaffe discovered, through her mother, this historical nugget:

I was already familiar with the Polish cryptologists, Jerzy Rozycki Marian Rejewski and Henryk Zygalski and that they, contrary to what most people think, were the first people to crack the Enigma code, but I had no idea that they had lived in Uzès.

Caroline Longstaffe agreed to share some of the novel’s details with Perfectly Provence readers. “The Sunflower Field is their story, interwoven with a fictitious story set in 2010 about the solving of a second world war mystery.”

What is the Polish cryptologists’ connection with Uzès?

The Polish cryptologists first cracked the Nazi’s communication system – Enigma – in 1932 in Poland. They shared their intelligence with the Allies, in 1939, on the eve of World War II. Escaping the Nazi invasion of Poland, the trio went to Paris to join an Allied code-breaking group working closely with the British team at Bletchley Park. Alan Turing came from Bletchley to visit them in January, but by May with the capitulation of France, they fled again, this time to Algeria. A few months later the three Poles secretly crept back into southern France arriving at Château des Fouzes in Uzès. Here, they continued their vital work (decoding messages from North Africa) for the next two years assisted by the Resistance.

What spoke to you about this war era story?

During times of war, people are frequently called upon to do extraordinary things, finding inner strength, which they never realised they possessed. I have often wondered whether I would have been able to find such courage. What would I have done if I had been in the perilous situations they confronted? The bravery and fortitude of such people, especially those involved in espionage and the Resistance, within the enemy occupied territory, is both humbling and often inconceivable in its magnitude.

Weaving the threads of a story within such a rich tapestry, during the treacherous days of World War II was, in part, a way of exploring such ‘what if’ questions. As a historian, once I learned the story of the Poles, whose work was the foundation for one of the most significant contributions to the ending of World War II, setting my story during the war was enticing and irresistible.

Can you describe your character, Collette?

Collette is an eighteen-year-old member of the Resistance. A young girl caught up in the horrors of war, coping with stressful situations. Someone with a steadfast determination to play her part whatever the cost, but at the same time still a young girl. At times struggling with the misery of her situation, with her raw emotions and someone, like most young girls, capable of falling in love. I hope that her courage and resolve leaps from the pages!

The code breakers were based in Uzès. What is the book’s connection with Provence?

Provence is the primary setting of the story. The Sunflower Field tells the cryptologists’ story interwoven with a fictitious story set in the present. When in 2010, Sophie’s father dies, she finds a letter written in 1944 which takes her to Uzès and then to Lourmarin. She finds herself unravelling a spellbinding wartime drama. A mystery involving a priceless art treasure and the indomitable Resistance, both of which prove to have connections with the present. The bulk of the narrative, set during the war and in 2010, takes place in either Uzès or Lourmarin. Provence is the stage for “The Sunflower Field.”

How did you do your research for the novel?

As a student and teacher of history, the research was fascinating. The book takes places in two eras, the story of the cryptologists in 1940-42 and solving the mysterious letter in the present. For the World War II part, I have endeavoured to incorporate an account of what happened by introducing some fictional characters to facilitate the intertwining of their story within that of the present day.

Some of my research was done online and from resources such as the Uzès archive office. I also interviewed local French people who shared their genuine and fascinating stories. These have enriched the narrative by retelling real events. My desire is that in addition to revealing the truth about the Polish decoders, “The Sunflower Field” will deepen the understanding of life during the Second World War by the sharing of these incredible tales.

What advice do you have for anyone thinking they might want to write a book?

Have a passion for your subject. Just as in any creative process, the biggest challenge is believing in yourself enough to keep going. Like many things in life, it is easy to abandon your dreams, and convince yourself that what you are trying to create is not worth the effort. Don’t allow that little bird called ‘doubt’ and her twin sister ‘fear’ to land on your shoulder and stay there. If you have a passion for what it is you are trying to create you will succeed in finishing your project.

As much as I would love my book to become a best-seller, and I have the cast for the screenplay all picked out. If that never happens, I have a sense of accomplishment in knowing that I didn’t give up! I have written a book, and even if it isn’t that good, I did it. It is my debut novel, and I am sure I have much to learn. But how do we learn, if not by the actual doing. Maybe what I learned next will help me with the sequel.

How did you land on the title for your book?

As you know, my blog is called Shutters and Sunflowers. Because those wonderful French shutters and endless fields of sunflowers are two things that come to mind when I think of Provence. I didn’t plan to choose a book title to connect it to my blog, the title found me…

We look forward to reading “The Sunflower Field” to discover more about the brave Polish code breakers, Collette and Sophie. Read more of Caroline’s blog posts and travel tips here.

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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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During World War II thousands of ordinary, hard working people were snatched from their homes in Amsterdam to be deported to the Nazi concentration camps. Of the 107,000 dutch Jews deported as part of the Holocaust in Amsterdam, barely 2000 survived. This is the story of one such ordinary man, Abraham Reiss who was sent to Sobibor, immortalised  by his grandson, actor and artist Jeroen Krabbé; in a series of paintings, using the memoirs of Jules Schelvis'  'Sobibor: A History of a Nazi Death Camp' this is the story of 'The Demise of Abraham Reiss'.

Abraham Reiss was born in Amsterdam on November 2 1873. Clever and talented he worked hard to make his fortune in the diamond trade. He married, had 2 daughters and in 1920 moved to a large house in upscale Oosterpark. His family lived a comfortable life, looked after by servants enjoying several holidays a year, until 1929 when Abraham lost everything in the world economic crisis. The family were forced to move to Amsterdam's Jekerstraat district which on the eve of WWII was home to about 17,000 Jews.

On June 20 1943, during the Holocaust in Amsterdam, the Nazis carried out an unexpected raid on Jewish homes in Amsterdam, Abraham was snatched from his home and sent to Westerbork, the holding camp for people about to be deported.

On 6 July 1943 Abraham, along with hundreds of others, bordered a train bound for Sobibor on Poland's far Eastern border with Ukraine. Sobibor was an extermination camp, where from April 1942 to October 1943 over 170,000 Jews were murdered, normally within just three hours of their arrival.

On the train people were crammed together in conditions not fit for animals. Desperate and terrified, Abraham suffered this horrific journey for three, impossibly long, grueling days.

Finally Abraham's train arrived at Sobibor. On disembarking, after three torturous days in near darkness, Abraham shielded his eyes from the sudden bright daylight twisting his body away from the reception committee, wild, scavenging dogs who often attacked and killed the prisoners as they staggered off the train.

Within about an hour of his arrival Abraham was forced to strip naked, humiliated and ashamed, never before having been naked in front of others. Depicted in this painting with his arms outspread, almost like Jesus on the Cross, with his hands larger than they really were to emphasize his total surrender, the absolute acknowledgement that there was no escape, that death was inevitable. In the background people are just about visible watching from behind the fence. The watch tower is shown to illustrate that there were those who knew what was about to occur, the mass murder in a gas chamber, the building shown to the right. In the bottom right corner, not visible on this copy, a gaggle of geese were painted, also of grim significance.

Jeroen knows that geese were kept at Sobibor from studying Jules Schelvis' book 'Sobibor: A History of a Nazi Death Camp' 'Shortly after starting work on the first day, the prisoner Petsjerski heard the sound of honking geese... A transport had come in and the animals were used to drown out the screaming of the victims in the gas chambers'.  Jules Schelvis

In this final painting the geese depict the guilt of the horrendous crime just committed, painted red to represent the blood of the perished. The markings on the trees are hundreds of watching eyes. The smoke from the burning furnaces are the hopeless wails of those who have just died. Although not clear here, to the left is a fence built like a 'S' which the prisoners had to stumble through, curved so that the actual door to the gas chamber was not visible until there were upon it.....

All nine of Jeroen Krabbé's paintings 'The Demise of Abraham Reiss' can be seen at Amsterdam's National Holocaust Museum. They are barely done justice here, the clever use of mixed styles, of different textures and use of materials such as straw and gravel to mirror the real conditions.

This story, part of theHolocaust in Amsterdam, must never be forgotten, not ever, for we can never allow such evil to happen again.

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I wouldn’t normally write a blog about a movie, although I am not really writing about a movie, (as brilliant and Oscar deserving as it is) but more about the person the movie was about. The movie is “The Imitation Game”, the person, Alan Turing. And Alan Turing wasn’t just any person, he was THE person who bought World War II to an end, by probably as much as 2 years, saving about 14 million peoples lives. He should also be acknowledged as THE person behind much of our daily lives for “every time we use a phone or a computer, you use the ideas that Alan Turing invented. Alan discovered the intelligence in computers and today he surrounds us as the true hero of mankind.” Eric Schmidt Executive Chairman of Google.

"Sometimes it is the people that no one imagines anything of, who do the things no-one can imagine" Alan Turing. When Alan Turing succeeded in cracking the Nazi Enigma code he most certainly did something that no one could imagine. Most of the hopes of being able defeat the mightier Nazi force, depended on being able to intercept Nazi intelligence. Bletchley Park in England, just 70 miles north of London became the government's code and cypher school where all efforts were made to try and crack this code. Shrouded in secrecy, the best minds from England were sent here, many from Oxford and Cambridge universities. The 27 year old Alan Turing from Cambridge was one of these young genii. He reported to Bletchley Park a day after the war broke out, September 4th, 1939.

Alan Turing, like hundreds of others, including a few thousand woman, arrived through these gates each morning. They came in hoards, on foot, on bicycle and in buses.

So top secret was their work that no one knew what anyone else was doing and once they left at the end of the day no one spoke to anyone about what they had been toiling over. It was a secret that each and every person kept for over 50 years.

Here are the words of one of one of the people who worked at Bletchley.

When Alan Turing first walked through these gates he was taken into 'The Mansion' to be interviewed. Socially awkward, blunt speaking but a living genius, he had a sense of conviction about his own ability that made him unpopular and often seem arrogant. Perhaps it was that very conviction that enabled him to filter out the immense opposition he faced and remain focused on what he had come to Bletchley Park to do, crack the Engima code.

For months Turing toiled away for ceaseless hours in huts like these, poorly light, cold and draughty in the winter, stuffy and over heated in the summer.

Turing was constantly supplied with critical information from the teams of women who worked alongside him.

Using the knowledge they provided and the incredible workings of his own brain he created a machine, the Bombe to decipher Engima. Metal parts, cogs, wheels and cables to name just a few, Turing devised a miracle, which not only cracked the code but was to be the fore runner of the modern computer.

It can never be said enough times; the intelligence provided by Alan Turing's machine bought World War II to an end at least two year early, saving millions of lives. It was the world's first computer and is behind much of our incredible modern day technology which effects all of our lives daily.

For all of this Alan Turing, instead of being honoured was hounded and treated with suspicion, largely because he was a homosexual, which in England in the 1950's was illegal. He was forced to take horrendous hormone drugs and suffered terrible indignities, finally taking his own life in 1954.

It was only in 2013 that he was pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II, it was long over due.

Now, thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch's incredible portrayal of this amazing man, in the 'Imitation Game' his story has finally become revealed and the debt we allow Alan Turing made known for always.

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