For many 2014 is a special year, not only because it is the Centenary of the start of World War One but it also marks the 70th Anniversary of the D Day Landings on the Normandy Beaches. To commemorate these two historic milestones the press and media have gone into overdrive and of course a cynical person like me might view their enthusiasm as just another excuse to rerun all the old War movies once more.
Conversely even they realise the importance of such anniversaries and I am please to say that through the media certain schools created projects involving their senior students visiting mainland Europe and going on a tour called “War Walks” as well as visiting the many War graves where they may find a long lost distant relative.
Of course of no less importance the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings was marked this year by the visit of many allied veterans from all over the world which for most may well be their last trip to the beaches where so many of their comrades fell.
For me, on the day itself one thing that stood head and shoulders above everything else was the spirit of one of the veterans,
Bernard Jordan a 90-year-old war veteran turned up in Normandy after being reported missing from his care home in England said he made the journey to see the “first class show” – and plans to do it again next year.
Bernard Jordan was reported ‘AWOL’ by staff at The Pines care home in Hove, Sussex, after they failed to get Bernard booked on an official tour going to the D Day celebrations. Using true blue British spirit with his medals hidden under his coat he managed to talk himself onto another coach and embarked upon his cross-channel mission. Needless to say once he was located safe and well he was deservedly treated as a VIP and returned home to a hero’s welcome.
Not that Bernard was alone in the spirit of determination not to be left out and as long as the body is capable these heroes will return year on year to remember their fallen comrade and the sacrifices they made on behalf of free people everywhere.
For the American veterans one such Normandy beach at St. Laurent will forever be remembered by its war time code name ‘OMAHA’ where a near first day disaster was averted due mainly to the sheer determination of the forces landing there. These men, in spite of the loss of their tank support and taking tremendously heavy casualties they fought on against overwhelming odds to win the day.
A few months ago I wrote a short Blog about the Americans in Tetbury.
It highlighted the fact that during World War Two, in the lead up to the Invasion of Europe by the Allied Forces commencing on June 6th 1944, our tiny town played host to a group of American troops.
The men were from the 654th Engineer Topographical Battalion and what they were working on while in the town was classified as ‘Top Secret.’ So secret in fact that the majority of the troops themselves were kept in the dark as to the nature and purpose of the work they were doing.
Now, of course, the work they did is part of history and no longer secret but having said that a lot of what this special Battalion did is being lost in the fading memories of a War long since over.
During their stay in Tetbury, six months prior to D Day, the Officers and men of the 654th Engineer Topographical Battalion were to play a vital role in the preparation plans for the invasion. Code named ‘OVERLORD’
The plans for the invasion of France was the largest amphibious assault ever conceived my any military mind and would involve 5 army divisions as part of the initial assault, supported by over 7,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft.
In total 75,215 British and Canadian troops and 57,500 US troops were landed by sea on D-Day while another 23,400 were landed from the air by parachute or glider.
For their part the men of the 654th were responsible for preparing and printing the thousands of accurate scale maps that would be required for the assault on OMAHA Beach and in the countryside beyond. These maps would be vital as the American forces established a beachhead and then forced their way inland to join up with forces landing at the other beaches code named; Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.
In complete secrecy a few select men from the 654th had a very special task to perform and that was to create a 3D scale model of the terrain of the OMAHA Beach area.
The model was constructed to a Horizontal scale 1:2,500 and a Vertical scale of 1 inch to 68 feet and represented a ground area 6 miles long by 5 miles deep.
The 654th was an Engineering Battalion and many of their duties were associated with the gathering and interpretation of raw data for the creation of those maps using the basic land survey equipment and techniques of the day. This information was necessary and vital for the coordination of not only the many Artillery Battalions supporting the Infantry but by the Infantry men themselves in calling in both Artillery and Air support.
After D Day the 654th Battalion followed their comrades to France and beyond using their skills to interpret captured enemy maps and quickly transferring the information onto maps used by the advancing allied forces.
Seventy years after the fact it is difficult to focus on any one group or for us, who were not part of those terrible days of total war, to contemplate the horrors these men faced on a daily basis. For those of us who watched the faces of those World War Two veterans as they stood in remembrance on those Normandy Beaches. We saw them moved to tears by the memories that will haunt them till they day they go to join their lost friends and we can only stand in silent support.
I know that the Officers and men of the 654th Engineering topographical Battalion were not frontline troops. I also know they were not physically on those beaches on that day but I would safely bet that they were there in spirit as the events were relayed back to them.
Back then the people of Tetbury had little knowledge of why those troops were here or the work they were doing. Hopefully in my new book I will be able to put that right.
One man who did his part to maintain the memory was a new friend of mine Syd Mosdell, who erected the sign above the door of the old Malt House where the troops worked in secret.
Although the building still exists and is still in regular use by the local youth groups of the boy scouts and girl guides it lies behind private property and is not easily seen.
I wanted to change that and with the help and support of the local town council and the owners of a grassy knoll close to the Malt House I commissioned a commemorative stone and plaque. This is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of D Day but more especially to the memory of the men of the 654th Engineer Topographic Battalion and their time here in Tetbury.
As you can see many of the people of our town agreed with me and turned out in support, including our own veterans
and some senior ladies of the town who with a wink and a twinkle in their eye still remember those friendly strangers who passed this way on their way to war.
The Mayor of Tetbury unveils the stone.
The Plaque dedicated to the the Officers and men of 654th
On the steps leading to the Malt House.
Lest We Forget
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