LEAD OFFICERS NOTE.
This Battlefield Study Tour was attended by 34 Cadets and 10 Cadet Force Adult Instructors. Staying at Chateau du Molay run by Travelbound Ltd where our presence was welcomed by the friendliest of staff who even spoke English.
Travelling daily, no site was more than 40 minutes from the next. It was a great trip with highly keen and motivated adults and Army Cadets. All understood the amazing sacrifice laid down for the freedom of others and ours. This event will leave that lasting impression on all those that attended and hopefully they will spread the word.
OUTWARD JOURNEY AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
“When we departed from HQ at Clapham Junction, we made our way via three minibuses and a luggage van to Dover. We crossed the Channel by ‘Le-Shuttle’ to France. The journey was enjoyable even though it was early in the morning with plenty of stops and interactions. When we got onto the le-shuttle, I was impressed by the efficiency of it, as I had never used one before. When we arrived in France, we immediately took in the scenery around as we made our way to our Chateau in Normandy. The journey was long but not dull but rather enjoyable with plenty of stops to immerse ourselves in the French experience. When we arrived at the chateau, we were greeted with welcoming staff and a wonderful dinner”.
By Cpl J, 132 Detachment
ST MERE EGLISE
“When we first arrived in the town it looked like something out of a movie! The church above us had a parachutist hanging from the top. We then we visited the American Airborne Museum. The museum was perfect and very informative whilst demonstrating lots of scenery from the war with weaponry. Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed the visit”.
By L/Cpl F, 154 Detachment
PONT DU HOC
“When I first arrived at Pont du Hoc I saw lots of shell holes and destroyed bunkers. I’ve seen it in movies but in real life it’s really moving to see the remains of what a war ground where originally many soldiers and civilians had died. It was a great opportunity for me to go, as these trips don’t come often and I am quite interested in WW2 history. It was incredibly interesting to see this all, in real life”.
By L/Cpl O, 148 Detachment
AMERICAN CEMETERY NORMANDY
“When I arrived at the American Cemetery. I didn’t think I was going to expect the mass of crosses. The Cemetery was laid out row by row, very clean and well maintained. I felt extremely moved by the mass scale. There were many visitors, which the majority were Americans and French.
During my visit we had to stand still for the American national anthem and the last post for a ceremony by the memorial end. The whole experience made me leave with a different perspective of how things are presented in films”.
By Cpl F, 144 Detachment
BRITISH MEMORAIL – VER SUR MER
“The memorial visit was an amazing experience allowing us all to appreciate the vast number of British soldiers lost during Operation Overlord. the names written on the walls were a great symbol of remembrance and it surprised me the range of ages seeing soldiers from 18 all the way to 51. The well-maintained memorial was a beautiful sight, especially in the sun, and I would highly recommend it as a place to visit”.
By Cpl T, 148 Detachment
BRITISH MILITARY CEMETERY BAYEUX
“Visiting the British Military Cemetery was a sombre but enlightening experience that allowed me to realise the magnitude of the sacrifice given by British soldiers during World War 2. It was shocking to see the number of fallen soldiers in one cemetery alone. Being able to walk among the graves meant I could read each name, age and rank allowing me to appreciate what they gave. I would recommend anyone who has the chance to visit”.
By L/Cpl M, 135 Detachment
JUNO BEACH & VISITORS CENTRE
“Juno beach itself has the memorials with the Canadian flag surrounded by the flags of the other countries which took part in D-day. The Centre however was the idea of some of the Canadian veterans to show visiting Canadians what they did and how D-day. This effected the country afterwards. The centre show both certain soldiers as individuals but also collectives”.
By Sgt G, 135 Detachment
An emotional surprize. Newly promoted Cadet Sergeant Hannah G is Canadian by birth and getting promoted on Juno beach turned in to an emotional moment.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY – A SURPRISE VISIT
“When first arriving at the Bayeux Tapestry I was interested to see it after hearing about it at home, we also were met with a grand building on arrival.
The Tapestry itself was interesting with the audio speaker helping to become fully immersed in the story being told, I would ‘definitely’ recommend it and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity it was great”.
By Cpl C 152 Detachment
PEGASUS BRIDGE & MUSEUM
“Firstly, we started off with a briefing about Pegasus bridge and a bit of information about the plan and attack as well as the different heroes of the attack. This was next to the different landing points of soldiers. Then we walked over to the museum to look at the attack in more detail and the equipment and weapons they used to take back the bridge. We were also given a briefing about the operation by a tour guide about the pros and cons. However, we still managed to take back the bridge. We then went outside of the museum to have another talk about the operation next to a life size model of the planes they used to drop of the paratroopers. Next, we went to the actual bridge from the operation and carried out a service of remembrance to those who fought in this particular operation by laying down a wreath of poppies”.
By Cpl W, 157 Detachment
