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D-Day (6th June 1944)
[New page 13 August 2015: last updated 26 August 2020]
D-Day (6th June 1944) is commemorated with solemn ceremonies all over France. The canton of Cerisy-la-Salle is no exception. The usual format is a Mass in church attended by local dignitaries and anciens combattants, banners and live music: medals are worn, This is followed by a ceremony at the local war memorial in which wreaths are laid, a minute's silence observed, the last post played. Afterwards the band leads a procession to the local village hall where a glass of friendship is offered. The followings links are to pages containing photographs and video clips of two recent ceremonies.
D-Day ceremony 2013 (Cerisy-la-Salle)
D-Day 70th Anniversary 6 June 2014 (St-Lô)
D-Day (6th June 1944) is commemorated with solemn ceremonies all over France. The canton of Cerisy-la-Salle is no exception. The usual format is a Mass in church attended by local dignitaries and anciens combattants, banners and live music: medals are worn, This is followed by a ceremony at the local war memorial in which wreaths are laid, a minute's silence observed, the last post played. Afterwards the band leads a procession to the local village hall where a glass of friendship is offered. The followings links are to pages containing photographs and video clips of two recent ceremonies.
D-Day ceremony 2013 (Cerisy-la-Salle)
D-Day 70th Anniversary 6 June 2014 (St-Lô)
Memorial to Lancaster bomber crew
At 22:02 on the night of D-Day (6 June 1944) a Lancaster bomber of No. 460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took off from RAF Binbrook (Lincolnshire), It was shot down over Coutances and, around midnight, crashed in flames in a field near Cerisy-la-Salle. All seven of the crew perished. The pilot was Australian, the other six crew were British. They were:
Pilot Officer Frederick James Knight 422801 RAAF (21 from New South Wales)
Flying Officer, Air Bomber, William Lynam 152457 RAFVR (26 from Birmingham)
Flying Officer, Navigator, John James Read 154193 RAFVR (21 from Upminster)
Sergeant, W. Op/Air Gunner, Farewell Harrison 1516172 RAFVR (23 from Mexborough)
Sergeant, Air Gunner, Leonard Wesley Hillman 1245750 RAFVR (24 from Shepherds Bush)
Sergeant, Flt Engineer, Lionel Pearcey Croom 1587077 RAFVR (39 from Wendover)
Sergeant, Air Gunner, Robert Elcombe 1811531 RAFVR (18 from Southall)
In 1994,a memorial to the crew was inaugurated close to the crash site in Cerisy-la-Salle (at the foot of the hill on the crossroads of the D29 and D229) where, for several years, on the first Sunday in June, the late Hilary Thompson MBE (1944 - 2019) organised a memorial ceremony for the crew, attended by mayors of the local communes, anciens combattants (French combat veterans) and a mixed gathering of French, British and other local residents and visitors. Sometimes there are also members of families of the crew.
The local band marches down the hill, followed by the anciens combattants (combat veterans) wearing medals and ribbons, and carrying their commune banners. The mayor welcomes everyone, wreaths are laid by the anciens combattants, the names of the crew are read out and a small cross laid next to the name of each airman. A minute's silence is observed and national anthems are played. News of (new) contacts with crew memebers' families is given, sometimes followed by contemporary eye-witness accounts by local villagers. To close the event, a verre d'amitié (glass of friendship is offered).
The tradition continues in 2019.
The following links are to pages containing photographs and video clips from some of the ceremonies.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 8 June 2011)
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 2014)
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 2015)
Robert Elcombe was one of the crew who died, aged 18. In 2015 his nephew David Elcombe, was
present for the first time with his wife Jenny and laid a small cross against his uncle's name.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial ceremony 5 June 2016)
At 22:02 on the night of D-Day (6 June 1944) a Lancaster bomber of No. 460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took off from RAF Binbrook (Lincolnshire), It was shot down over Coutances and, around midnight, crashed in flames in a field near Cerisy-la-Salle. All seven of the crew perished. The pilot was Australian, the other six crew were British. They were:
Pilot Officer Frederick James Knight 422801 RAAF (21 from New South Wales)
Flying Officer, Air Bomber, William Lynam 152457 RAFVR (26 from Birmingham)
Flying Officer, Navigator, John James Read 154193 RAFVR (21 from Upminster)
Sergeant, W. Op/Air Gunner, Farewell Harrison 1516172 RAFVR (23 from Mexborough)
Sergeant, Air Gunner, Leonard Wesley Hillman 1245750 RAFVR (24 from Shepherds Bush)
Sergeant, Flt Engineer, Lionel Pearcey Croom 1587077 RAFVR (39 from Wendover)
Sergeant, Air Gunner, Robert Elcombe 1811531 RAFVR (18 from Southall)
In 1994,a memorial to the crew was inaugurated close to the crash site in Cerisy-la-Salle (at the foot of the hill on the crossroads of the D29 and D229) where, for several years, on the first Sunday in June, the late Hilary Thompson MBE (1944 - 2019) organised a memorial ceremony for the crew, attended by mayors of the local communes, anciens combattants (French combat veterans) and a mixed gathering of French, British and other local residents and visitors. Sometimes there are also members of families of the crew.
The local band marches down the hill, followed by the anciens combattants (combat veterans) wearing medals and ribbons, and carrying their commune banners. The mayor welcomes everyone, wreaths are laid by the anciens combattants, the names of the crew are read out and a small cross laid next to the name of each airman. A minute's silence is observed and national anthems are played. News of (new) contacts with crew memebers' families is given, sometimes followed by contemporary eye-witness accounts by local villagers. To close the event, a verre d'amitié (glass of friendship is offered).
The tradition continues in 2019.
The following links are to pages containing photographs and video clips from some of the ceremonies.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 8 June 2011)
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 2014)
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 2015)
Robert Elcombe was one of the crew who died, aged 18. In 2015 his nephew David Elcombe, was
present for the first time with his wife Jenny and laid a small cross against his uncle's name.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial ceremony 5 June 2016)
Also on D-Day 1944, Joe Hughes took part in the raid on the Merville Battery (simultaneous with the attacks on Pegasus Bridge over the Caen canal and the Horsa Bridge over the river Orne). His son Ron now has a holiday home in N D de Cenilly and his late daughter Janet had one in Roncey. His grandson Tony came to live in N D de Cenilly in 1994, but was killed in a road accident in April 2012 leaving two children.
In 2020 Tony's daughter Maddison (23) has just started her PhD in Pharmacy at Caen University and his son Marty (19) is also in Caen, studying for the University Diploma in Technology (Physics) which leads to pathways in Science and Engineering.
Who would have thought in 1994 that, 76 years later, Joe would have a great-granddaughter and a great-grandson at university, 20 kilometres (just over 12 miles) from the site of the Merville attack?
In 2020 Tony's daughter Maddison (23) has just started her PhD in Pharmacy at Caen University and his son Marty (19) is also in Caen, studying for the University Diploma in Technology (Physics) which leads to pathways in Science and Engineering.
Who would have thought in 1994 that, 76 years later, Joe would have a great-granddaughter and a great-grandson at university, 20 kilometres (just over 12 miles) from the site of the Merville attack?