1944.
A year that would go down in history.
A few days before D-Day, a young man who had recently joined the army at the age of 18 set off on the road, quite literally, to hell. He had joined the 12th Devonshire Regiment (fondly known as the ‘swedebashers’) and part of the 6th Airborne Division.
He landed on Sword Beach, after having never trained for beach landings, or been to sea, after being told that there were not enough gliders for everyone…. They passed through the straits on the morning of D Day, and came under fire from Cape Gris Nez. At first light they approached Sword Beach, and began to see the debris of war everywhere.
That man, now 93, is my Grandad, and it seems only fitting that I announce one of my challenges for 2019 in the most fitting way I can.
With a history lesson, no less…
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After landing on Sword Beach, the 12th Devons held the left flank of the bridgehead over the River Orne, where their orders were to seize intact the bridges over both the River and the Orne Canal, between the villages of Benouville and Ranville — and hold them at all costs until relief arrived. They were to avoid combat if possible and make for the village of Ranville as quickly as possible to relieve the 12th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, crossing Pegasus Bridge at 1600. From here, they pushed on to the Seine. After the Seine? Grandad returned to Bulford for training, before the division was recalled to the Ardennes, on 20th December 1944, in order to help counter the German army’s surprise offensive at the infamous Battle of the Bulge. The third time he returned to Europe as in a glider, landing 40 miles behind enemy lines with the objective of linking up with the Russians at Wismar. The Germans were expecting them and there were vast numbers of casualties. |
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In 2017, Grandad was awarded the Legion d’Honneur, the highest French order of merit for military/civil merits, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Challenge?
To cycle the D-Day beaches and then the route from Sword Beach to the Seine, taking the route the 12th Devons did, or as close to it, before looping back and finishing at the beaches 6th June 2019 for D-Day 75.
A fitting tribute, I hope.