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6th June: 70th anniversary of D-Day
Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day, on the 6th June 1944. D-Day was the first day of the Allied forces’ Operation Overlord, to invade and liberate Europe, defeat Germany and end WW2.
On D-Day, combined US, Canadian, British and Free French forces attacked northern France by land, sea and air, mounting the massive invasion from southern England. Colchester, although far from the main action of D-Day, still had some involvement with it, in addition to those Colchester men who were directly involved; for example, in the 6th Parachute Regiment or the 147th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment. In March 2014, one Colchester D-Day veteran received an MBE and, in May 2014, some of Colchester’s other surviving D-Day veterans made a special visit to Merville Barracks (the new garrison) in Colchester. Yesterday, members of 3 Para of Colchester joined the commemorations by taking part in a parachute drop near Caen in Normandy.
The Trust is now based in the former NAAFI of the Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks in the old garrison at Colchester; the NAAFI was built as part of the Army’s recruitment drive in the build-up to WW2. Today’s D-Day commemorations for the 70th anniversary of D-Day are extra special, as it is to be the last major commemoration of D-Day, with events taking place all week, and especially today, in Britain and France.
During WW2, Colchester was an important military garrison and had an important engineering industry. It was surrounded by airfields and naval bases and, being near the coast, was at risk from invasion. It was also on the Eastern Defence Line of the UK. There are surviving WW2 remains in and around Colchester, and across Essex, and these are included in archaeological and historical surveys. The Trust has excavated and recorded WW2 evidence during our work over the past decade at the old garrison, for example, air-raid shelters, a tank-trap, small parts from vehicles, fragments of china from the NAAFI, parts of Sten guns, and the vessel of a real Home Guard ‘Molotov cocktail’…
The shipyard at Wivenhoe produced two parts – ‘whales’ (pierheads) – of the famous ‘Mulberry harbour’ and, apparently, Rowhedge also produced parts of the harbour.
The two Wivenhoe ‘Mulberry harbour’ pierheads have been described online by Bill Ellis: ‘… These two pier heads were made of welded steel with concrete infill and were 200 feet long and 60 feet wide. The mould depth at the sides were 10 feet. There were equipped with 4 ‘Spuds’ or legs at the corners. Each Spud leg was 89 feet long with ‘feet’ 4 feet square. On these Spuds, which were operated by electric winches with reduction gearing, the ‘Whale’ could be raised or lowered to compensate for the tide … Two Mulberry Harbours were actually assembled on the French coast, one for the American beachhead and one for the British at Arromanches. Despite the American harbour being wrecked by heavy weather after 4 days use, the Harbours played a vital part in the success of “Operation Overlord” …’ (at www.wivencyclopedia.org/History/mulberry_harbour.htm).
Eric Rudsdale lived in Colchester and worked at Colchester Castle Museum, also undertaking war work, during WW2. He wrote a diary throughout the war. This has recently been published, and the entries are now being posted online on the 70th anniversary of the day that each entry was written.
Eric Rudsdale on the 5th June:
‘… Monday
… Soon after lunch, Hugh Gray phoned from Fordham to say the road between Wormingford and Fordham running through the aerodrome had been closed by the Americans and no milk could be got out from the farms. I tried to phone the aerodrome and Rotchfords, but all the phones were dead, and could get no reply at all. Race and Finlay and all their families are quite shut off from the rest of the world, as are also the people in the cottages. Most extraordinary state of affairs. Must be something very big in the wind.
Gray said the local police had been unable to get into contact with the American commander, and all approaches were guarded by tommy-gunners …’ – at wwar2homefront.blogspot.co.uk/
‘... At about 05.30hours on Tuesday 6th June the Johnson household was woken up by the noise of a siren coming from an aircraft flying overhead. The aircraft was a P47 Thunderbolt stationed at nearby Boxted Airfield. Almost immediately the aircraft was joined with others (no sirens) circling overhead. With the exception of the aircraft fitted with the siren this was the usual procedure in formating for operations.
The most unusual contrast about the aircraft was that they had black and white stripes painted on their wings and fuselage. These stripes were not evident on the aircraft flying from Boxted the previous day. One can ssume that these stripes, that became officially known as D-Day and Invasion markings, must have been applied during the night of 5/6th June.
For the rest of that day, much more than usual air activity could be seen in the skies over Colchester. Later during the day it was announced over the wireless that allied forces had landed on the beaches of Normandy with the aid of large naval and air support …’ – www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/38/a2761238.shtml
‘… Tuesday
About 2am heard the sound of many ‘planes warming up at Wormingford, but soon went to sleep. Woke soon after 3 to a tremendous roar, and looked out to see the whole sky filled with ‘planes, all carrying their navigation lights, dropping red and green flares in every direction. Just before 4 the Boxted aerodrome lights came on, and all the Thunderbolts took off in pairs in a series of shattering roars, coming up over the house and flashing away to the S.W. The sky was just a mass of gleaming lights of all colours, and the house trembled with the vibration of thousands of engines. The moon, nearly full, shone on fleecy clouds in the west, and there were dark rain clouds drifting away to the North. Have never known the Americans to take off before dawn, so guessed this must be something big, and was not surprised to hear on the 8 o’clock news that there had been heavy raids on Calais and Dunkirk and that British naval forces were off Le Havre, while the Germans had announced that landings were being attempted both by sea and air.
And so comes what we were promised was to be the great climax of the whole war, when the great allied armies are to storm “Hitler’s fortress” and “liberate starving Europe” … Yet all is just as it was yesterday – buses running, trains running, soldiers marching out to training, little children going to school… At the office, hardly a mention of this great “final” battle, except to remark on the noise of ‘planes during the night, and say wisely “Ah! As soon as I heard them, I knew it was the invasion.” …
Went out to Horkesley at 6, to see the sugar beet competition. Just beginning to rain, but there was a good show, in a field at Potter’s Farm, belonging to Alec Page. Work began at 7, and went very well, while bombers and Thunderbolts roared overhead on their way toNormandy. One huge flight of Thunderbolts came over from Raydon …
Went along to the Observer Post at 9, for another 4 hours training… Weather got worse, but still planes came back from France, and the aerodrome lights were on. Some ‘planes landed with headlights like motor cars.
The Wormingford road was opened again this morning …’ – wwar2homefront.blogspot.co.uk/
