If you look back through this you will see a bit about Charlton player George Reynolds who lost his life in the Normandy Campaidn...
Clive Harris post at the time:
"Today we got to remember Geoff Reynolds, our Charlton player who lost his life in the Normandy Campaign. We saw his name on the impressive new British Normandy Memorial and also retraced his movements down to 'Dickies' Bridge, a hugely important river crossing that his squadron captured the day he was mortally wounded.
It was a humbling privilege to bring this New Eltham lad who went onto play for the Addicks back into the Charlton family, exactly what remembrance and battlefield tours should be about".
If you look back through this you will see a bit about Charlton player George Reynolds who lost his life in the Normandy Campaidn...
Clive Harris post at the time:
"Today we got to remember Geoff Reynolds, our Charlton player who lost his life in the Normandy Campaign. We saw his name on the impressive new British Normandy Memorial and also retraced his movements down to 'Dickies' Bridge, a hugely important river crossing that his squadron captured the day he was mortally wounded.
It was a humbling privilege to bring this New Eltham lad who went onto play for the Addicks back into the Charlton family, exactly what remembrance and battlefield tours should be about".
If you look back through this you will see a bit about Charlton player George Reynolds who lost his life in the Normandy Campaidn...
Clive Harris post at the time:
"Today we got to remember Geoff Reynolds, our Charlton player who lost his life in the Normandy Campaign. We saw his name on the impressive new British Normandy Memorial and also retraced his movements down to 'Dickies' Bridge, a hugely important river crossing that his squadron captured the day he was mortally wounded.
It was a humbling privilege to bring this New Eltham lad who went onto play for the Addicks back into the Charlton family, exactly what remembrance and battlefield tours should be about".
Wow, what an amazing story, thanks so much for posting that and we will definitely take a moment to honour him at the British Memorial.
I took some.notes when Clive was talking at the bridge.. they may not be perfect and the article may cover it all anyway but have pasted below. The bridge has.nothing much to see (a small plaque but not even honouring the guys who captured it), but standing there and in the woods on the road up the hill before where George Reynolds would have been injured was an incredibly moving experience and an honour to hear his storey.
"Came through Charlton youth ranks.. Charlton had released him and he played for Torquay. in Dec 1942 the Charlton team were at the train station heading to a game a man short and there he was.. fate...Jimmy Seed bought him into the team that day for his debut and I think he played a handful more.
He was stationed in the UK until Normandy and was a Corporal of the Horse, but on July 24 was part of the 2nd Calvery Regiment at Juno Beach. Operation Blue Coat launched on 31 July and he was at the very tip of the spear of allied forces.
He was in a Stag Hound car, but 2 of the 4 were knocked out and he was injured and air lifted back to the UK where he sadly died in Oxford on 4th August and is buried in watfield military cemetary. He was 21.
The operation he was part of captured "Dickies bridge, after Dickie Powell" a bridge over the river Souleuvre on the main road leading out of ??. two vehicles and 4 men held the bridge until reinforcements arrived, havinf radioed back to say the bridge was secured and remained intact. The fact it was captured intact meant that tons of allied vehicles could then cross.
near le ferriere." Ps..don't think the link above worked but this is a good one...
I'm so glad I have made the trip to Normandy. I knew it would be emotional but can't quite describe how much. There were very few people at the British Memorial which made it such a peaceful place. We said hello to a middle aged man and chatted about what a beautiful place it was, he said it was and he was a veteran and then his voice broke, we all had tears in our eyes. We found Charlton player Geoff Reynolds engraving and I was all set to sing the Red Robin but had to settle for a single red army. Lovely to see a memorial to Harry Billinge too.
We then drove to the American Cemetery for the flag lowering. There was US D-day veteran there in a wheelchair along with his family who received the flag after the bugle played. He stood up to receive the flag and everyone clapped. It was extremely moving. My 17 year old son was moved to tears, I think it shocked him the ages of the fallen.
I'm so glad I have made the trip to Normandy. I knew it would be emotional but can't quite describe how much. There were very few people at the British Memorial which made it such a peaceful place. We said hello to a middle aged man and chatted about what a beautiful place it was, he said it was and he was a veteran and then his voice broke, we all had tears in our eyes. We found Charlton player Geoff Reynolds engraving and I was all set to sing the Red Robin but had to settle for a single red army. Lovely to see a memorial to Harry Billinge too.
We then drove to the American Cemetery for the flag lowering. There was US D-day veteran there in a wheelchair along with his family who received the flag after the bugle played. He stood up to receive the flag and everyone clapped. It was extremely moving. My 17 year old son was moved to tears, I think it shocked him the ages of the fallen.
Sounds like you had a memorable trip. I’ve always found the memorials and cemeteries both sobering and uplifting at the same time. Sobering because when reading the inscriptions on the gravestones and the ages of the fallen it always brings a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye and I always thank them for their sacrifice. But also uplifting because I like to think that those fallen would be proud that people they don’t even know are visiting them a 100 years on to thank them and let them know they will never be forgotten.
Spent the day on a US D-Day tour, was incredible to see how vast Omaha beach is. Very hard to explain the feeling when you stand on the beach. Heading home tomorrow may try and visit Juno Beach and the Canadian Centre there before the drive back.
Our Canadian guide on the tour was extremely knowledgable and told us a story of a US Omaha Beach veteran he had met a number of times and became his friend and translator when he spoke at various ceremonies in Normandy. He told us this one he struggled to get out in French for him. He said "I'd rather see one child laughing while building a sandcastle on the beach than 100 war memorials built, that's why we did what we did."
Needless to say next time there's a CL trip, put my name down. Thanks for reading/listening to something you've all experienced before.
I'm so glad I have made the trip to Normandy. I knew it would be emotional but can't quite describe how much. There were very few people at the British Memorial which made it such a peaceful place. We said hello to a middle aged man and chatted about what a beautiful place it was, he said it was and he was a veteran and then his voice broke, we all had tears in our eyes. We found Charlton player Geoff Reynolds engraving and I was all set to sing the Red Robin but had to settle for a single red army. Lovely to see a memorial to Harry Billinge too.
We then drove to the American Cemetery for the flag lowering. There was US D-day veteran there in a wheelchair along with his family who received the flag after the bugle played. He stood up to receive the flag and everyone clapped. It was extremely moving. My 17 year old son was moved to tears, I think it shocked him the ages of the fallen.
Great education for your son mate. More effort from schools should be made to introduce this generation to those who gave their lives.
I'm so glad I have made the trip to Normandy. I knew it would be emotional but can't quite describe how much. There were very few people at the British Memorial which made it such a peaceful place. We said hello to a middle aged man and chatted about what a beautiful place it was, he said it was and he was a veteran and then his voice broke, we all had tears in our eyes. We found Charlton player Geoff Reynolds engraving and I was all set to sing the Red Robin but had to settle for a single red army. Lovely to see a memorial to Harry Billinge too.
We then drove to the American Cemetery for the flag lowering. There was US D-day veteran there in a wheelchair along with his family who received the flag after the bugle played. He stood up to receive the flag and everyone clapped. It was extremely moving. My 17 year old son was moved to tears, I think it shocked him the ages of the fallen.
Great education for your son mate. More effort from schools should be made to introduce this generation to those who gave their lives.
Thank you, he keeps saying it was a trip of a lifetime. I hope so, it certainly was for me and wish I'd gone many years ago. I may go back with my brother and see if we can find out more about the path my Grandad made as a Royal Engineer who arrived on D-Day 2.
Thought this might be of interest to those likely to read this thread.
From 1 April 2023 it will be free to apply for a military service record from the MOD. You’ll need to pay the £30 fee if you submit an application before 1 April.
Applied for my Dad's - he was regular in Royal Artillery 1933-1939 then after a brief 6 months of civvy street back in for WW2. Got an email this week to say that as part of the Defence Records Management Project a percentage of archived army service files have been transferred to the National Archives and my dad's is one of them.
Comments
If you look back through this you will see a bit about Charlton player George Reynolds who lost his life in the Normandy Campaidn...
Clive Harris post at the time:
"Today we got to remember Geoff Reynolds, our Charlton player who lost his life in the Normandy Campaign. We saw his name on the impressive new British Normandy Memorial and also retraced his movements down to 'Dickies' Bridge, a hugely important river crossing that his squadron captured the day he was mortally wounded.
It was a humbling privilege to bring this New Eltham lad who went onto play for the Addicks back into the Charlton family, exactly what remembrance and battlefield tours should be about".
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/centre-for-historical-research/football-and-war-network/football-and-war-blog/2019/charltons-normandy-hero--geoffrey-reynolds/
I took some.notes when Clive was talking at the bridge.. they may not be perfect and the article may cover it all anyway but have pasted below. The bridge has.nothing much to see (a small plaque but not even honouring the guys who captured it), but standing there and in the woods on the road up the hill before where George Reynolds would have been injured was an incredibly moving experience and an honour to hear his storey.
Ps..don't think the link above worked but this is a good one...
We then drove to the American Cemetery for the flag lowering. There was US D-day veteran there in a wheelchair along with his family who received the flag after the bugle played. He stood up to receive the flag and everyone clapped. It was extremely moving. My 17 year old son was moved to tears, I think it shocked him the ages of the fallen.
Our Canadian guide on the tour was extremely knowledgable and told us a story of a US Omaha Beach veteran he had met a number of times and became his friend and translator when he spoke at various ceremonies in Normandy. He told us this one he struggled to get out in French for him. He said "I'd rather see one child laughing while building a sandcastle on the beach than 100 war memorials built, that's why we did what we did."
Needless to say next time there's a CL trip, put my name down. Thanks for reading/listening to something you've all experienced before.