The case of the US paratrooper hanging from the church on D-Day.
Private John Marvin Steele of 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, US 82nd (All American) Airborne Division, became famous when the story emerged of how his parachute got caught up on one of the pinnacles of the church tower in Sainté-Mare-Église in the early hours of D-Day 6th June 1944.
Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof La Cambe, Normandy.
The largest German Military Cemetery in Normandy with 21,425 casualties buried there.
Casualties include famous SS Panzer Commander Michael Wittman, and the infamous Adolf Diekmann who commanded and instigated the massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane in the Vienne department on 10 June 1944.
British Normandy Memorial
Commemorating over 22,000 casualties from D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, the Memorial is on a hillside which overlooks Gold Beach.
Escoublac-La Baule War Cemetery, St Nazaire, France.
Containing some of the graves from the famous combined Royal Navy and Commando raid of March 1942.
Also contains the graves of a number of British servicemen whoe bodies were washed ashore after the troopship 'Lancastria' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay in June 1940. There are 74 unidentified burials contained inthe cemetery,
Three Polish servicemen are also interred here.
Oradour-sur-Glane
Added many photographs taken by me last week at Oradour and adding detail to the narrative history.
Very chilling story - on 10 June 1944 the SS murdered 642 residents of the village and torched it. It was left as ruins as a national war memorial.
Birds - and birdsong - only returned to the village about 10 years ago.
https://tellthemofus.uk/current-major-project---oradiur-sur-glane
Operation BULBASKET
Added photographs taken last week in Verrières, La Couarde, Rom and Saint Souvent recording the graves and the memorials and sites of Operation BULBASKET. Adding more narrative detail too.
https://tellthemofus.uk/future-projects---operation-bulbasket
Added further detail - Current Major Project - Operation BULBASKET.
Added details of the 21 Sqn RAF Operations Records Book for the raid on the HQ of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division at the Château de Marieville at Bonneuil-Matours. Troops from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Goetz von Berlichingen" had murdered the SAS soldiers, French Resistance fighters, and USAAF fighter pilot Lt D Bundy, either at Foret de Verrieres or later at Saint Sauvant.
Added Biography Lt HE 'Jimmy Pearson MC, 1st Airlanding Recce Sqn, Op MARKET GARDEN
Added the biography of Lieutenant Hubert Ellis 'Jimmy' Pearson MC, killed in action at Arnhem 19 Sept 1944. Later posthumously awarded the MC for previous actions in Italy 1943.
https://tellthemofus.uk/biography-lieutenant-he-jimmy-pearson-mc-the-reconnaissance-corps
Taking Chance - a film about the importance of remembrance.
A film starring Kevin Bacon, based on the emotive true account of Lt Col. Mike Strobl USMC who acted as military escort to Private First Class Chance Phelps on his final journey to his home town, after being killed in action in Iraq.
Oradour-sur-Glane..
Another new project to be progressed during my visit to France in August, the story of the obscene atrocity of the murder of over 640 people in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane by SS toops of the 'Der Fuehrer' Regiment of the 2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich' on 10th June 1944.
Group Captain "Bobby" Oxspring DFC** AFC - One of the"The Few".
Buried just down the road from me at the churchyard of Cranwell Parish Church, St. Andre's, is a true hero of the RAF in WW2.; group Captain Robert Wardlow (Bobby) Oxspring DFC & 2 Bars, AFC.
Wg Cdr Jaroslav Maly and PO Emil Fechtner DFC
The sad story of a mid-air collision whilst on patrol that claimed the life of Czech fighter ace Pilot Officer Emil Fechtner DFC, and of the later (probable) suicide of the other pilot involved, Wg Cr Jaroslav Maly.
USEFUL LINKS
Added a page of useful / interesting links.
https://tellthemofus.uk/useful-links
Image to left is from the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in Christchurch. (Image Shaun Parkes Dec 2016)
Current Major Project - 2025
OPERATION BULBASKET - France 6 June to 24 July 1944
Read about the fascinating and sad story of Operation BULBASKET and the largest single loss of life in a single day ever experienced by the SAS Regiment - my pictures to follow in due course, I am due to visit the Vienne in August.
Added biography page for 881177 Flight Sergeant Eleanor Maud Barker WAAF, a storekeeper at RAF Hospital Rauceby, who suffered fatal injuries when struck by a USAAF lorry.
https://tellthemofus.uk/biography-flight-sergeant-eleanor-maud-barker-waaf
Added biography page for NZ425052 F/O Burrell Alwyn Tovell Soundy RNZAF
https://tellthemofus.uk/biography-flying-officer-burrell-at-soundy-rnzaf
17th April 2025
Added page on the Cambridge American Cemetery at Madingley, near Cambridge.
Added biography pages for Lt Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr, US Naval Reserve and Lt Col Leon Robert 'Bob' Vance USAAF.
https://tellthemofus.uk/lieutenant-joseph-patrick-kennedy-jr-us-navy-
https://tellthemofus.uk/biography-lieutenant-colonel-leon-robert-bob-vance-us-army-air-force-
16th April 2025
Added sections on the 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 Memorials to The Missing on the Brookwood Military Cemeteries Page
12th April 2025
Updated biography page for Flying Officer John Northend to include information on his missions flown.
Biography page for F/O John Northend
Example
| 20 Nov 1942 |
Turin |
W4244 | PO RNG Barlow (future Dambuster) | PO Barlow bombed from 9,000 feet after pinpointing factory by road junction South West of town and by the river. On return the Starboard Inner engine gave trouble and had to be feathered |
11th April 2025
Added page for Lance Sergeant Charles Frederick Bristow GM Royal Engineers.
Bomb disposal hero of WW2, previously fought in WW1 and was evacuated from Dunkirk.
10th April 2025
Added page St. Andrews Parish Church, Cranwell.
1000 year old churchyard, used by Vikings and later used for burials of service personnel from Royal Naval Air Station, later Royal Air Force Station and RAF College, Cranwell.
9th April 2025
Buffalo LVT 'Conqueror' destroyed at Serooskerke
8th Nov 1944.
Lieutenant England was in command of the second of four amphibious Buffalo LVT (Landing Vehicles, Tracked) sent in convoy on a patrol to Veere on the North East of the island. His vehicle struck a submerged 11 inch shell rigged up to a post as a mine causing many casualties.
The incident occurred close to the Protestant Church in Serooskerke, where there is a memorial including the names of the casualties. Twenty men, including Lt England, were killed. Thirteen were Royal Marines and five were the Royal Engineers crew of the Buffalo. One of the casualties was a Medical Orderly, Private Walter Branch of the Royal Army Medical Corps. He had volunteered to act as Medical Orderly for the patrol. Lt England was the only Officer killed.
5th April 2025
Added a lot of detail and photographs to the biography page of Lieutenant Commander Nicodeme Guilonard, Royal Netherlands Navy.
https://tellthemofus.uk/biography-lieutenant-commander-nicodeme-guilonard-netherlands-navy-
4th April 2025
Added the biography page of Marine Byron Moses No 41 Royal Marines Commando.
2nd April 2025
Added page on Scopwick Burial Ground, near RAF Digby in Lincolnshire.
Including the grave of Pilot Officer John Magee Jr RCAF, poet and author of 'High Flight', and German War Graves.
1st April 2025
Added page on 6192346 Cpl William Jacobs, Belturbet Church of Ireland Churchyard.
Cpl Jacobs was tragically and accidentally shot and wounded by a junior soldier and succumbed to his injuries in the barracks at Belturbet.
Click here to go to the page Belturbet Church of Ireland Churchyard
31st March 2025
Added page on Nijmegen Jonkerbos Cemetery
Nijmegen was a front line town from 17 September 1944 until February 1945. An initial temporary cemetery was created by No. 3 Casualty Clearing station, in a wooded area known as Jonkers Bosch, from which it took its name. The war cemetery was established, after the war, nearby.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery contains 1,629 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 99 of them unidentified, and 13 war graves of other nationalities.
Click here to go to the Nijmegen Jonkerbos Page
30th March 2025
Added detail to the biography page of Captain Peter Haydon DSO Royal Marines.
Added the family's scrapbook commemorating Captain Peter Haydon DSO Royal Marines.
Click here to go to the biography page of Captain Peter Hillyard Haydon DSO Royal Marines.
25th March 2025
Added details of John Northend's crew members to the page
The Crew of Lancaster W4192 "QR-E"
Click here to go to the page of The Crew of Lancaster W4192 "QR-E"