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| Our little Renault Cleo, Beny-sur-Mer Cemetery |
On our way to the Juno Beach Centre to see where the Canadians landed on D-Day we passed by the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian Cemetery in the village of Reviers,18 kilometres east of Bayeux. It was on this coast just to the north, and visible from this cemetery that the 3rd Canadian Division landed on June 6th, 1944. The 335 soldiers of the division killed that day are buried here with 1694 other Canadian soldiers and 15 airmen who fell in the advance inland when the Division engaged a German battle group formed from the 716th Division and the 21st Panzer Division. It is a beautiful, utterly peaceful and immaculate place that has been maintained with loving care by the local people. It was hard not to feel moved to tears as we slowly walked about reading gravestones and letters left behind by previous visitors. I will never forget this place and hope one day our grandchildren will have the opportunity to visit it as well and, more importantly, time will not have diminished the importance of the sacrifice of these soldiers.
They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them
Nor the years condemn;
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them
- Lawrence Banyon
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| La Guerre! war declared! |
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| The Royal Canadian Engineers opening a road to the Orne River bridges, Caen, August 4, 1944 |
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| Juno Beach |
Juno Beach stretches for 8 km between St. Aubin to the east and Graye-sur-Mer to the west, just two more tiny spots on any French Michelin map. The D-Day mission of the 3rd Infantry Division under General Keller was to fight it's way ashore, break through the German coastal defences, and establish a bridgehead as far as Carpiquet airport on the outskirts of Caen, 18 km to the south. The poor weather caused the landings to be a few minutes late so the rising tide covered obstacles and mines that ripped open the landing craft, resulting in casualties on the way in. The Canadians charged ashore under heavy fire, often without tank support which was held up by the rough seas, The strong German defences were frequently untouched by the air and naval bombardment, leading to heavy Canadian losses in the first waves. The Memorial at Juno Beach allows you actually feel what these men went through and reminds of how much we are indebted to them.
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| Personnel of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade landing on D-Day in Bernieres-sur-Mer |
We had lunch in Courseulles, sitting outside in a small patisserie beside the yacht basin enjoying the sun, then got back into the car and drove west along the coast, trying to get lost on the back roads. Which we did...gws
