Category: DORSET JOURNAL – D-Day Preparations – WWII-21Century

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment)

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THE NATIONAL TRUST

Kingston Lacy House – near Wimborne, Dorset.

US 29th INFANTRY DIVISION – re-enactment group.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY – November 14, 2021

This remembrance also comes under the title of  VETERANS DAY  in the United States.

The British War Department took over 72.5 acres of these extensive grounds, to establish one a three US Army Hospitals based in East Dorset, including the provision of its own airfield.

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Kingston Lacy House – below

Waiting for the US 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION (re-enactment) … to attend the 11 am, 2 minutes silence – REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

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UNITED STATES COAST GUARD – memorial plaque – Poole Quay – Dorset, United Kingdom

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Commemorative plaques built into the wall of the Quay cafe – Poole Quay, Dorset, United Kingdom.

In the first photo one can see the Canadian, British, US and French flags – in that order

This is a place where I often go on a Sunday around 2 PM – Viewpoint, Poole. I have found that so very many people who gather gather there – know many different stories about its history. I pick up new pieces of history every time I go.

If anybody has any more stories – my grey Jeep Wrangler can be seen parked – usually under the trees.

The only photo I find of my jeep at the moment is one taken at Rockley Point (below left) – which is quite a bit further inland of the harbour.

Mulberry Harbours were massive temporary portable harbours developed and made in the UK for the D-Day landings, and towed across the English Channel to enable the rapid offloading of absolutely vast numbers of vehicles and other cargo to the Normandy beaches in June, 1944. It is fair to say – that the invasion would not have succeeded without them – even though one of them at some point eventually collapsed into the very rough and turbulent seas.

These can be seen from the back of the D-Day Centre.

Charles Ryan – Army Ranger, 2nd BN in WWII– passed away in his home in St. Louis on Sunday Mar. 24, 2019 – at the age of 96.

Charles Ryan – one of the very last of the Army Rangers in the 2nd BN in WWII –  was one of 225 Rangers that risked their lives in the D-Day Invasion at Normandy (St. Louis, Associated Press on Saturday).

During the invasion, 50 of the 65 troops in Ryan’s unit lost their lives in this battle that began on June 6, 1944. In all, there were 225 Rangers that warded off fire from enemy artillery.

Ryan was wounded during the D-Day Invasion but that didn’t stop him from going on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge (and also the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest).

Ryan was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, which received the assignment along with the 5th Ranger Battalion in June 1944. The 2nd Battalion was tasked with landing on the beach, scaling the cliffs that were actively defended by the enemy firing down at the troops, as they scaled the tall close to vertical cliffs , and then – those that survived – secured this higher ground.

Once accomplishing this, they used flares to signal the successful taking of the cliffs.

Portland, October 7

Portland – October 7

Portland.

2018-08-25 – Saturday. In my travels around – I was wondering – how far the American 1st Infantry Division’s location existed in 1943/4 before D-Day – besides the existing site of Canford Heath (the largest lowland heath in Dorset). The Division was of course also located at Swanage and around, directly across the bay from Bournemouth – and very many stories – which I have – that were were recorded and produced in two very small publication books, that were told by the GIs, the residents and evacuees that lived there – all had remarkable, good and nostalgic – very moving memories of their time there. In regards to their encampment as it were on Canford Heath – it did occur to me that parts of the heath might have extended further down towards the harbour in those days – where now there is a retail estate – and various housing estates. I noticed some woods – called Parkstone Heights Woods – I thought I would just have a look around there for whatever clues I could find – and as I was going around – I met a woman with her dog – I just mentioned a little about myself – and she said amazingly – right here where we are standing – was a lookout post in World War II – I took a photograph of it and I have placed the photo just above this description. There is not much left of it unfortunately. She added that just a little further was a very large crater where a German bomber had crash landed and exploded with enormous force – she was told this by family members I believe. I was unable to locate that particular area at the time. *If anyone has any further information, I would be interested – maybe the lady concerned will see this – because I did give her my card with the Easy-Jeep website on it. Whether she will look at it or not is another matter.

2018-08-11 – Sunday. US World War II military vehicle – View Point – Poole Harbour. An example of just one of the absolutely vast number of military vehicles that had been assembled all across Dorset, ready for D-Day.

Dorset, 1944

Sea View kiosk – circa 66/67
overlooks Poole Harbour

Sunday, June 11, 2018 – Viewpoint overlooking Poole Harbour. Coastal Command – RAF.

Sunday, May 20, 2018 – Viewpoint, Poole, Dorset. Army jeep US flag.