Photo's from my recent trip through Northern France

[IanC]

Friends,

Here are some photo's of the places I visited on a recent trip loosely following the British Expenditionary Forces retreat through Northern France May - June 1940. Unfortunately I ran out of time and didn't get to see everything I wanted to see but on the plus side that means a return trip!

The photo's are not in a particular order and some of the places will be well known but I hope you find them interesting all the same.

As always, comments, corrections are always welcomed.

Regards

Ian

[IanC]

The evacuation beach at Bray-Dune.

Out of all the evacuation beaches I visited these were the ones that were most evocative because they look like the ones shown in films and photos of the evacuation. Whilst exploring the dunes I kept expecting to bump into some Allied soliders!

The are many bunkers and fortifications that were built as part of the Atlantic Wall here just quitely disappearing beneath the sands. I will post more photo's of these in a separate thread.

[IanC]

A couple of the bunkers....

[IanC]

The commonwealth war grave and memorial at Dunkirk.

[IanC]

Lt Olive is commemorated on the memorial. He was killed in the breakout from Cassel and is mentioned in Hugh Sebag-Montefiore book, Dunkirk.

[IanC]

Having now crossed the border into Beligum these next photo's are of the evacuation beach at De Panne.

[IanC]

last one of De Panne

[IanC]

The next set of photo's are all related to the masacre at Le Paradis. I won't insult your intelligence with details of what happened here and I will instead concentrate on the location of the pictures.

This is the Duriez Farmhouse where the Royal Norfolks had set up their Battalion HQ and was place where they made their last stand.

[IanC]

The barn were the soliders were shot. Then (Source: Wikipedia) and now.

[IanC]

The plaque on the barn wall.

Although not clear on the photo's there is evidence of what I think are bullet marks all along the barn.

[IanC]

The military cemetary at Le Paradis were the soliders are buried along with the memorial which stands outside the church.

[IanC]

On to Cassel now, this town is on a hill and has a commanding view of the surrounding area.

Famous for a number of reasons, according to the book Blitzkrieg in the West Then and Now this is where the Grand old Duke of York marched his 10,000 men up and down the hill. In the First World War it was where Marshal Foch had his HQ and in May 1940 it was tenachiously defended by the Gloucester & Oxford and Bucks regiments.

Found one building with the scars of (I think!) the battle.

[IanC]

The obliglatory Cassel then and now shot.

[IanC]

Memorial to the the regiments that defended Cassel in 1940 and
the military cemetery at Cassel.

[IanC]

Leaving Cassel behind and heading towards Wormhout on the D916, the next stop was for the Cresswell Bunker which is just north of Le Peckel.

From the 26th May 1940 2nd Lieutenant Roy Cresswell and his platoon of 13 men held out in this bunker for 2 days.