ARMY NURSE CORPS NORMANDY MEMORIAL UNVAILING NORMANDY JUNE 8th 2012

[FAAA]

ARMY NURSE CORPS NORMANDY MEMORIAL UNVAILING

NORMANDY JUNE 8th 2012

 

The Army Nurses Living History Group supported by their parent Group, The First Allied Airborne Association, are organising, errecting and unvailing a memorial to the Army Nurses and medical staff of the 91st and 128th Evacuation hospitals in the village of Boutteville, Normandy on Friday 8th June 2012.

 

For further details please use the link below.

 

http://faaa.forumotion.com/t1572-memorial-fundraising

 

Regards

 

Lee Bowden

First Allied Airborne Association

[FAAA]

As we have been researching the 91st and 128th Evac Hospitals, I made contact with the the current chief of the Army Nurse Corp, asking for information. Her office put me in contact with the Army Nurse Corp Archiavist, who very kindly sent me a bit of info that we didn't know. This lady's name is LTC (P) Nancy Cantrell.

 

Nancy sent all the paperwork over to England at no charge, and is continuing to research on our behalf. As a matter of courtesy, I emailed her a link to the information we have on the public part of the forum about the memorial.

 

She came back today with the following response......

 

What a blessing you and your group are to our veterans! This is absolutely first class and I would love to help as much as possible. Please let me know when the Memorial ceremony will be, I would love to attend if at all possible.

 

Thank you for your wonderful work and devotion. I am archiving this in our AMEDD archives so your work will be remembered here, too.

 

Doesn't it make it worth while?

 

Amanda Ware

Chief Nurse

Army Nurses Living History Group

THe First Allied Airborne Association

[General Apathy]

 

 

Hi Lee, Amanda and all the other members.

 

SAVE ME A SPOT, I will be there.

 

ken

[FAAA]

Your at the top of the list for an Invite Ken.

 

Will be in touch soon in regards the measuring up

 

Kind Regards

 

Lee

[General Apathy]

Your at the top of the list for an Invite Ken.

 

Will be in touch soon in regards the measuring up

 

Kind Regards

 

Lee

 

Hi Lee, wait to hear from you regarding help needed, will be pleased to help, and thanks for thinking of inviting me. :thumbsup:

 

ken

[FAAA]

Hi Lee, wait to hear from you regarding help needed, will be pleased to help, and thanks for thinking of inviting me. :thumbsup:

 

ken

 

 

Hi Ken

 

Looks like we may be involved in another Memorial unvailing on the 6th June, do you know Irish Dave!!

 

Regards

 

Lee

[FAAA]

Hi Ken

 

Recce Team will be deploying to Normandy on Friday 23rd March, FAAA operations will be conducted from Irish Daves Command Post in Ravenoville.

 

Meeting set for 0930hrs Saturday, 24 March at la Cour farm. M Groult, the Mayor of Boutteville, Mayor Dan Hamchin (Angoville) Irish Dave and FAAA Members Lee Bowden, Gavin Ware, Tim Lees, Matt Nott and Ben Greening will be attendance.

 

It is hoped the finer details of the memorial unvailing taking place on the 8th June will be thrashed out. Full report on our return from behind the lines.

 

All members of the First Allied Airborne Association would like to thank Irish Dave for all his help in providing us with an agent on the ground, without his help and contacts this last part would have been very difficult to have organised.

 

Regards to all

 

Lee

[FAAA]

Recce Team back at various CP's

 

Seems like we were away for weeks, so much packed into just two days.

 

Lots to tell and all good news for a change.

 

The groups reputation in regards to what it is we are about had preceeded us and lots of people knew about us and what we had planned.

 

I have no doubts now that this will be the best trip to date for the group and we are about to make history and help others to also.

 

Over 350 miles were covered from hitting the beach and it seemed just as many on foot when on the night exercise recce

 

A full report will follow, once rested up.

 

Regards to all

 

Lee

 

The Army Nurses Memorial Unvailing meeting was of course the priority.

 

But after we got around a bit.

 

After a very long day we socialised with our host Irish Dave and Celine.

 

On the return trip we paid our respects.

[FAAA]

Situation Report as of 4/4/12

 

With the final Normandy recce now completed we have looked again at the potential programme of events for France.

 

Programe of Events

 

The draft programe is now starting to take shape and can be viewed below.

 

2nd June--RV Portsmouth. Cross load to Military Vehicles--Ferry crossing--1445Hrs--ARRIVE FRANCE --2130hrs--ETA base camp 2330hrs.

3rd June--Late start--Base camp admin. Move to La Fiere Bridge DZ/1330 Hrs Parachute drop, La Fière Bridge/82nd area tour/ Evening--Meet and Greet BBQ at Base Camp.

4th June----101st US Airborne Divisions Tour/ 82nd Airborne memorial unvailing/ Evening----Exercise Wide Awake

5th June--- PM---4th and 9th Infantry Division Coast to Coast tours to include Magnaville Wreath Laying---Evening---Ste Mare Eglise

6th June ---Ravenoville Memorial / Evening -----Ravenoville kick back BBQ

7th June----R&R (AM) / PM---WINTERS memorial visit / Ste Mare Eglise Town/Museum visit--Evening---Establish Hospital Bouteville

8th June ---ANC Memorial unveiling Bouteville.

9th June---American Beach Tour / 6th Airborne Tour--Pegasus Bridge--PM Return Home--OUT 1630Hrs--ARRIVE UK 2115Hrs

 

3rd June/AM--Recce team---EXECS / Squad Leaders to Ravenoville/Boutiville. (2X Jeeps)

 

7th June /AM---Army Nurses EXECS to Boutiville. (2X Jeeps)

 

The above is a frame work of activities; the Memorial days will be coverned by the timings of the event, travel time and of course rehearsals required.

 

Thee above programe will be broken down in to further detail nearer to the deployment, at this time it is just an overview.

 

A full briefing on the Programme and our part played in the Various Memorial days will be discussed at the Ashdown Camp and Normandy Briefing later this month.

 

Recce photo report pending.

 

Lee

[FAAA]

The Baby girl born at the 91st/128th Evac Hospital on 22 June, just one week after the hospitals were set up and seen in the film clip below, is now known to the village as we found out on the recce. She is still alive but of course at almost 68 years of age she is not unfortunatly in good health. We all hope she can attend, but at this stage we are unsure.

 

With so much pain and death that would have surrounded these Evac Hospitals this little bit of film makes one smile a little.

 

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675060...-with-mother-an

[FAAA]

WWII 101st Airborne Veteran George Koskimaki has got to hear about the Memorial unvailing and the folowing was passed on to me by a collector/Historian :

 

 

George was very pleased to hear of the Memorial to the nurses being unveiled on 8 June this year. George has always had a tender spot in his heart for the Nurses, Medics and Combat Surgeons that worked so unselfishly in all areas of Europe during the war. He details many of their heroics in his D-Day book in the chapter, "Angels of Mercy." In that chapter, he tells of the bravery of these many unarmed men and women that were in harms way and many times left behind as the Germans retook areas from the GI's. These Angels of Mercy were left to tend to the wounded, many times from both sides of the battle. He mentions the likes of Captain Caumartin, Felix Adams, Robert Wright, Ken Moore and so many others.

 

George wonders if anyone has taken up the cause to memorialize the Medical Corps and the men and women that faced death and gruesome injuries on a daily basis. These were people without guns but armed only with a first aid kit or an imprompto field hospital established in a bombed out building or in a series of tents. George would be interested to know if this has ever been considered or if there are any plans for such a memorial.

 

I replied:

 

While we have indeed promoted it as the Army Nurses Memorial it will in fact quite rightly commemorate all who served in the 91st and 128th Evac Hospitals who were based in the area of La Cour farm, Boutteville. We hope to mark with a memorial in 2014 both units time spent in England in the build up to D-Day.

 

Please do pass on our regards to George, I will pass on his message to the Army Nurses.

 

Kind Regards

 

Lee

[FAAA]

I contacted the Plaque manufacturer to run us up a artist impression of the final proposed Memorial draft and asked them to reproduce it with the Medical Corp Brance of Service Color as background color to the plaque.

 

It is reproduced below:

 

Regards

 

Lee

 

[Sarge8]

Nice job!

 

My in-laws were both members of the 107th EVAC Hospital. They arrived in Normandy about 30 days after D-Day, and were married in Wurzburg at war's end. We used to go to their reunions every year and I loved to hear their stories. It was hard thinking of these 70-90 yr olds as 19-25 yr old kids. Sadly, very few of them left now.

 

I do have quite a few pics of their unit. Will have to scan them and post them here.

 

Frank

[FAAA]

Nice job!

 

My in-laws were both members of the 107th EVAC Hospital. They arrived in Normandy about 30 days after D-Day, and were married in Wurzburg at war's end. We used to go to their reunions every year and I loved to hear their stories. It was hard thinking of these 70-90 yr olds as 19-25 yr old kids. Sadly, very few of them left now.

 

I do have quite a few pics of their unit. Will have to scan them and post them here.

 

Frank

 

 

Please do Frank, will look forward to seeing them. Thanks for posting

 

Kind Regards

 

Lee

[FAAA]

Well the mission was finally achieved and on the 8th June at 1400hrs the Marie, the land owner, the village members and Veterans of WWII witnessed the unvailing of the US Army Medical Departments 91st and 128th Evacuation Hospitals Normandy Memorial at Boutteville.

 

The First Allied Airborne Association are proud of its achievements and the support from others in this project and there are many to thank in helping us achive the ultimate aim of recognising the work of the medics in Normandy.

 

A full Picture report will follow in due course, but for now just a few pictures to illustrate a great day, a day history was remembered and made.

 

LB

 

 

 

[Sabrejet]

It was a first class ceremony conducted with great dignity and professionalism, Lee. Kudos to all concerned! It was a pleasure to be attendance.

 

Ian :bravo: