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Norman D. Landing


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Johan Willaert

Great pictures of Lauren, Ken!!

 

Check your email, I've just sent you two pictures of Lauren and my daughter from last March....

 

Maybe you can post one here....

 

Cheers,

 

Johan

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Chunky Monkey

She's a real 'ham' isn't she? Thanks for sharing.

 

My son is 9 and we recently went to a local army/navy store. He came home with an inert baseball grenade and M1 liner. He takes the liner to school so they can play army at recess.

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Chunky Monkey

Not sure if there is anyone around the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area or not. I thought I would post this here as it does have ties to Normandy. LST 325 is in Pittsburgh for the Labor Day weekend. I am tweaking my plans to go see this.

 

Just wonder how original it is? Apparently the Greeks had it. Any ideas?

 

Here's the link.

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General Apathy

post-344-1283453716.jpg

 

She's a real 'ham' isn't she? Thanks for sharing.

 

My son is 9 and we recently went to a local army/navy store. He came home with an inert baseball grenade and M1 liner. He takes the liner to school so they can play army at recess.

 

Hi Kevin, hate to post the same stuff twice and I know I have posted this little story before on some topic on the forum. As you have only recently joined I will repeat it here.

 

When my daughter was still at school the teacher asked the pupils in turn what they had done over the weekend, when it got to my daughter she related that I had taken her to see the B-52's. The teacher queered it by asking aren't you a little young to like that type of band.

 

My daughter replied ' no Miss the B-52's are not a band, they are planes and they were off to bomb Iraq', not sure whether my daughters name was added to the child watch program as having weird parents. :think:

 

Attached at the top is a scratch built model my daughter ( 14 years old ) made for a school project on WWI trenches, it appears that the school kept it and is now on permanent display in one of their cabinets.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Sept 2 2010

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Ken..when Lauren expressed an interest in modelling did you natuarally assume she meant on a catwalk?! Seriously though..wearing my teacher's hat...that's a pretty nifty piece of work and I can inderstand why the school retained it. You should've got her to mass-produce them, then, you could've knocked them out at Landings for a tidy profit!

 

Ian ;)

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General Apathy
Not sure if there is anyone around the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area or not. I thought I would post this here as it does have ties to Normandy. LST 325 is in Pittsburgh for the Labor Day weekend. I am tweaking my plans to go see this.

 

Hi Kevin, thanks for posting the link to the LST 325 visiting Pittsburgh, one of my favourite towns in the USA, I never fail to catch my breath when you come out of the tunnel above the town, especially at night with the town lit up and the reflections in the river bend.

 

Sad time for me being in Pittsburgh was 1999 my mother died back in England while I was there, she never got to see the postcard that I sent with the view from the tunnel exit above the town.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 2 2010

 

 

..

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General Apathy

post-344-1283457755.jpg

 

 

Great pictures of Lauren, Ken!!

 

Check your email, I've just sent you two pictures of Lauren and my daughter from last March....

 

Maybe you can post one here....

 

Cheers,

 

Johan

 

Hi johan, thanks for the photos of your daughter Ellen and Lauren the one I have attached above.

 

I met up with Johan his wife and daughter when Lauren and myself visited Bruges in Belgium this year, Johan was very kind in offering help and assistance while we where there telling us what was worth seeing. :lol: :thumbsup:

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 2 2010

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Johan Willaert
I met up with Johan his wife and daughter when Lauren and myself visited Bruges in Belgium this year

 

It was a pleasure having you both over, Ken...

 

For those that do not know Bruges, it's one of the most beautiful cities of Belgium and is considered World Heritage by UNESCO since 2000.

For a good view of the city, please watch the Colin Farell movie 'In Bruges'....

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/996

 

UNESCO is now considering putting Flanders' Fields and the Ypres region on its heritage list, because of what happened there during the Great War and because so many 'witnesses' of that period remain....

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First pattern patch pocket jacket, collar dogs are British made, goggles used by tankers.

 

I just knew one bucket wouldn't be enough ..... :drool2: :wink2:

 

Nice picture of the Miss in the Sherman too.

I'd post one of my Fiancée but ......... nah, I'll keep her for myself (sorryyyyy).

 

Sorry to hear about the loss.

My father passed away when I was in Boston in 1990 so I know how that feels ....

 

Thanks for the really nice pictures of the items of real troops (TD / Armor!). B)

 

Erwin

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General Apathy
I just knew one bucket wouldn't be enough ..... :drool2: :wink2:

 

Nice picture of the Miss in the Sherman too.

I'd post one of my Fiancée but ......... nah, I'll keep her for myself (sorryyyyy).

 

Sorry to hear about the loss.

My father passed away when I was in Boston in 1990 so I know how that feels ....

 

Thanks for the really nice pictures of the items of real troops (TD / Armor!). B)

 

Erwin

 

Hi Erwin, thanks for your thoughts on both our losses of family members, I'm sure we both feel the loss the same.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 2 2010

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General Apathy

post-344-1283541883.jpg

 

 

Hi Forum Members & Readers. This has been a memorable week for me, I will have to say memorable due to the content of what I experienced this week, emotional as it was...................

 

Tuesday I drove over to Colleville sur Mer ( Omaha Beach ) to carry out an offer I had made to a forum member to find his grandfathers grave in the cemetery and forward photographs for him and his parents, an honor to do so.

 

Yesterday was the funeral of a gentleman that I have known for thirty years Piper Bill Millin who unarmed played the bagpipes as members of his unit waded ashore capturing a section of Sword beach and some hours later the relief and capture of Pegasus bridge, immortalised in the 1962 film ' The Longest Day'. I will be attended a service for Bill on Sword beach 11th September.

 

Today I thought that I had found the farm building seen behind Gen Bradley in the attached photo above, what I did find however is related in the following post.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

 

 

..

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General Apathy

post-344-1283542431.jpg

 

 

Cont ........................

 

What I thought might turn out to be the farm wasn't it when we compared the windows and large door alignments.

 

However I met the gentleman seen in the photograph above, at seventeen he was employed by the US Army to dig graves by hand and aid in the eventual burial of 6.000 US Serviceman in temporary graves starting on the 6th June 1944.

 

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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Wow...that is poignant and very sad. I wonder what the emotional impact was on this youngster, now elderly gentleman. Did he say anything to you about his experience?

 

Thanks as always ken, for your absolutely fine work!

 

I always look forward to seeing your posts, both serious, and comedic.

 

Cheers!

 

David

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General Apathy

post-344-1283542975.jpg

 

 

Cont .........................

 

The gentleman seen in the previous post above can be seen on the far left of this photograph. This is a photograph that has been used numerous times in books on the airborne and Normandy. To the left off the side of this photograph is a vehicle laden with bodies awaiting burial. I would not hazard to guess the horrors that this gentleman saw on a daily basis as a young seventeen year old.

 

I have more to process yet and add on another evening from his archives of material.

 

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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General Apathy

post-344-1283544003.jpg

 

 

Cont ............................

 

Here is a June 1944 wartime field expediency pass enabling the gentleman digging and burying US soldiers to ride in US vehicles during the period of his duties.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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craig_pickrall

Ken, I wanted to be sure you realized the photo of GEN Bradley is reversed. That would have a big impact on the search for the barn. That accounts for the patch on the right sleeve for the MAJ / LT COL and for the left side buttons on the GEN in the middle. That is a nice photo that I don't recall seeing before.

 

The burial photo and the man that helped dig the graves is outstanding but sad.

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General Apathy
Wow...that is poignant and very sad. I wonder what the emotional impact was on this youngster, now elderly gentleman. Did he say anything to you about his experience?

 

Thanks as always ken, for your absolutely fine work!

 

I always look forward to seeing your posts, both serious, and comedic.

 

Cheers!

 

David

 

Hi Dave, thanks for your thoughts, these posts are always highly emotional for me so yes I do try and lighten some of them up a little between the serious ones.

 

I can only say how pleased I am that this witness to history is still here and that I might share it with many others as sad and poignant as it may be.

 

:huh:

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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Oh my, that must have been a very dramatic experience for this person.

And at such a young age, I'm sure the experience is still haunting him today.

 

Tomorrow is the day on which my village got liberated by the British (11th Armoured and 50th Infantry Divisions).

Sadly, there is no monument to commemorate it.

And on the 17th, I go put some flowers on the Glider Monument at Mariekerke which is about 6 kms away.

 

Keep up the very interesting posts, Ken, I sure don't like to miss that. :thumbsup:

 

Erwin

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General Apathy
Ken, I wanted to be sure you realized the photo of GEN Bradley is reversed. That would have a big impact on the search for the barn. That accounts for the patch on the right sleeve for the MAJ / LT COL and for the left side buttons on the GEN in the middle. That is a nice photo that I don't recall seeing before.

 

The burial photo and the man that helped dig the graves is outstanding but sad.

 

Hi Craig, many thanks for your addition to the subject mentioned here, I was aware that the photo was reversed before I went looking for the barn / building, however upon meeting this gentleman and what he had to show and say then the small matter of the reversed photgraph was forgotten momentarily.

 

I should have a few more posts on this subject to add tomorrow.

 

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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General Apathy
Oh my, that must have been a very dramatic experience for this person.

And at such a young age, I'm sure the experience is still haunting him today.

 

Tomorrow is the day on which my village got liberated by the British (11th Armoured and 50th Infantry Divisions).

Sadly, there is no monument to commemorate it.

And on the 17th, I go put some flowers on the Glider Monument at Mariekerke which is about 6 kms away.

 

Keep up the very interesting posts, Ken, I sure don't like to miss that. :thumbsup:

 

Erwin

 

Hi Erwin, a very emotional week, and day today, there aren't going to be too many more days like today with the ravages of time passing us by.

 

I hope that all goes well tomorrow for you on the anniversary of your village and the flowers you are laying at the

glider monument.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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When they apply the term "The greatest generation" to this fine old gentlemen...and others like him...there's no debating it!

 

 

Ian :salute:

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General Apathy
When they apply the term "The greatest generation" to this fine old gentlemen...and others like him...there's no debating it!

Ian :salute:

 

Hi Ian, It was really great to sit with him and listen to what he had to say, he was also so softly spoken and unassuming, I fear that I didn't get to this day soon enough and regret our not meeting years earlier.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

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Chunky Monkey

That was something coming across that gentleman. Can't imagine what he saw or experienced. You have to wonder how that experience effected him during his life.

 

Thanks for sharing with us Ken!

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Hi Ian, It was really great to sit with him and listen to what he had to say, he was also so softly spoken and unassuming, I fear that I didn't get to this day soon enough and regret our not meeting years earlier.

 

ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, September 3 2010

 

 

Ken

 

There is nothing to fear as it's not to late at all as if it wasnt for you, you wouldnt have brought this gentlemans past to us at all. So thank you very much and you have just met another one of life's truly great people and thank god you met him in time and brought his story to us in time.

 

Many thanks

Buster

 

Keep up the good work.

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Ken,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for all the work you put into this topic. Many of us envy you "over here". This thread is truly a gift to us members. I really enjoy this and for the life of me do not know why this topic is not pinned??? It's one of the best threads on the forum.

 

Thanks again,

 

Troy

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