General Apathy Posted February 3, 2009 Share #351 Posted February 3, 2009 Hi Readers, Cont ............................... The photograph shows the area of the village green and surrounding house which is directly outside the gates of the stables and in front of the village pub. If you own a copy of Currahee you could possibly copy and print off a couple of these photographs and add to your book to highlight the passage about the 506th's time billeted there. One interesting item to be told to me during my research of the area was told to me by two independent inhabitants of the village, the location of the hole were all the troopers unwanted items were buried when they moved out in preparation of the invasion. The area is now covered in concrete and forms the patio area of one of the houses there. Should I manage to obtain any wartime photos of the village and stables I will post them when I receive them. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 3 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
517th Posted February 3, 2009 Share #352 Posted February 3, 2009 Hi Lewis: Dont know if you were aware that the Major`s house was actually the officers quarters......517th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 4, 2009 Share #353 Posted February 4, 2009 Hi Lewis: Don't know if you were aware that the Major`s house was actually the officers quarters......517th Hi 517th, thanks for the griff on that, no I was not certain about it, as I said there was no one living in the house when I first found it. Might start pulling some then and now photos together showing where the invasion maps for Omaha beach and scaled ' sand' table where done prior to D-Day, try and post by Sunday if possible. Apologies that the attached photo is out of focus, I inadvertently shot it with Macro close lens and didn't check the quality after shooting, but I think you will get the idea. This is a pair of original WWII HBT trousers size 52 waist that I had for sale once back when I was dealing, I got my daughter ( aged 10 ) and a friends daughter ( aged 20 ) to model them for me. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 4 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
517th Posted February 5, 2009 Share #354 Posted February 5, 2009 WOW!! Did anybody buy those???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy13 Posted February 6, 2009 Share #355 Posted February 6, 2009 Ken, I have been reading/watching your posts for a long time. I just want to say “thank you” for what you are doing and for taking the time to show some of us a place/places we can only dream of seeing. It is so amazing that everything we read about, study, watch movies of and history shows of, is pretty much in your “back yard”. (Hopefully one day I can visit that “back yard”). Your pictures and descriptions bring to history life for me. Again, I just wanted to say thank you and please keep up the great work. Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 6, 2009 Share #356 Posted February 6, 2009 WOW!! Did anybody buy those???? No I kept the women despite the offers from the middle east, yes the trousers were sold as it was a phone order I never got to see if they fit the purchaser. However I do remember once in the store a guy buying two pistol belts to cut and join at the rear, it was the only way he could get the belt size he needed, his M-42 Airborne suit was being made elsewhere for him. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 6 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 6, 2009 Share #357 Posted February 6, 2009 Ken, I have been reading/watching your posts for a long time. I just want to say “thank you” for what you are doing and for taking the time to show some of us a place/places we can only dream of seeing. It is so amazing that everything we read about, study, watch movies of and history shows of, is pretty much in your “back yard”. (Hopefully one day I can visit that “back yard”). Your pictures and descriptions bring to history life for me. Again, I just wanted to say thank you and please keep up the great work. Troy Troy, thanks for taking the time to say you read the posts about my ' back yard ', hope you get here some day and maybe the photos, descriptions and directions might help you plan your visit. I am grateful for the 140.000 hits on my posts, it possibly means that there is some interest in what I manage to ramble on about. regards Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 6 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneydave Posted February 6, 2009 Share #358 Posted February 6, 2009 Hi Ken...yes, I'd say you are "possibly" right about the interest in your posts. I for one find them to be some of the most enjoyable posts found on this forum, other than those in the Homefront's Walt Disney sub-forum of course! Carry on Commander! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 6, 2009 Share #359 Posted February 6, 2009 Hi Dave, thanks for the command to ' carry on' with my posts, which of course I am happy to do, as we have discussed in other emails keep working on the Disney connection. Well it's funny what you find or who you meet in Normandy, on Tuesday evening I had a meal at Sue and Howard's some friends I have made in the last few months. Now Sue and Howard are not really going to mean much to militaria collectors or forum members that is until you go into one of the rooms of their house and see a painting of one of Howard's ancestors. There I am looking at this painting of an officer in American civil war style frock coat, and then I read the name McClellen, Howard's ancestor is credited with designing saddles used by the U.S. Army. I don't think Howard knows much more than that about it himself, however Sue is researching Howard's family tree and it appears that members of his family emigrated to America very early, possibly mid to late 1600's. It's strange who I have met or what I have seen related to this hobby over the years, twenty years ago when I was in business wholesaling cookies we had a German customer who had been a prisoner of war in England and never went back to Germany, he was a member of Rommel's Normandy headquarters. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 6 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted February 7, 2009 Share #360 Posted February 7, 2009 Hi Lewis. I haven't been ignoring you. Monday I tried to get online to check for your posts and found out that I had no internet. After calling the Company and getting someone in India I found out my provider disconnected my service in the middle of the night and snuck out of town. I'm at my son's right now so it will be a couple of weeks before I get home and sign on with a new provider. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 8, 2009 Share #361 Posted February 8, 2009 Hi Lewis. Monday I tried to get online to check for your posts and found out that I had no internet. After calling the Company and getting someone in India I found out my provider disconnected my service in the middle of the night and snuck out of town. Robert Hi Robert, Computers, don't you just love em However without them this great International group of folk on the forum would not be communicating with one another. Cheers ( Lewis ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 8, 2009 Share #362 Posted February 8, 2009 Hi Forum Readers, Years ago as a teenager with a 1943 GPW Jeep I was dating a girl named Derrie who lived in the village of Tebury, Gloustershire, England. In all the time I visited there with the Jeep no one ever mentioned that American troops had been stationed locally during the war. It's possible that the American troops outnumbered the local inhabitants at that time, as they commandered most of the buildings in the village centre, and also billieted further troops in two camps one either side of the village. They also took over the farm buildings of a local manor house where they stationed their printing presses in large articulated semi-trailers. This unit was the 654th Engineer Topographical Battalion, I only became aware of their existence in Tetbury when I purchased this excellent photographic unit history. It was in Tetbury and the surrounding location that the plans of the Omaha Beach defences were collated and processed into maps for the ground forces which would be assaulting Omaha Beach. Shown above is the original posting carton for the book dated 1946, The carton was sent to Charles A. Villano, 12 Nichols St. Milton, New Jersey, posted from S/Sgt Robert Hayes (15394124) 187 Richardson Place, Cincinnati, Ohio. However pencilled in the front pages is the name of Stanley J. Caulfield, 127 Newburg St, Roslindale, Mass. and this was book # 127. All three of these men appear in the rear of the book in the unit names register. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 8 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 8, 2009 Share #363 Posted February 8, 2009 Hi Readers , Cont ......................... Today's 'then & now' photograph is possibly not bursting with interest without any of the unit or vehicles being shown, however this is the first photograph in the section on their time in the village, local area and England. The church was attended by serving troops from the unit, it would be interesting if time was available to see if any marriages between servicemen and local women were held during their time there, or post war. As I have approximately thirty or so 'then & now' photographs to show I intend to move this topic to another new post so that the photographs can appear in a continuous thread and not be interrupted by my normal posts about the Normandy area. These comparison photographs will as they progress feature soldiers and vehicles, and locations, including some of when the unit moved post D-Day to Normandy and Belgium. As the unit were map makers they had complete freedom to use cameras as part of their work, so the unit history is very much a photographic experience and a unit history worth owning if possible. Hopefully it may be of interest to members. When I start the new post featuring the 654th I will alert you on this my regular ' Reports from Normandy' post. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 8 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Meatcan Posted February 8, 2009 Share #364 Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='General Apathy' date='Feb 8 2009, 08:28 AM' post='274509' Hopefully it may be of interest to members. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 8 2009 hell yeah! keep on posting please; it's ALL fascinating! thanks, Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted February 8, 2009 Share #365 Posted February 8, 2009 It sure is and thanks for going through all the trouble of getting these interesting photos here. I sure like coming here to see the newest postings. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted February 9, 2009 Share #366 Posted February 9, 2009 Years ago as a teenager with a 1943 GPW Jeep I was dating ......... Weren't that fantastic days, Ken.... I bought my GPW at age 17 an drove it one week after turning 18 and getting the license.... No doubt what transport the girls preferred to go to the beach..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 9, 2009 Share #367 Posted February 9, 2009 Weren't that fantastic days, Ken.... I bought my GPW at age 17 an drove it one week after turning 18 and getting the license.... No doubt what transport the girls preferred to go to the beach..... Hi Johan, They certainly were good days, youth comes only once, it was a great time for me in many ways, I consider I had an and angel up there looking after me, ( there were a few angels on earth as well ) My Jeep is under there the steering wheel is just visible, my original A-2 flying jacket with short stubby wing 8th USAAF shoulder patch, and the girls are wearing other items of my collection. It was a time when all of this was still thought of as surplus and cheap, and hence wearable. Live every day in every way. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 9 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 9, 2009 Share #368 Posted February 9, 2009 Hi Terry, thanks for your support, if you want to help me with the remodelling of my property I would be able to get out there and find more stuff to post. It's fun adding posts but I also love the work I am doing on my property here. Hi Erwin, When I follow on with photos of the 654th map unit they were stationed at several places in Belgium, which may interest you. Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 9 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Meatcan Posted February 9, 2009 Share #369 Posted February 9, 2009 Hi Terry, thanks for your support, if you want to help me with the remodelling of my property I would be able to get out there and find more stuff to post. It's fun adding posts but I also love the work I am doing on my property here. Hi Erwin, When I follow on with photos of the 654th map unit they were stationed at several places in Belgium, which may interest you. Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 9 2009. Ken, I'm an unemployed landscape architect, so believe me, that's a tempting offer! cheers, Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted February 9, 2009 Share #370 Posted February 9, 2009 Hi Ken, Thank you so much for the photos from Aldbourne. Although I'm not really a paratrooper enthusiast, my new home in South Carolina is about 1/2 hour from Toccoa and I've been to see the stables there twice. In the museum building though they're kind of hard to visualize in place in Aldbourne. I'm even closer to Clemson University where the Paratroops from Toccoa took rifle instruction on the cadet's range (Toccoa's range was a small holdover from the camp's national guard days). Again, keep up the posts they're great. T. Bowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 10, 2009 Share #371 Posted February 10, 2009 Hi Ken, Thank you so much for the photos from Aldbourne. Although I'm not really a paratrooper enthusiast, my new home in South Carolina is about 1/2 hour from Toccoa and I've been to see the stables there twice. T. Bowers Hi Tom, Thanks for letting me know that you are so close to Toccoa, is it possible that you have any photos of the stables, would be nice for the forum members to see what they looked like if you could post any. Hi Terry, hope you get back into some work soon, must be difficult with present economic situation. Personally I can only say I am pleased not to be in business with all the council and government charges to find each month whether you earn a penny or not. Thanks Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 10 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted February 10, 2009 Share #372 Posted February 10, 2009 Hi Tom, Thanks for letting me know that you are so close to Toccoa, is it possible that you have any photos of the stables, would be nice for the forum members to see what they looked like if you could post any. Hi Terry, hope you get back into some work soon, must be difficult with present economic situation. Personally I can only say I am pleased not to be in business with all the council and government charges to find each month whether you earn a penny or not. Thanks Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 10 2009. Hi Ken, I'm kind of kicking myself for not taking some photos, but I'm notorious as a poor photographer. For folks who are curious Google the Currahee military museum or the Stevens county Museum.The Stable is inside a specially constructed building surrounded by exhibits pertaining to the camp, the troopers who trained there and local veterans of military service. In the first stall is an exhibit of things found during disassembly including GI socks and clark bar wrappers, Gilette razor blades and a GI glove. One of the stalls is set up to represent the "lived in"look with bunks installed and (unfortunately inauthentic) clothing and web gear. In the last stall is a letter found crumpled in the wall from the mother of famous 506ther "Bull" Randelman. It is therefore thought that that is where he was quartered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted February 10, 2009 Share #373 Posted February 10, 2009 Hi Tom, Thanks for letting me know that you are so close to Toccoa, is it possible that you have any photos of the stables, would be nice for the forum members to see what they looked like if you could post any. Hi Terry, hope you get back into some work soon, must be difficult with present economic situation. Personally I can only say I am pleased not to be in business with all the council and government charges to find each month whether you earn a penny or not. Thanks Ken Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 10 2009. Hi Ken, I'm kind of kicking myself for not taking some photos, but I'm notorious as a poor photographer. For folks who are curious Google the Currahee military museum or the Stevens county Museum.The Stable is inside a specially constructed building surrounded by exhibits pertaining to the camp, the troopers who trained there and local veterans of military service. In the first stall is an exhibit of things found during disassembly including GI socks and clark bar wrappers, Gilette razor blades and a GI glove. One of the stalls is set up to represent the "lived in"look with bunks installed and (unfortunately inauthentic) clothing and web gear. In the last stall is a letter found crumpled in the wall from the mother of famous 506ther "Bull" Randelman. It is therefore thought that that is where he was quartered. Each October the town celebrates and invites any troopers who trained there to come back for a big event and a parade. Tom Bowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted February 12, 2009 Share #374 Posted February 12, 2009 Tom, thanks for all the information on the stables at the Currahee museum, what was in them when dismantled etc, maybe next time your that way you might be able to grab a couple of photographs for the members. Sorry to say it's mid term time again and my daughter will be visiting for a week. So I doubt that I will get time to post anything until after the 20th January Enjoy the break, do something different, try talking to the wife or girlfriend it may surprise them, and you. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 12 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
517th Posted February 12, 2009 Share #375 Posted February 12, 2009 Hey Lewis, I know there is a time dfference, didn`t realise it was three weeks!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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