Our hotel last night was in Ouistreham and looked out onto one of the famous Normandy invasion beaches from Operation Overlord, Sword Beach. On D-Day this beach was the landing site for the British 3rd Infantry Division, this morning it is a very different place and quite beautiful in the early light of a spring dawn.

Some evidence of wartime defences remain in the sand. >

Further up the coast, the Canadians landed at Juno Beach, last night children played where battle had raged.>

There seem to be relics and memorials everywhere, I leaves everyone in no doubt about what happened there nearly 70 years ago.
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Which is a very good thing to do.

Next up we head to the Somme.

Stick with us, this is going to get more interesting!

Dookes

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