We had visited Saint-Sauveur-Le-Vicomte in the past with hopes of identifying the location of a picture of Dennis’ father, but we had been unsuccessful. This time, we hit the jackpot!
Picture of Ernest Blanchard in the liberation of Saint-Sauveur-Le-Vicomte
We first stopped at the medieval chateau to speak with the historian. The small museum had testimonials of people who lived in the city during the Liberation. It was moving to read the stories, but only a few were translated.
The mayor, Eric Briens, identified the locations and took us to the old primary/elementary school where the photo was taken. The building is now the CCVO, a city hall. At last, Dennis had an answer!
Original Picture on city hall cornerThe mayor pointing out where the school used to beMayor describing the school
When the mayor returned to the office, he emailed the original photo to Dennis and awarded Dennis’ father the city’s medallion—a most rewarding day.
Ravenoville is a community of 250 inhabitants, about 1.5 hours’ walk from Sainte Mere Eglise, where the paratroopers first landed during the Liberation. Dennis made a sign, and we hitched to the Eternal Heroes Memorial ceremony to which Dennis had been invited.
Dennis had been here previously, and the olive tree sampling was now about 12 feet tall and bearing fruit. We took a few moments to reflect on his father’s plaque.
Ernest Blanchard’s Commemorative Olive TreeErnest Blanchard Plaque
The ceremony commenced with a fly-over and lasted about 1.5 hours. Attendees included aged veterans, families of veterans, military officers, and state officials. Following the presentation of The Colors, a military band played the American and French anthems, and then an al Capella group sang the Band of Brothers theme song. The gist of the speeches was liberty, freedom, and the necessity for each individual to vote to ensure a free world. This is particularly important this year because there are more elections worldwide than any other year. Too much is at stake not to take heed and vote wisely.
C47 fly over
At the ceremony, Dennis and other relatives of the veterans honored at the memorial were awarded a flag that had flown over the memorial and a medallion commemorating the event.
Ernest Blanchard Plaque
Following the remembrance commemoration, Dennis enjoyed talking with the attendees. Two sisters gave us a lift back to Sainte Mere Eglise.
Bayeux is a town in Normandy, 10 kilometers from the English Channel coast. The medieval center contains cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and the towering Norman-Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame. In the cathedral courtyard, a tree was planted in 1797, and they project a 360-degree film onto the trunk. There is also the Tapisserie Museum Bayeux, which we did not visit.
Gaufre NormandeTree at Cathedral in BayeuxBayeux Cathredal
When we arrived in Bayeax, we stopped at the Bureau du Tourisme to make dinner reservations and visited the town. Our first stop was a cafe to try the “Gaufre Normande,” a special waffle made from risen dough. We will have to learn how to make this mouthwatering waffle.
Jane in sidecarDennis on back of bikeWWII Harley Davidson motorcycle
At 1:30, we met Philippe Gantois on a sidecar motorcycle for a 3.5-hour Normandy Beaches tour. Philippe is a historian who retired from the Gendarmerie in the motorcycle division, so I felt comfortable riding in the sidecar while Dennis sat behind the guide. Our itinerary included Gold Beach (Mulberry B), the German Bunkers, and Omaha Beach. The Mulberrys at Gold Beach were quick-built floating harbors used during the invasion to land over 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tons of supplies before it was fully decommissioned.
Gold Beach War MemorialGold Beach D-Day MemorialGold Beach D-Day MemorialGold Beach Bunker 1Gold Beach Bunker Close-upMulberry (artifical port) at Gold BeachMulberry B harborLooking at Omaha Beach from Gold BeachHeroes Forever, Omaha BeachHelicopter test landing 1
The roads were crowded with people and cars, but the guide knew the backroads and easily maneuvered around overheated cars and other blockages. Because of the traffic and the delay at Omaha Beach, where the US Presidential Helicopter Convoy (5 choppers) had a test landing before the President arrived on the 8th, we were more than an hour late returning to Bayeux.
We learned a lot about the invasion while having a great time. Dennis laughed out loud and hooted as he bounced around and acted like “the monkey,” moving from side to side to help the driver steer. Five times, the sidecar lifted off its wheels—it was exhilarating!
We arrived in Valognes on June 1. This town, which the Romans called Alauna in the first century, still has ruins of Roman baths and an imposing theater with more than 3000 seats. In the 15th century, Valognes became the economic and administrative capital of the Cotentin peninsula. In the 17th century, Valagnes became home to the aristocracy. A large part of the town was destroyed by Americans during bombings in June 1944. Reconstruction largely redesigned the city, keeping the “feel” of old French towns.
Eglise Saint-Malo de ValognesDescription 1 of the Reconstruction of the churchDescription 2 of the Reconstruction of the church
We were in Valagnes for 8 days. On June 5, we had a very peaceful walk around the old city, visiting the public gardens, the Parcheminerie, a 15th-century building that now houses the office of Pays d’Art et d”Historie, the boundary wall of the Cordelier convent, the washing place, and other 16-18th-century buildings.
Entrance in Public ParkFountain in Public ParkWWI Memorial in Public ParkWashing-placeParcheminerieOld town buildingsHotel de Beaumont
