The gentleman in the above photograph is Barney Harris, a former Royal Military Police soldier. Who kindly gave me the above commemorative medal. He is seen posing in front of a WWII British tank with his wife. This is just opposite the Cafe Gondree near Pegasus Bridge.
Barney was always immaculately turned out. I remember him telling me that he lost a lot of comrades during D-Day and the subsequent campaign, mainly due to the fact that they were Military Policemen and directed Allied road traffic, whilst wearing their distinctive red peaked caps and white leather gauntlets. They were ideal targets for German snipers. Sadly hence the high casualty rate.
I had the pleasure and honour of getting to talk to Barney and many other surviving veterans from the Hull & District Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. Sadly due to the ravages of time their numbers grow smaller with every passing year.
A Special Breed and Generation, the likes of which we will perhaps never see again. We owe them so much.
Pegasus Bridge, Ranville, Normandy, France.
From my The Normandy Veterans - Lest We Forget Project, 1998-2002.
Copyright of all images displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.
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