Normandy Trip - U.S. memorial.

[Cal Price]

Some while back in a thread about trips for the summer i mentioned that I was hoping to go to Normandy again and i might get along to the U.S. cemetary and memorial near Audouville La-Hubert or Utah beach as it is known.

Someone, I think it was Yama, said he would like to see a picture of that.

As it turned out I never got to Utah beach, the Bayeux Tappestry called instead but later on i got down into Brittany to a place near St James where there is a 28 acre U.S. cemetary and memorial. It is roughly at the place where the U.S. force that was heading south finally fought it's way out of the notorious "Bocage" and onto the open land of Brittany.

This is the town of Arrowmanches on the edge of "gold" beach where the Mulberry harbour was, bits of it are still visible at sea.



Bayeux Cathedral..



Mt St Michael





This is part of the memorial, a French couple asked me why the U.S. had chosen the very English "St George and Dragon" image, now I might be an Atheist but having a catholic partner I nkow a little bit about saint's images so I said I thought it was probably St Michael slaying the serpent (or Devil) as there were no wings on the creature.

The inscritpion says " I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith."



The main avenue of sweet chestnut trees.The tres are obscuring the flagpoles, we arrived about five on a Sunday evening and the flags were being lowered to a recording of the last post. Some young people who looked like U.S. students were doing the flag folding thing that you do.



And lastly, enough said

[Caffeine]

Thanks for sharing!

[yamahonkawazuki]

I know your an athiest cal, but god bless ya, many thanks

[Cal Price]

Cheers Yama! - Just to put my mind at rest does anyone know for sure if it it St Michael and the Serpent and is there a deeper significance or is it simply a suitable image for the commemoration?

[yamahonkawazuki]

that id have to look into my friend, am not sure 100% at the moment.

[birdman561]

AWESOME !!!!!!

Too cool for words !

Thank you very much for posting this stuff !!

[Cal Price]

I'm going up into Belgium soon for another motorcycle club "Battlefield Tour" there are bound to be some more knowledgeable than me so I'll ask around. I just wondered if St Michael has a particular significance to the U.S. as some countries have patron saints. like Patrick in Ireland, Andrew in Scotland and Greece etc,.

I have visited quite a few battlefields, monuments and cemetarys in recent years in France and Belgium and they are all in pristine condition, well cared-for and frequently visited not just by the nationals to whom they are dedicated but the locals as well. This applies to Both German and Allied. The only differences being the shape and colour of the stones and the fact that the U.S. & Germans have opted to gather their fallen for burial in a few very large sites whereas the Brits and commonwealth dead tend to lie in many smaller sites following the Brit Army tradition of "Bury them where they fell" The French have a huge national monument at Verdun which is awsome in scale and takes your breath away. I know some people in U.S. have a less than positive image of the French but visiting that place can give you a slightly different perspective and understanding.

The French and Belgians turn up in large family groups and teach the youngsters the whats and whys, it is gratifying to see school groups as well. Around Arramanches many homes and shops display a simple "Thank you" sign. There is a genuine heartfelt respect for the old boys with their berets and medals.

[Caffeine]

I was on a road trip with an Ozzie friend in '97 and we stopped at a WWI monument to lost Australians somewhere outside Paris.  Immaculately kept place.  Yeah, they do keep their monuments tidy.

Interesting thing was the monument had scars from shells launched in WWII.

As for the French,  I like them just fine.   Much of the anti-French thing was started during the W years, mostly by conservative talk-show hosts.   Yeah, yeah, yeah, NATO, jets, blah blah blah.  It's not that they didn't support the US, they just didn't support a war that was being rushed into by a President with bad information and an itchy trigger finger.  How many have died, and continue to die, since then?  Have we found those WMD's yet?

The French enjoy a unique identity and way of life.   I've been there twice, and I'd jump at the chance to go again.   It is a very sensual country...and I don't mean that in a sexual way (but  that is part of it).  They place a high value on simple things and subtle things, especially in food and the arts.   They are more interested in the joys of living life rather than spendiing all their time and money arming themselves to the teeth and jumping into armed conflicts at the drop of a hat.

My grandparents were french and german, which is probably why I'm so self-defeating!   

[yamahonkawazuki]

I tell ya what Cal, through hte eyes of an athiest, i do appreciate your views on religious icons/statuary/buildings/monuments. many thanks sir 

[trumpetguy]

Great pictures.  Europeans have a MUCH different view of war than Americans.  They have had them on THEIR OWN soil all too recently, and as a result are a little more reticent about jumping into them.  We need some of that wisdom...

Thanks for the pics, Cal!

[yamahonkawazuki]

Great pictures.  Europeans have a MUCH different view of war than Americans.  They have had them on THEIR OWN soil all too recently, and as a result are a little more reticent about jumping into them.  We need some of that wisdom...

Thanks for the pics, Cal!

Indeed we do TG, especially NOW forward , for thousands of years, europe has essentially been at war. not so much now. but you know. england once was THE world superpower, the british empire, was NOTHIGN  to take lightly. i admire their architects. their brave soldiers, their religious fellows. and SOME of their leaders actually most. ( minus a few)

[Cal Price]

Yes, it's a strange equation, the fact that stick in my mind about war is that no British soldier had to fire a shot in Europe for 99 years after the battle of Waterloo (1815-1914) and there was no real conflict at all untill the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 so i suppose the lives lost at Waterloo were, in a way, worth it which would have been no comfort whatsoever to their families and friends.

I'd like to think the current conflicts will bring a lasting peace but the cynical realist tells me otherwise.

Yama - about my Atheism, I often have to say "I may be a heathen but I'm not a barbarian" just to prove the point, amongst the seven charities that I regularly support are the Salvation Army because I like what they do without question or favour and a local thing called "The Romney Marsh Church preservation society" The marsh is faily close and is a much favoured place for bikers, it has some wonderful old, and I'm talking twelfth and thirteenth century old buildings and ruins, mainly churches that are not just beacons in the landscape but also our history. I really like church architecture and the cool peaceful interiors, visited a great many notable churches and cathedrals all over Europe, if Maggie is with me she lights a candle, if I'm on the bike and by definition alone I'll sometimes light one on her behalf like I did in Bayeux.
I guesse I could do a picture thread on European cathedrals one day but it might go on a bit!

[yamahonkawazuki]

heh romney marsh church. ,,, ive got family in the UK who makes reference to that. ive not given it much thought until you referenced it. one of these days, if my health holds out, i am going to tour  europe. and see the old churches, as well as our familys ancestral homes and such. its on my to do list

[Cal Price]

Well I'm in "Whitecliffs" country about 25 mins ride from the marshes, you are welcome here.

[ohgood]

I'm going up into Belgium soon for another motorcycle club "Battlefield Tour" there are bound to be some more knowledgeable than me so I'll ask around. I just wondered if St Michael has a particular significance to the U.S. as some countries have patron saints. like Patrick in Ireland, Andrew in Scotland and Greece etc,.

I have visited quite a few battlefields, monuments and cemetarys in recent years in France and Belgium and they are all in pristine condition, well cared-for and frequently visited not just by the nationals to whom they are dedicated but the locals as well. This applies to Both German and Allied. The only differences being the shape and colour of the stones and the fact that the U.S. & Germans have opted to gather their fallen for burial in a few very large sites whereas the Brits and commonwealth dead tend to lie in many smaller sites following the Brit Army tradition of "Bury them where they fell" The French have a huge national monument at Verdun which is awsome in scale and takes your breath away. I know some people in U.S. have a less than positive image of the French but visiting that place can give you a slightly different perspective and understanding.

The French and Belgians turn up in large family groups and teach the youngsters the whats and whys, it is gratifying to see school groups as well. Around Arramanches many homes and shops display a simple "Thank you" sign. There is a genuine heartfelt respect for the old boys with their berets and medals.

Thanks for this thread. The part about school children and teaching, wow. We could learn so much here !

[yamahonkawazuki]

Indeed, and Cal ill take you up on that if i can talk my kidneys into not goin on strike 

[Cal Price]

Your welcome - by the by whereabouts are your U.K. family?

[birdman561]

The Eastenders is my fave-o-rite Tv show 

The problem is the PBS channel that shows it buggers up the episode sequence
from your version. Hard to keep track of who's doing evil stuff to who

[Toogoofy317]

I'm pretty sure that is the Archangel Michael. The quote on the bottom is 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith"


Here is the story: In the famous War in Heaven, Michael is the legendary angel who cast the rebellious Satan out of Heaven after defeating him. This is one example of how Michael plays the role of defeating evil forces. Michael is most commonly depicted in classical art with an unsheathed sword. He is also pictured as a dragon slayer. Pope Pius XII designated him the patron angel of policemen and Roman Catholics call St. Michael the patron saint of Germany, grocers, paratroopers, radiologists and the sick according to Butler in his book, Lives of the Saints.


Amazing pics!

Mary

[Cal Price]

Thanks Mary,

Your explantion, and quotation, shows why Michael is a fitting image
I thought it was Michael, there is a rather splendid gold image, a weathervane type of thing on top of a tower on one of the public buildings, town hall I think in the Grande Place in Bruxelles - mind you binoculars or a telephoto lens required to see it!

In Britain St Michael is often refered too as the patron saint of underwear as it was used as a brand name for Marks & Spencer who are a clothing chain and the leading retailer of, well you've guessed. Hey-Ho back to the mundane.