80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings

Grandad Dennis in 1943

I know it's only been 8 years since my last post here (OUCH!!) but I felt this was an important one to share

6th June 1944 D-Day Landings, 80 years ago

My grandfather, Dennis Sutcliffe, at the age of 18 very early in the morning was on one of the first landing craft to land on Gold Beach with the Green Howard's. It was a day he rarely spoke of and clearly brought with it painful memories, as well as the physical pain of the injuries he sustained on that day. I do remember at the 60th Anniversary celebrations asking him some questions but I wish I had recorded what he had said to me!

It was his first experience of war, but he had been in training for a number of months specifically for this operation. He was a lucky survivor as 180 Green Howards lost their lives on this day.

I am hoping to visit Gold Beach later in the summer with my children to see where my grandfather landed, as well as to visit The Green Howards Memorial in Crepon.

Remembering . . . Poppies in Yorkshire

Last year there was a magnificent display of ceramic poppies in the moat of the Tower of London. Each poppy represented a man from the Commonwealth who had fallen during World War 1. It was an amazing display and proved very popular. Sadly, I was unable to make the trip to London to see the piece of artwork, but saw many photos of it.

Now, some (not all) of the poppies are touring different places in the UK, one being the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP). As we did not get to London and YSP is on our doorstep we took a trip to see them.

The blood shed, flowing freely...

...it is incredibly moving to see the vast number of poppies, each one representing a man 100 years ago just like my husband, my father, my friends and my cousins. 

An opportunity to remember those who've gone before who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can live in the peace, comfort and freedom in the UK of today. 

Remembering my grandfather, great grandfathers, great uncles, great, great uncles who's lives were impacted by what they saw and experienced during the World Wars.

Memorial to my grandfather on D-Day 70 years on

My grandfather 

My grandfather was only 18 years old when he joined the Green Howards during WW2. His first experience of combat (other than training) was 70 years ago today on D-Day.

I cannot even begin to imagine how he was feeling on that day as a young man, only just entering into his adult years with his whole life ahead of him, running into fierce battles to give us the freedom which we live under today. There must have been great fear and trepidation, as well as bad memories of the whole experience.

It was not an occasion that grandad would reminisce about, if we asked him he would answer some of the questions and tell us a little about the experience, but I would love to have been able to ask him today some more about his experiences as well as his thoughts and feelings at the time. As a child I never properly understood but wish I could now.

My grandfather was wounded in the shoulder during the D-Day landings and returned to the UK to recuperate, before being posted to Africa for the remainder of the war.

He was a part of the Green Howards who landed at Gold Beach on the 6th June 1944.

I wish I knew more to share, but I don't and can no longer ask him, but today I have been remembering all those young men who fought on the beaches of France for the future generations.

WDYTYA Review - Series 10 - Marianne Faithfull

Wow, what a story of a family who lived under the Nazi regime as Jews in Austria and survived against all the odds whilst fighting against it.

Nazi Reichsadler
(Image link: www.wikipedia.org, Author: unknown)

A story of bravery and courage, but also a fantastic way to help Marianne understand why she has lived the life that she has and also why her mother was so damaged through the affects of the Nazi anti-sematic regime.


Such a terrible time in history but thankfully was destroyed before it controlled Europe. Most families will still be living out the dreadful effects of the lives of our parents, grandparents and even great grandparents during the war years - I know that I would certainly not be the person I am now or even here if it were not for the ancestors who went before and stood up for the things they believed in.

Thanks to Marianne for sharing some such intimate stories about your immediate family, but WDYTYA not really a celebrity researching her family history more like another documentary about a half Jewish family in the 1930-40s Austria.