LIVING HISTORY
Members of the ‘1st Worcs’ in a Normandy field -1944
How County Soldiers Helped Bring an End to the War in Europe In the summer of 2016 we all enjoyed International Travel and walked the streets without a face covering to meet friends for a Coffee! It was also the year when ‘Discover History’ went on a pilgrimage to follow the route of the Worcestershire Regiments, through Normandy, in the days after D Day in 1944. Today the Normandy countryside is beautiful. As many of the soldiers said in 1944, the countryside was not dissimilar to parts of Worcestershire. Especially the small picturesque villages and bountiful Orchards. However when you look closer you will always find well-manicured Commonwealth War Cemeteries, solid concrete gun emplacements and churches pock-marked from the heavy fighting. People
will
always
commemorate
and
remember the D Day landings on June 6th 1944. However the Battle for Normandy went on for weeks and saw some vicious fighting that took the lives of many people - both Combatants and Civilians alike. Caen was an objective for D Day itself. The beautiful Medieval Cathedral lay in ruins and was liberated months later than originally planned! n 34 | Worcestershire Now | Issue 206 | May 2021
The 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment landed at Ver sur Mer on June 22nd 1944. The County Infantry Regiment had a long and proud history dating back to 1694.
actions was at Mouen, at the end of June. The Divisional Commander - General Thomas, praised the Regiment afterwards, saying it was ‘one of the slickest attacks of the whole war.’
Local Gunners from the 179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery also landed at about the same time. During the battles for Hill 112, these gunners supported their own County Infantry Regiment.
Meanwhile the Yeomanry from Worcestershire supported the airborne troops in a rather stagnant battle area around Ranville and Breville. Their role in supporting the paratroopers was extremely important, as airborne forces were usually lightly armed and equipped.
We must also remember the Queens Own Worcestershire Yeomanry too. After riding into battle during the Great War, they had become the 53rd Air Landing Light Regiment, Royal Artillery. 211 Battery landed by glider, with the famous 6th Airborne Division, in the early hours of D Day. The other Batteries landed by Landing Craft in the days that followed. The Worcestershire Regiment fought their way inland, through battle scarred farmland and ruinous villages. One of their most famous
The Worcestershire Regiment was heavily involved in the Battles for Hill 112 throughout the long hot summer. By the end of July, these men had seen the most vicious fighting since the actual beach landings back in June. The Second World War in Europe would last for almost another year and by the end of it memorials would list the names of the dead and missing in their thousands.
