INTRODUCTION

It was during the course of my research in Normandy that I became aware of the dedicated efforts of a number of people who have all volunteered their time to uphold the aims set out by a trust that was initially proposed by the Commander of the 6th Airborne Division, General Sir Richard Gale. Supported by General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, then Colonel Commandant The Parachute Regiment, the Airborne Assault Normandy Trust was founded to preserve the history of the 6th Airborne Division’s assault into Normandy with the following aims:

· * To provide a memorial, in France, of the airborne assault into Normandy in 1944.

· * To honour the many who gave their lives in achieving success.

· * To preserve the memory of the vital part played by the French people of the region as well as that of the assault force.

· * To continue into the future the happy relationships of wartime years between the people of Normandy and the liberating forces.

· * To preserve and accurately relate the history of the 6th Airborne Division and other Allied forces which operated in the area in the first few days after 6 June 1944.

There are two main projects that the Airborne Assault Normandy Trust has helped to finance over the years:

The first has been the preservation of Musée de la Batterie de Merville (The Merville Battery Museum). Opened in 1982, to date, extensive work has been carried out and it has been transformed into the wonderful museum that you can see today (see Merville Battery & The Dives Bridgesby Carl Shilleto). It is hoped that one day the whole site will eventually be restored to its original condition complete with rearmament and the opening up of the underground chambers and tunnels.

The second, in conjunction with the Comité du Débarquement, is the Musée Mémorial Pegasus (Memorial Pegasus Museum). Opened on 4 June 2000, by HRH The Prince of Wales, the memorial park is dedicated to all those who served in Normandy with the British 6th Airborne Division. The centrepiece of the memorial garden is the original, and now restored, Pegasus Bridge. The bridge was relocated, having been rescued from a nearby field where it had been left to rust, after it was replaced in 1994 from its position over the Caen Canal.

Like all registered charities though, despite the tireless efforts of its members, the Trust is reliant upon public donations and in need of more funding if it is able to maintain its aims and turn future project ideas into a reality. If you wish to ensure that this part of our history is to be remembered by future generations, then the Airborne Assault Normandy Trust would be most grateful of any donation, however small, to help them achieve their aims. All donations should be forwarded to: The Airborne Assault Normandy Trust, Regimental Headquarters, The Parachute Regiment, Browning Barracks, Aldershot. Hampshire, GU11 2BU. All donations, made payable to the Trust, will be gratefully acknowledged.

Whatever the contribution, it is a small price to pay for the freedom that we have gained through the sacrifice of so many young men who will never return from the battlefields of France.

Carl Shilleto

RANVILLE, FRANCE

Drilling for the inevitable Allied landings.

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