Tag: D-Day

Kai-Lin Driving the Tractor!

Surrey: US WWII “Jeep”, Garage & Tractors! (30.5.2026)

Structures like this formed the early “Garages” – or “Petrol Stations” in the UK. This version caters to the early car-driver – who were few in number – and the bicycle rider – which were many in number. Bicycles were the main business – with the rich car-drivers forming a lesser number – although potentially lucrative due to the ongoing costs of maintaining a car. Below is a WWII US “Jeep”. The story is that these were originally called “General Purpose” (GP) Vehicles – but that a US shoulder spelt the initials “GP” as “Jeep” – and the designation stuck and is really popular. The US was an ally of the UK and USSR during WWII – and thousands of Jeeps were used during D-Day and afterwards!

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Royal Army Veternary Corps

Surrey: Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) – Horse Ambulance (Mark II – Converted Bullock-Cart)! (29.5.2026)

When horses were hurt (and not automatically shot) they were transported in the type of conveyance pictured above – but I think this might have been rare (new horses were acquired quicker than wounded horses could heal). At the end of WWI, many thousands of conscripted horses were gathered on the beaches of France – after serving the UK loyally (even participating in cavalry charges against machine-guns) – and instead of being shipped back to England and discharged to their owners, the UK government (probably Churchill) ordered them “shot”. The bullet was cheaper than the shipping and compensation owned. Of course, although some horses were used in WWII (1939-1945) – technology had improved dramatically and horses were not required as they were two-decades previously. From a compassionate perspective it would be good to think that all British horses had access to above level of care – but reality is not built upon fairy-tales. Only the lucky few (probably the horses of high-up Officers) were subject to this kind of care. This British Army Ambulance appears to have the battle honour of “Normandy”!

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Private Alfred Gregory Wyles

UK: My Grandfather’s WWII PTSD – the Cost of Our Freedom! (9.5.2026)

He trained alongside the Glider-Landed Troops – trained to sit 30 to a wooden glider (a platoon) and crash-land on a military target before deploying (if surviving). Alfred either landed on Sword Beach in the first landing-boats and fought his way (ten-miles) in-land to relieve the British Glider Troops landed in Caen – or he landed in Caen with the Glider Troops and tried to hold the area until relieved by the British Army. Either way (we are not exactly sure – but must assume the former) the German resistance was so intense the first-wave Units were decimated and many of the early objectives were not achieved. My grandfather, when talking about his experiences many years later, described how he had to kill many people as he moved through the French and German countryside. He would fight his way to Hamburg before he was granted rest and leave. It was this killing that negatively affected him psychologically. Indeed, there hundreds of thousands of men in the UK who had to re-integrate into British society and pretend nothing had happened.

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MOD: WWII (1939-1945) Medal Allocation for Alfred Gregory Wyles (1916-1976)

UK: How the Latest Generation Misuse the Freedom Earned By Others on D-Day! (1.5.2026)

My father’s latest post is linked to the picture of his Dad – who landed in the first wave during D-Day. The UK has collapsed and lost its way. This Labour government is the incarnation of evil – indeed it is nothing but sinister. We are expected to watch our long history and our culture collapse around us and say nothing out of fear of being persecuted by a despotic government. Well, test our mettle if you dare. he way things are going I can see a disaster upon the horizon. Fear not, for I am not afraid. It is from this defiance that hope will be reborn. All despotic regimes eventually topple. Thank you to my father who taught me to be brave, not give a damn, and always move forward! Look at the medals my grandfather won – I owe it to him to keep fighting for what is right.

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US Sherman Tank - Torcross WWII

UK: Torcross WWII US Sherman Tank – Operation Tiger Memorial! (24.12.2025)

Although I am critical of modern America – I cannot fault the brave men of the US who came to help England as we stood alone against an all-mighty Nazi Germany (most British people my age have grand-parents who fought in WWII). Of course, the Soviet Union joined the UK first (during late June, 1941) – with the US following shortly after Imperial Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour (in December, 1941). In fact, the UK had been fighting Nazi Germany since 1939 – and Imperial Japan in Burma (and elsewhere) also from late 1941. This is what the Imperial War Museum has to say about the Torcross Memorial:

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WWII "Drifting" Mine!

WWII: D-Day 81st Anniversary [1944-2025] – Remembering Arthur Gibson and the HMS Beaumaris Castle (FY 992) – of the “Royal Navy Patrol Service” [RNPS] ! (5.6.2025)

A “moored” mine (or “Naval” mine) is a single mine anchored to the seabed by a length of metal chain or rope – operating at a depth decided by the length of mooring tether. These mines were deadly as they often hid below the waterline and the line of sight – waiting for the hull of a ship to strike it in passing. A “drifting” sea mine was a device (sometimes “magnetic” but also “non-magnetic” or “contact” detonated) that floated about on the surface of the sea according to the tide. These mines could travel hundreds of miles and bob and weave their way up estuaries and into harbours. From what I gather according to the stories I was told, it was these “drifting” mines my grandfather was responsible for destroying. Obviously, a “U-Boat” was a Nazi German “Unterseeboot” or “Under Water Boat” – whilst an E-Boat referred to a Nazi German fast-attack “Enemy Boat” – usually carrying torpedoes. 

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