It’s a go!!!
Today, June 5, is the 68th anniversary of D-Day. Well, not exactly. June 5th was the scheduled date but bad weather over the channel forced a delay. Meteorologists predicted a brief window of relative calm for the morning of June 6, and General Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower took probably the biggest gamble in human history, rolled the dice, and made the decision to launch the world’s greatest armada with the brief words, “It’s a go!!”
Lost in all this is the date of June 4. June 4, 1940 was the end of the Miracle of Dunkirk. 330,00 allied soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force were plucked off the beaches of Belgium in the wake of the sudden French and Belgian collapse in the face of the Nazi blitzkreig. A fleet of private pleasure craft, the “Dunkirk Little Ships“, was commandeered to rescue the stranded soldiers from certain death or capture in the face of intense German army shelling and Luftwaffe strafing. Without the “Little Ships” and the incredible bravery of those who manned them, D-Day would not have been possible.
This year, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with its flotilla down the Thames brought these early June dates into sharp focus.
GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, GROSVENOR SQUARE, LONDON
“I like Ike!!” (slogan for the successful 1952 Presidential campaign of General Eisenhower)
Back in the 80’s I was privileged to witness the construction of the Eishenhower statue in Grosvenor Square and monitor its progress in my daily walks to and from work. I recall racing across the Square from my office in the Canadian High Commission to watch the “Iron Lady” unveil this monument in an impromptu ceremony in front of the US Embassy. Although I had communicated with her office on several occasions, it was the only time I saw her in the flesh.
TRIBUTE TO IKE
TOWER BRIDGE
Final stop for Diamond Jubilee flotilla.
DUNKIRK LITTLE SHIPS RE-ENACTMENT, MAY 2012
Buried within the flotilla was a representation of the Little Ships. For those disappointed with the sparse BBC coverage and the abysmal CBC commentary click here for a better take on what should have been one of the day’s highlights.
HMS BELFAST
Located in the Pool of London beside Tower Bridge is the heavy cruiser HMS Belfast. Its 6 inch guns provided bombardment coverage for the Canadian army on Juno Beach. A “Canadian connection” totally missed by CBC coverage of the Jubilee, just days in advance of the 68th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.
For Cher’s tribute to the big naval guns of WWII, check this out. And then take a cold shower!!
BUCKINGHAM PALACE AT NIGHT.
Scene of the Royal “Rock-n-Roll” concert. Hope you enjoyed it!