Ranville CWGC Cemetery
6th June 2010

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery 6th June 2010.
Many of the Airborne division's casualties are buried here and in the adjoining churchyard. The Cemetery contains 2,235 British & Commonwealth burials, 321 German graves and 47 others.

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

Information

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

Details

Ranville was the first French village liberated on D-Day. The village was liberated by the British 13th Parachute Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Luard. The chàteau du Heaume in the village was subsequently used by the headquarters of the British 6th Airborne Division. The tower on the right is Clocher de L'Église Notre-Dame de Ranville.

The chàteau du Heaume.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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At the time of battle the obvious place to bury your dead is the local cemetery. Here was no different. As the battle progressed from the early hours of the 6th June when six gliders landed just down the road at Bénouville bridge. The paratroopers followed and gradually took the village of Ranville and joined up with the glider troops (Ox & Bucks Light Infantry) on the bridge. The church was used as a casualty clearing station. As the first casualties came in so were the dead buried and the thin red line is the cemetery burials and the red square the German burials.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Here the first deaths came and the most famous was Den Brotheridge he commanded 25 platoon of the Ox & Bucks. He lead the first platoon across the Benouville bridge.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Lt H D Brotheridge.

Lt H D Brotheridge.

Light Infantry.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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A paratrooper veteran talking to John & his family in the church cemetery. If anybody knows the veterans please could you email me.
John used to be a tour guide when he lived in Normandy.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Glider Pilot Regiment. A regiment formed to fly gliders full of men and matériel’s to a battlefield in advance of ground troops. They trained at airfields like RAF Shrewton, RAF Southrop, RAF Netheravon and many more and initially learnt to fly Hotspur gliders towed by Hawker Hinds.

Glider Pilot Regiment.

Hotspur gliders.

Hawker Hind.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville Church
Battle damage on the church wall.

Airborne soldier.

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The entrance from the church cemetery into the CWGC Cemetery.

Sir Edwin Lutyens, Sir Reginald Blomfield, Sir Herbert Baker and Charles Holden laid the foundations for the use of classical renaissance design in the Commission’s building work prior to 1938. From CWGC history.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The Cross of Sacrifice, designed by the architect Reginald Blomfield to represent the faith of the majority. By using a simple cross embedded with a bronze sword and mounted on an octagonal base, Blomfield hoped to, in his words, ‘keep clear of any of the sentimentalities of Gothic’. From CWGC history..

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The Service.

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The Cross of Sacrifice, designed by the architect Reginald Blomfield to represent the faith of the majority. By using a simple cross embedded with a bronze sword and mounted on an octagonal base, Blomfield hoped to, in his words, ‘keep clear of any of the sentimentalities of Gothic’. From CWGC history.

Airborne cemetery Ranville 1944.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Don't you just love the wellies.

Last Post.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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"My Great Granddad".

Defence Medal.

France Germany Star.

39-45 Star.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Say's it ALL.
SAS badge on his tan coloured SAS beret. Also the Airborne cap badge.

SAS in France 1944.

Belgian SAS.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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2 Glider Crew & 1 Para.

Distinguished Flying Cross.

Aircrew Star.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Standards Enter.
Men of the Army Air Corps Regiment lined the route in.

An Airborne grave.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The Service

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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6th Airborne Memorial.

This cross was built by Sgt Hanslip and now is the focal point of the remembrance.

 

Oxygen bottles from Horsa gliders.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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The Ceremony.

 

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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A Glider Pilot.

Preparation.

Take off.

Inside.

.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Cross of Sacrifice Originally designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Sir Herbert Baker.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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A Bomber crew.

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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German Burials

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Laying a Wreath on a German unknown grave.

An Englishman, a French man, and a German.

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Gunther Lancenberg died 22 August 1944.

 

 

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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A small private service.

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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A Gunner to a Para.
As a member of the Royal Artillery, he was sent on a course to learn about a field gun. Returning to his unit, they had changed the gun type. and back he went on another course. This happened one more time and on his final return they had been re badged to Airborne Artillery in gliders. He flew twice in a a glider and wanted out. His CO said the only way out was to volunteer for the airborne. Which he did. Before he had time to think, he was on a plane at RAF Brize Norton and next stop, Normandy. At this point in the story he had to goto find the grave of his CO at Breville church yard.
I did find out a bit about him. After the war he built up a news agent business with a few shops. He was loved by his staff. We loved him too. A great man.

My Hero..

Breville Church.

 

Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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Ranville CWGC Cemetery

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© 2013 Richard Drew