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D-Day - The Normandy Beaches, France

2009-06-23T12:18:00.033+01:00

On the 4th June 2009 I set off for the south coast of England to catch the 23:30 ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, France to start my 6 day holiday visiting Caen and the Normandy Beaches to commemorate the D-Day landings that took place on the 6th June 1944.
It was a 6 hour journey from Warrington to Portsmouth due somewhat to the M40 being closed at one point and also the fact that as the ferry was only leaving Portsmouth at 23:30 I decided to travel via the west coast.
I arrived in Portsmouth at approx. 17:00 and spent sometime firstly locating the ferry port (which ended up quite easy as all roads in Portsmouth seem to lead to the ferry's) and then spending some time around the harbour that has been developed into a rather attractive area with shops and cafe's.
We departed Portsmouth on time and had decided on paying the extra for a cabin for the 9 hour overnight journey - well worth it...
We arrived in Le Havre at approx. 08:30 and was soon driving over the Pont du Normandie bridge towards Caen.
I had accommodation arranged for 3 nights in Caen which was only 30 miles or so from the Normandy beaches.
I had an agenda that basically consisted of seeing as much as I could as long as I was on Omaha at 06:30 on June 6th 2009, the time that the first wave of American 1st infantry Division landed on the beach... and weather permitting, be able to photograph the sunrise.
As this was a popular time of the year for visitors to the area the hotel was full to capacity and I was fortunate enough to sit down on my first morning to have breakfast and find that I was sat next to a young man of only 93 years that landed on Omaha at sunrise on the 6th June 1944 from the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red1 ) as they were known.
His name was Willie and had been brought over by a couple of guys that had wanted to bring a Veteran with them to Normandy and who had only met Willie 2 weeks before after searching for someone who was both willing and able to make the journey from the US.
Willie had received a Bronze Star for helping some of his fellow soldiers off Omaha under heavy German fire through a mine field and he also had received 5 Purple Hearts during the remainder of the conflict.
Willie stayed until the end of the war the following year and refused to be sent home even though he was injured 5 times - one of which was when he was shot in the leg.
My first full day was spent at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
It is somewhat overwhelming when you first walk up the small hill and the overlook the 9000 plus white crosses that seem to go on forever.
There was a lot of Soldiers from the American Army at the Cemetery when I was there. As President Obama was due on the Saturday, I assumed that they were there as part of the security arrangements as well as to commemorate the landings.
From the Cemetery there is a path that leads down to Omaha beach. I had some time on the beach and to try and imagine what they must have had to go through with the failed bombing missions and lack of shelling of Omaha beach meaning that the cover that was promised from bomb craters and the like was just not there.
From the waters edge to any sort of cover was a good 300 yards and with heavy back packs and the cold that they must have experienced being day break and being wet through when leaving the landing crafts, it is something that you cannot even try to picture.
Speaking to Willie at the breakfast table, I asked him what it was like to move up the beach on that morning and he said that as soon as you were off the landing crafts you were bombarded with bullets and mortars and it was everyman for himself to try and get up the beach to any kind of cover.
There was no modern communications as we have today and with the noise and confusion it must have been hell on earth.
On the morning of my second day, I asked if I could go along with Willie to the American Cemetery as he had not yet visited the site. I said I would like to take some photographs of him, but would keep my distance and give him some space as no doubt this would be an emotional time for him as this was his first visit back to Omaha in 65 years.
He agreed and we arrived at the Cemetery around 10:00.
What I wasn't expecting and I'm sure Willie wasn't expecting was the number of reporters and film crews that were there covering the events.
As soon as they knew who Willie was and what he had done he was swamped with questions and interviews from radio and news stations all over the world.
So much for me giving Willie space to view the Cemetery in peace...
With Willie (pictured on the right) not being the young sprightly man he was 65 years ago, after and hour or so I left him to have a sit down and to arrange his meeting the following day with President Obama that was being arranged at short notice by one of the radio stations that interviewed him and went off to spend some more time on Omaha.
Omaha is 6k long and in the afternoon I drove down to the other end of the beach and had some lunch in a small restaurant overlooking the beach.
This was the west end of Omaha beach and this is where the monument has been built in the sand in memory of those that gave their lives on that day and the days to follow.
Later that afternoon I spent some time at Pointe du Hoc where there were 6 gun emplacements that the Germans planned to use to bombard both Omaha and Utah beaches.
2nd Ranger Battalion where given the task to scale the 100ft cliffs and take the guns.
The guns had been moved days before but the Rangers were not told of this but the gun positions still needed to be taken to ensure that the Germans could not retake the area and continue to use it to attack the beaches.
Only when they scaled the cliffs and took the positions under heavy enemy fire did they get notified of this.
Not put off by this they then moved in land and found the guns and destroyed them using thermite grenades.
They then held the Germans off for 2 days until reinforcements came from Utah beach.
From the original 225+ Rangers, only 90 survived the 2 day ordeal.
What stands out when you visit this site is that there are 5 visible gun emplacements today (6 originally) and only 2 of these are now in ruins from the original shelling, but the amount of bomb craters is staggering, they are one after the other.
Its amazing how they only managed to hit 2 of them, or just very unlucky.

As President Obama was due at the Cemetery on Saturday 6th June, I had been told by some of the American Army staff that there would be a 10k lock down around the area when he arrives.
As such I spent the night of the 5th in my car on Omaha waiting for the sunrise and my objective for the trip to be there as the sun came up.
My first couple of days in Normandy were sun filled, but as time went on there was more and more cloud build up and when daybreak arrived the sky was overcast and no sign of the sun on the horizon.
I stood on Omaha beach with my camera and tripod pointing to where I was told by the local Gendarme, who came on the beach to see what this person was doing in the dark at that time of the morning, as to where the sun normally comes up.
Someone was on my side that morning because as I was about to give up and wander back to my car, a break in the clouds allowed the sun to come through.
I even had the added benefit to have some WW2 Army Jeeps and people in WW2 dress to walk across my photographs just as the sun was coming through the clouds.
To be honest that morning on the beach made my week...

The afternoon of the 6th was spent at Arrowmanches which is part of the British Sword Beach where there were celebrations and parades of Veterans and non- Vets in their well preserved and looked after WW2 vehicles.
There was a parade of what must have been 100 WW2 vehicles coming down the beach that afternoon with a modern Army Landing craft on the beach and the view of the remains of Mulberry Harbour in the background made for an excellent day.
The rain moved in late in the afternoon when the Veterans parade started and I managed to get some cover under one of the shop hoardings.
I can't say the same for the Vets - speaking to them the following morning at the hotel, they got soaked to the skin and some even had to have First Aid due to the cold.
Once the parade had finished I made for the car and got somewhat soaked myself.
It was at the time when Gordon Brown turned up at the Veteran Parade and obviously brought the British weather with him.
I missed his speech but from speaking to the Vets later, I didn't miss much... apart from him calling Omaha beach Obama beach and only correcting himself 3 sentences later...

My last morning was initially spent saying goodbye to Willie and some of the other Vets that were staying in the hotel...
One was a real character that had lots of good stories and lots of memorabilia with him that he had kept from the war including hand written map co-ordinates and even a small flower that he kept in a diary from 65 years ago - the flower was his most cherished possession from the whole of the war. Strange how such small things can mean so much to someone. He picked it as he was pinned down under heavy German machine gun fire and saw the small purple flower in front of him and picked it and placed it in his diary.
Another gentleman that I met was Rudolf Hess' guard at Spandau Prison.

The remainder of my last day was spent visiting Sword Beach, the British Cemetery at Hermanville.
I met a Veteran at Hermanville that was in the first wave at Sword and was part of a 400 strong group that were tasked with taking part of the town.
Come sun up the following day there were 180 dead including 60 officers.
He was at the Cemetery looking for old friends...
There is something very British about the Cemetery the way that the graves are laid out with well looked after shrubs at the foot of each stone.
The odd pebble laid on top of some of the graves from what I can only assume came from Sword beach.

My final trip before heading back to Le Havre was to Pegasus Bridge at Benouville where the first shots were fired of the invasion and the first casualty fell on the bridge - Lieutenant Den Brotheridge.
There is a museum that houses the original bridge that was replaced to cope with modern traffic but still built in the original design (just a bit bigger)
The one thing that amazed me about that part of the operations on the 6th June was that fact that the 6th Airborne Division towed gliders over the Channel in complete darkness, released over the coast and then proceeded to glide in to the area of Pegasus Bridge at 00:15 and land only 47 feet from the bridge itself with no modern direction finding equipment.
Once they took the bridge they then had to hold of for a number of hours for reinforcements to come and assist them.
There is still bullet and shell damage on the original bridge and you can see where one of the men went back to aid one of an injured soldier and was killed trying to rescue him. There is a plaque on the bridge where he fell.
As you can see from the photo on the left the weather was moving in so I made a hasty dash back to Le Havre to catch the 16:00 ferry back to Portsmouth.

My trip to Normandy and the Beaches was something that I had promised myself for some years and now that I have done it I want to go back again.
There is so much history and places of interest that a few days is just not enough time.
I would suggest at least 10 days if you want to get to many of the places, and forward planning of where and what you want to see would be of great benefit. Something that I didn't do to be honest and it was only when I got over there did I realise how much there is to see and do.
It is a trip that I will be making again... whether I wait another 5 years for the 70th anniversary or if it will be sooner I don't know.
More time we wait before we go and visit these places and less Veterans will be there to share their stories and experiences.
Willie is 93 years old and he was 28 when he landed on Omaha.
Even if he was 18 years old when he landed on Omaha he would still be 83 years old today.
I think in the near future the Beaches and surrounding towns will not be the same with no Veterans parading down the street at Arrowmanches or moving slowly through the rows of White Crosses at the American Cemetery.
I'm glad to say I met some fantastic people and heard some great stories and hope they are still around when I go again...

If you want to see all the photographs from my trip click HERE

5k Race For Life - Cancer Research UK

2009-05-14T08:43:00.005+01:00

Sunday 10th May 2009.
This was the first Race for Life event this year for Cancer Research UK.
It was held at Delamere Forest in Cheshire.
It was a good day out and the weather was in our favour and we even had some sunshine at one point.
1,700 runners turned up to run (or walk) the 5k around the forest raising money for Cancer Research UK.
Looking at some of my photographs taken before the race and some people looked somewhat apprehensive about the run, but the photograph's after the race tell a different story.
The quickest time on the day was about 40 minutes and there were some serious runners turned up to try and get a good personal best.
The good thing about Race for Life is that no matter what your age is or size or shape, anyone and everyone can join in.
Most people have a card pinned to their back showing who they are running for.
Reading these really makes you realise how many people are effected by this disease, both directly and in-directly.
If you want to try a Race For Life event but don't see yourself as a runner, remember you can walk the 5k and there are marshals to assist you if you have any issues or problems along the way.
I will be going to the Pennington Flash Race For Life on Sunday 17th May to support the runners and walkers and hopefully get some more excellent photographs.
If you want to see the photographs of the Delamere run just click HERE

Time Attack - Oulton Park 25th April 2009

2009-05-05T13:34:00.004+01:00

Saturday 25th April I went to Oulton Park Race Circuit for the Modified Live Event & BRSCC Formula Ford and to watch the Time Attack race with Olly Clarke (Son of the famous Roger Clarke) driving his 850BHP Subaru Impreza.
"Time Attack is a circuit based event whereby competitors drive hard against the clock to set the quickest lap time around a circuit."
All the cars initially go out on the circuit at the same time which makes for an interesting racing.
These consist of both Pro and Club Class.
The first stages of the race are battles to get to the Super Battle Finals usually lasting about 20 minutes out on track.
The Super Battle Finals then allow the drivers to gain points for the season.

The weather was good on the day and I managed to get some good photographs of the cars out on track.
This was my first Time Attack event and even though I enjoyed the Time Attack racing, I found that there was not enough going on in between the races to keep me entertained.
There where other races going on part of the time including Drift Championships and also the Formula Ford, but apart from that there were times when there seemed to be long periods of silence.

I do enjoy car racing so overall I had a good day and as the weather was favourable, there was more than enough opportunities for photos.
If you want to have a look at my photographs of the day, they are here.

Chester Zoo

2009-03-16T15:44:00.009Z

Was at a loss on Sunday as where to go.
It was a sunny day (which makes a change recently) and I decided to go to Chester Zoo as you can't really go wrong with places like that if you have the weather.
Its only about 50 minutes from where I live as its all motorway most of the way.
It cost me £11 on the gate which isn't too bad as you can spend all day there and there is lots to see and do.
They have had a number of new arrivals recently including baby chimps, baby Rhino and lion cub.
I saw the chip and rhino, but I did not see the lion cub. I have just learned that the cub had to be put down due to health problems - very sad.
I was hoping to see the Tigers as the last time I went (July 08) they were not out.
As luck would have it they were not out again this time.
It is somewhat frustrating when you are expecting to see all the animals just waiting for you to turn up and take photos, but in reality it is never like that and thats something you need to be aware of with any Zoo.
Chester Zoo try and make their lives as natural as possible and as such they have a choice as to whether they want to come out to see you or not... and in my case they decided not to.
There are many other big cats at the zoo and I must admit these are my favourite animals to look at and photograph.
The cheetahs are always accommodating along with the lions, although the lions are behind wire meshed fencing so you have to put up with taking photos through that.
The Cheetah's are viewable from a new walkway that has been built recently and so to get good photos of them is easier.
They also have Jaguar's that are sometimes visible.
I didn't see the Jaguars I saw last time but this time I got a photo of a black Jaguar within the indoor part of the Spirit of the Jaguar centre.
I also made the effort to go and see the snakes and lizards - got a few photos that came out OK considering they are indoors. I must admit they don't do much for me, I like something that looks a bit more menacing or even just active...
Another animal in the zoo that I always go and spend some time with are the Meerkat's.
They are entertaining and almost have a human expression at times.
There weren't as many above ground this visit, but that may be because I went in July last time and they are a desert animal - I got a few good photos of them though.
Overall its a good day out - a little expensive if you have a large family, but there are family tickets available and its worth it as you wont see many of these animals running wild in this country.
If you want to have a look at my latest photos from the Zoo, click HERE

Blackpool Motor Club Car Rally - Three Sisters Race Circuit

2009-03-09T18:04:00.003Z

Sunday 8th March 2009
Went along to the Blackpool Motor Club Rally at the Three Sisters Race Circuit.
It was the one of the North West Stages of the Rally Championship.
I had been planning on going for some time as the main events there are usually Karting and to get a Rally is somewhat rare - just a few times a year.
As with the usual British weather, the heavens opened in the morning and I decided not to make the short 5 mile trip. At one point it was actiually snowing...
Anyway come 13:00 the sun decided to come out and I made a quick dash to the circuit to see if I could get some photos of the event.
It actually managed to stay dry for a few hours in the afternoon and it gave me a good chance to try out my new Canon 50d.

The event was as usual a good day out. The track was starting to dry out as I got there and from speaking to others that had been there from the mornings sessions there had been quite a few 'off's' as they say.

There was a range of cars flying round the track from new Subaru's and Evo's and Honda's to Escort rs2000's and the like.

The escorts don't half shift for such a small circuit. I understand that the Subaru's don't do as well around this circuit which surprises me - but that's what I've been told...

Anyway, I understand that No. 13 (Ford Escort) won on the day...

If you want to have a look at my photos click HERE

My next trip there will be on Sunday 29th March for the MBKC Club Championship - Round 3 and then Saturday 11th May for the Longton and District Regional Sprint Championship.

Three Sister Karting this Sunday 22nd Feb

2009-02-19T08:32:00.008Z

Weather permitting, I am planning on going to the MBKC Club Championship - Round 2 at Three Sisters Race Circuit in Ashton-in-Makerfield near Wigan this Sunday, 22nd Feb.
Only £5 on the gate and usually a good day out for kids of all ages, even me...
There is access to the paddock so you can get up close to the karts and drivers.
If the weather is half decent I am hoping to get some good photos and post them on my site.
It usually goes on until about 16:30 and if you want to see what its all about you can turn up at 15:00 and the gate is free for the last hour or so.
Good if you have kids and want to see if they like karting - take them for the last hour or so and catch the last few races - if they get bored, you haven't wasted your money...

27/2/09 UPDATE
Had a good day at Three Sisters at the Karting.
Weather was not that good, but the rain held off for most of the day.
To see my photo's of the day click HERE

Manchester Ship Canal - Sunday 18th January 09

2009-01-20T15:02:00.011Z

Had a drive Sunday morning to the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port.
It was a cold sunny morning and I had been told about certain locations where you can get close to the Canal to view (and photograph) the ships that navigate the waterway.
A lot of the Canal now is not accessible and is fenced off in many places.
There is not a lot of ships that use the Canal now, but many years ago it must have been a bustling place.

I went to Ellesmere Port as this is close to the main locks from the river Mersey that lead into the Canal at Eastham, this area being the most busy as far as shipping.
Further up the Canal and less traffic you encounter as some stop off at Ellesmere Port, some go on to Runcorn and some even end up at Salford Quays at the end of the Canal, but they are few and far between these days.
I actually started the morning at Eastham Locks as I was told there is a good vantage point there to see whats happening at the locks themselves.
The road that leads to one side of the locks is Power House Road. If you drive to the end of this road, park up somewhere and then turn left towards the security gates, you can get down to the Canal on the right just before the gates.
As I arrived the Chemical Tanker "Amaranth" was moored at the end of Power House Road.
This was a Sunday and I wasn't expecting any traffic on the canal at all that day.
As the ship was so close it was difficult to get photographs unless you had a good wide angle lens and even then I don't think they would have been up to much due to only having access to the rear of the ship.
I waited around for a while and eventually staff from the locks arrived to assist in her departure.
The MCS Tugs Victory and Viking appeared to assist her up the Canal due to the size of the Ship and the somewhat narrow Canal.
As she moved away I drove over to where the Boat Museum is at Ellesmere Port, parked on the free car park and walked along the banks of the Canal to wait for her appearing around the corner in the distance.
Within 10 minutes I could see her superstructure and the Victory in the distance moving slowly up the Canal.
I found the best vantage point was to the right of the car park where you can walk along the banks of the basin and look directly back down the Canal.
You can also move though the fencing that has been removed to get access a little further up the Canal.

If you want to see the rest of my photographs from the day, click HERE

Dunham Massey

2008-12-16T08:49:00.011Z

Monday 15th December 2008.
Went to Dunham Massey near Altrincham, Cheshire.
Dunham Massey is actually a parish consisting of a number of small villages rather than the park and stately house although a lot of people know Dunham Massey as the park.
Either way its worth a visit - Its a National Trust site so there are charges for the private gardens and house.
This time of the year the House and Gardens (the gardens that you have to pay to get access to) are closed.
You do though have access to the park itself.
There is a carpark available for a fee of £4 for the day and there are the usual amenities - cafe etc .
I went to see if I could get some photos of the fallow deer that are there in the deer park.
I was surprised to see the number of deer and how tame they were allowing you to get up close (ish) for photographs.
I have been to Lyme Park in the past and the deer there are very illusive and you have to go early to see them close up and even then they are a good few feet away and move away as soon as they see you.
At Dunham Massey they are more tame and even walk across the footpaths in the park area right in front of you.
There is a restriction as far as you have to stick to the paths and not walk into the deer park itself, but you can get excellent photos without having to go off the paths as they are very close anyway.
Have a look at my photos - HERE
As I say, its worth a visit, but at the moment there is only the park of any real interest but in summer there would no doubt be more to do and see.
If you have been there, let me know what you think and if there are any specific areas of interest drop me a mail or just add a comment below.

Paul Griffiths Galleries

2008-11-14T10:38:00.005Z

Welcome…
This is my Blog of places that I have visited and to show you some of the photographs that I have taken.
I have put a link back to my website to the photo galleries where you can see more images.
Have a look around, read my Blog and leave me a comment or two - either on my Blog page or on my website to let me know what you think of my galleries.
Have fun and enjoy...
Paul