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PRELUDE TO D-DAY - A
VILLAGE AT WAR
PRE EVENT
GROUND RECCE AND MEETING
SUNDAY 25TH FEBUARY
As the organising body of the Prelude To D-Day, A Village At
War event taking place in late May. The First Allied
Airborne Association undertook administration tasks at the
meeting held on Sunday 25 Feb. The Association carried out
this task representing 5th Engineer Special
Brigade HQ and HQ Company, 37th Engineer
Battalion and 210th MP Company, all of the 5th
ESB.
Without doubt the meeting would never have been the success
it was had I not have had the help and support of so many of
THE first Triple A membership.
As was very evident at the start of the day, due to a few
cock-ups,
that
things did not look like
they
were
going to go too well in regards to the administration for
the meeting.
With the wrong fuel in the cooker (our Officer,
without knowing it,
supplied us with what has been described as aviation fuel,
one
wonders if he intended us to fly it rather than cook on it)
we
lost
it
before we started, limiting us to only a single ring gas
burner to feed in excess of 70 people! With the rush to get
there after a later start than planned (I was at a party and
did not get back home from Kidderminster until 3 in the
morning, so
I had
only
3 hours kip!!!) we forgot essential cooking utensils,
including something to cook in, quite important in the
scheme of things! Water,
although plentiful both from the taps and the sky,
was a little slow in boiling and failed to be ready
for
the group leaders'
arrival. Just when things looked like
they
were
going to go completely pear shaped,
a small cooking vessel was found in the village and both
Frank and Russ turned the whole thing around and had food
ready to go on our return from the “Foot Recce”. I still do
not how they did it, but thank goodness
they did. On our return from the bimble around the village,
all Troops and civilians were fed and watered. Hot food,
tea and Coffee were so welcome in the cold,
wet and windy weather. Hats off to all the guys who worked
so hard from FAAA to get this unglamorous but essential task
completed.
Special thanks again to Tony who is always there to cover
the MP Duties. Ably helped by Paul McAllister
from the British 21st Army Group Military Police they
provided a presence at the main gate.
While the Cookhouse team did their magic, many of the group
got to join the meeting and subsequent
village
recce.
For many new to the group,
this was the first visit to the village, so a good
opportunity to cover the area we will be using in March and
May.
Every one attending worked very hard to ensure everything
was put in place for the Visiting troops and I cannot thank
the association members enough for their
support.
Very well done to all.
Lee Bowden
Group Co-ordinator
FAAA
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