Normandy landing

Ouistreham, from the ferry.. Editor: wait a minute, that's not Ouistreham that's Le Havre! Indeed it is - a port strike has led the ferry to divert so it's a chance to appreciate Auguste Perret's rebuilding of war-battered Le Havre. 'Concrete is beautiful' he apparently said and in this case I agree. Then it's a minibus to take us foot passengers to Ouistreham. 

My father's arrival at Ouistreham in June '44 was very different. Ouistreham is at the eastern end of Sword Beach and D-Day was his birthday. 

My father was a ship's doctor on the big tank landing craft above. His work began on the return leg when the tanks had gone. One of his other little black and white photos shows the vast hold full of the wounded. They might be seen as the lucky ones. Close to Ouistreham in the little village of Ranville is a war cemetery of British and German graves. Beautifully kept and deeply moving. One wanders the rows of graves reading the names, ages - some only 18 or 19 - regiments, and dates of death, from 6 June onwards.

And then up the river Orne and its parallel canal to Caen. Only three or four hours on foot but it took the Allies a month. Poor Caen took an immense battering in the meantime and the guidebooks are not kind. But the mix of old and new has some charm and when you are puffed and hungry it all looks good. The wires in this picture are of the impressive trolley bus network.