CHIVENOR MILITARY
LADIES’ CHOIR TOUR OF NORMANDY, OCTOBER 2019
‘We were a team of seven military husbands, three military daughters, one director of music, one pianist, seventeen members of Chivenor Military Ladies Choir and nine members of Lympstone Military Wives Choir and we gathered at Poole Ferry Terminal at 07:30hrs on Thursday 3rd October, having left our homes at four in the morning.
For the next three days we were to sing, pay homage to the fallen and visit the beaches and other key places of the Normandy campaign. All this was made possible through the hard work of Rachel Smith our Musical Director, Sue Trick our Accompanist and choir member Jane Batchelor who masterminded the whole plan. We were exceptionally lucky to have the professional services of Peter Jones (
www.singlesteptours.com), an expert on the battlefield history of the area, who had also guided us on our last two tours.
It was an action packed three days, with little time to grab a coffee. Our first engagement was performing at The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach. The concert started with laying a wreath on behalf of The Royal British Legion of Braunton. This was a reminder to us of the pivotal role Braunton and the surrounding beaches played in the build-up to the beach landings of D-Day (6th June 1944). Many of the soldiers who trained on Braunton Burrows died on the beaches at Omaha and we had come to pay our respects to them. Our voices, blown by the wind, echoed through the serried ranks of white crosses acknowledging the horrors of that day.
We arrived in Ste Mere Eglise in a downpour to look up at an effigy of the American parachutist, who had become entangled on the spire of the church. We were to sing with a local French choir, La Gabare. It was a mixed programme of popular contemporary songs and music pertinent to the war. The latter songs resonated throughout the church and a few tears were shed amongst audience and choir members alike.
On Saturday afternoon we laid wreaths from The Royal British Legion, The Choir, Braunton Caen Rotary Club and Barnstaple Rotary Club / Barnstaple Rotary Link at the British Cemetery at Bayeau. Outside Café Gondree, at Pegasus Bridge, we sang to acknowledge the bravery of the men who came in their gliders, to ensure that the bridge would not be blown up, and that the allied armies could continue their advance to Paris. Madame Gondree, who was just a small child during the war, extended us a very warm welcome with lunch and wine. There is not time or space to record all that we did, but if you visit our Facebook page (Chivenor Military Ladies Choir Events) you will get a flavour of our tour.
The Choir would like to extend their thanks to all who supported the visit, including Braunton Caen Rotary Club for their unstinting help in organising our fundraising Remembrance Concert and a cheque, North Devon Councillors, Barnstaple Round Table, Barnstaple Rotary Club and Braunton Parish Council. Without their financial support our tour would not have taken place’ - Sarah Farrelly
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