This report was produced by the Royal Air Force in 1942. It explained the air training behind Operation Freshman, especially in the light of the missions failure and there being no survivors. It was not apparent at this stage, that the survivors had been murdered and a war crime committed. The ReportMOST SECRET. Copy No.… Continue reading Training for Freshman
Author: Stephen
The Glider Crews
This pages lists the Glider and Tug crews which took part in Operation Freshman. Due to their being no survivors from either glider, it was extremely difficult for the authorities at the time to construct a picture of what exactly happened. Most of the information only emerged after the war finished in 1945, and War… Continue reading The Glider Crews
Operation Freshman
Operation Freshman was an operation mounted during the night of 19/20 November 1942, using gliders and Royal Engineer commandos. The purpose of the raid was to destroy a heavy water plant at Rjukan in Norway.The plan for the raid was to use gliders to land commandos with the knowledge and equipment to destroy the heavy… Continue reading Operation Freshman
Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it was designated officially as a military cemetery on 15 June 1864 by the then US Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The Arlington National Cemetery and Soldiers Home National Cemetery are administered by the US Department of the Army, whilst Arlington House is administered by… Continue reading Arlington Cemetery
Leverstock Green
The impact of the First World War (The Great War) on UK home life can’t be understated. A population that had been somewhat sheltered from the losses of previous conflicts was greatly affected by the loss of life in The Great War. One of the visible effects of The Great War was the appearance of… Continue reading Leverstock Green
Seagrim Brothers
Derek Anthony and Hugh Paul Seagrim are the only siblings to have been awarded the Victoria Cross and George Cross. The diagram below shows the relationships between the people mentioned in this article. The five brothers Charles Montague Dudley, Cyril Vivian, Derek Anthony, John Halstead and Hugh Paul Seagrim were the sons of Charles Paulet… Continue reading Seagrim Brothers
Edith Cavell
Edith Louisa Cavell was born on 4 December 1865 in the vicarage at Swardeston, a village located approximately 5 miles south of Norwich, Norfolk. She was the eldest of 4 children, their Father being the local vicar. All his children were taught the principles which their Father held dear: thought for others, self-sacrifice and prayer.… Continue reading Edith Cavell
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement was born on 1 September 1864, Sandycove, County Dublin. ROGER CASEMENT’S SPEECH Casement was a British consul in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique; 1895-98), Angola (1898-1900), Congo Free State (1901-04), and Brazil (1906-11). He gained international fame for revealing atrocious cruelty in the exploitation of native labour by white traders in the Congo… Continue reading Roger Casement
Yeo-Thomas, GC
Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas was born on 17 June 1901 at 45 Balcombe Street, Marylebone, London. His Father was John Yeo-Thomas (a coal merchant) and his Mother was Daisy Ethel Thomas (formerly Burrows). Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas, who spoke perfect French, parachuted into France on 23 February 1943 on his first mission which he completed successfully.… Continue reading Yeo-Thomas, GC
Double VC Recipients
Only three soldiers have been award the Victoria Cross medal twice: Arthur Martin-Leake, Noel Chavasse and Charles Hazlitt Upham. ARTHUR MARTIN-LEAKE Arthur Martin-Leake was born in Standen, Hertfordshire, on 4 April 1874. Surgeon Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel) Martin-Leake was a member of the South African Constabulary then Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the 5th… Continue reading Double VC Recipients