Third Annual Luncheon - The D Day Club

The Third Annual Luncheon of the D Day Club took place at Moor Park Golf Club near Northwood Middlesex on Sunday 5th June 2011. Over 50 invited guests attended a fund raising event to raise monies for the Spirit of Normandy Trust (SONT). Amongst those attending were a number of Guild members. The event was organised and chaired by Guild member Bob Darby.

GBG Members Willie Mohan with Alain Chissel MD Anglia Battlefield Tours and Anita Chissel

GBG Members L-R Frank Baldwin, Valmai Holt, Tonie Holt and James Dinsdale Treasurer of the D Day Club

The setting of Moor Park has historical significance as it was the Headquarters of the 1st British Airborne Corps. 6th British Airborne Division were part of the Corps and took part in the Normandy landings on the morning of the 6th June 1944. Previously owned by the Grosvenor family and requisition for war service the building fell into disrepair postwar. Recently restored to its original Palladian splendour the Mansion provided an excellent back drop to a splendid day.

GBG Member Keith Appleyard with Normandy Veteran Walter Hart

Of the dwindling band of Normandy Veterans we had three in attendance. Our Guest of Honour was Joe Ekins who as a tank gunner in Sherman Firefly destroyed three German Tiger tanks on the Falaise- Caen Road on the afternoon of the 8th August 1944, One of them being the tank commanded by Michael Wittman the German tank ace credited with over 150 tank kills including most of a British armoured column near Villiers-Bocage earlier on in the Normandy campaign.Other Veterans were Myer Malin formerly of the Royal Artillery who landed on D+2 on Gold Beach and Walter Hart RAMC.

In addition to those GBG Members shown above we also had in attendance Joe Hamon and Dermot Gallagher, a total of eleven Guild Members present.