Veteran Pilot Remembers D-Day, Frank Holland, RAF Typhoon Pilot returns Options

[ham and jam]

Veteran pilot remembers horror of D-Day landings
Published on 21 May 2004
A VETERAN pilot who was shot down in the D-Day landings has returned to France to commemorate the anniversary of the battle to free Europe.

Frank Holland, a former RAF Typhoon pilot, was shot down when the Allied Forces landed in Normandy nearly 60 years ago.

He was bombing a German artillery station on June 7, 1944, the second day of the D-Day landings, when he was hit.

As the plane fell to earth Frank managed to jump out, but tore his parachute on the plane and only escaped death when he landed in a tree.

For the next four months he hid with French farmers before he made it back to his own lines.

The Great Shelford pensioner, who used to run Frank Holland Motors in Mill Road, Cambridge, was among 18 veteran pilots who returned to Normandy. They took part in ceremonies and presentations in memory of what they and fallen soldiers had done during the war.

Frank, 87, travelled with his family - wife Olga, daughters Louise and Paulette and son-in-law Colin Brown.

At a ceremony in the village of Croissanville part of a wing of Frank's plane was presented to the mayor by people from a nearby hamlet.

The fragment had rested in a family house since the end of the war and was handed over to the people of Croissanville.

"It seems the memories of the occupation are still close to everyday people, and 60 villagers, local news and national radio all turned out to remember the events of 1944," said Frank, 87.

Son-in-law Colin said he was amazed by the courage of farmers who had helped Frank.

"If they had been caught, they would have been shot - the whole family," he said.

During the return visit they met with the daughter of one of the farmers who had helped Frank and at Noyer Brocage they saw the remains of a plane of Flight Lt Rowlands, a pilot who was shot down and killed on the same day that Frank escaped.

Also at Noyer Brocage, a new memorial for the Typhoon pilots was unveiled.

Sadly, this will be the last Normandy reunion for the pilots. "They're all getting very old now," said Colin, "the journey is quite an effort and this is a fitting date to stop."

From Cambridge news

[misako]

Very touching story-thanks very much for sharing it.

[Sgt Eagle]

THANKS FOR SHARING (IMG:http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


CURRAHEE !!!!!!!!!


Mark W.

[Kiwiwriter]

Great story, and I'm saddened to hear they aren't going any more, but you can't argue with being 87 years old.

I hope these Typhoon pilots write or audiotape their stories for the rest of us.

[VAT69]

Thanks for posting Andy.

I think I once read about him, because I vividly remember the luck he had landing in a tree, which broke his fall.

Mark

[blacksheepone]

Thanks for sharing this story.