Classic military vehicle enthusiast Jordan Dowdall travels to France to celebrate the Liberation of Pas du Calais by the British in 1944
We set off for France in the dawn light of the first day of September last year, heading to Hallicourt for the 36th annual Le Pas De Calais Libéré event, organised by the Véhicules Militaires d’Artois (VMA).
The event celebrates the Liberation of the Pas du Calais by the British in 1944. After a smooth ferry crossing followed by a drive to the event grounds, we arrived at our campsite around mid-afternoon.
We were directed up a hill to a flat plot dedicated as the ‘English bit’. While setting up and settling in at what would be our site for the next five days, we got to watch other vehicles arriving and with everything from Harleys to Shermans, weren’t short of things to look at. We wandered down to the stalls that were selling a variety of wares to see if a bargain was to be found. There was a good range; from Jeep and Dodge spares, to specialist badges, patches, uniforms and camping gear.
The next day we all lined up in convoy in the sunshine and headed through the countryside to a ceremony at the Pernesen-Artois Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery to pay our respe…
