Features
Craig Allen returns to Ranville for the first time in two years
LEFT: A good-looking Harley WLA and Willys Jeep parked beside the church at Ranville
The pandemic has meant that my annual expedition to the commemoration events in Normandy has been curtailed for the past two years. This year, however, I was determined to return to the familiar surroundings of Ranville the first French village to be liberated on D-Day.
My personal connection with the place goes back to 1994 and the 50th Anniversary when I jumped onto the nearby World War Two Drop Zone alongside comrades from the 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment. I returned for the 65th Anniversary as the regimental photographer to cover events and have been coming back ever since.
