Monday 24 November 2008

World War 2 and Kilkeel

I had the cold and wet pleasure of acting as a tour guide to my brother in law this weekend. His grandfather had served in the American forces in Kilkeel in 1943 for 9 months before being shipped to England and then the Normandy beaches.

An area known as Cranfield was a huge US Air Force and Army base during the war and it also housed thousands of US Troops. Not much remains now but it is easy to see the area around the airbase as all the hedges are made out of bits of runway. A few machinery shops, a hospital, a radar station (now housing nothing more secret than some cows) it even looks like the old air control tower that we used to play in as kids has been knocked down.

We went up into the mountains were the famous General Patton rallied the troops before they headed for D-Day. It was a cold but lovely weekend. Sadly the best tour guide in the family wasnt available but hopefully was looking down pleased I hadnt forgotten too much.

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