Overview of the novel
Moonlight serenade over the Channel
B.O.D
Table of contents
- Page 3 - 4 : Foreword
- page 5 - 6 : Report by the Sergeant Smith
- page 7 : Aknowledgements
- page 8 : Preface
- page 9 : Neil Barber
- page 10 : The author : Christelle Angano
- page11, 12 : Incipit
- page 13 : Merville Battery and the 9th Battalion
- page 14 : Clara's Cycle
- page 15 : For the Fallen (L Binyon)
- Page 16 : The end
On june 5, 1944, Dakotas took off from Broadwell, an RAF airbase. Their mission : the Merville battery. A few hours later, a handful of British paratroopers from the 9th Battalion were mistakenly dropped over the forest of Saint Gatien des Bois. They were taken in by villagers from Barneville-la-Bertran. Among them was Clara, an English woman naturalised as french : my great-grandmother. All were arrested and deported.Clara never returned from Ravensbrück.This episode, and above all the courage shown by these anonymous heroes, forms the thread of the novel.
We follow Peter Gordon, a British veteran, as he recounts the story of D-Day to a young boy fron Étretat.Through his memories, a vivid gallery of characters comes to life : Emily, the Englishwoman, married to the village schoolteacher ; François, a teenager who joins the Resistance by hidding the paratrooper ; Marcel, his brother, who fought in the underground Resistance in Le Havre ; Camille, the father, a cider maker... and others still.And, in the background, the music of Glenn Miller, returning to London to support the GIs.This novel is a tribute to all those who, through their love of freedom and their curage, helped make D-day a success.
"We took off for Normandy at quarter past eleven at night on June 5th, 1944. At one o'clock, on june 6th, i landed in a wood west of Barneville. I sprained my ankle when i touched the ground. Of course, i immediatly tried to make contact with my platoon and to recover our containers. Without success. Thus, i remained hidden in this wood until morning, and then i went towards the North. I met a Frenchman who could tell me where i was. I remained in the wood for another 18 hours before going on, this time towards the south. After 2 hours, i found Corporal Wilson, who was hidden in a hedge. We remained hidden until June 7th. At 7 o'clock in the evening we were able to continue on towards the southwest. In the evening, a German sentry shot at us and we had to hide in a field of wheat until dawn.
Then we went on to arrive, at around 8 o'clock on June 8th in the forest of Saint-Gatien-des-Bois where we remained until June 9th. It was while going towards Saint-Benoît that we met 2 women who accepted to help us. They came back with their brother, and food. We remained hidden in a wood, close to St-Benoît until June 12th. During these 3 days, the Frenchman brought us food.On June 12th, at last, a member of the resistance came to our hideout and took us in a lorry to a barn that was about 3 kms from Honfleur where we stayed until June 25th until a group of about 30 members of the Resistance broughts us towards a house near Manneville. On July 9th, we were taken in a lorry once again to a barn 4 km north of Beuzeville..."
Sergeant Smith Report
I am grateful to Neil Barber for his foreword. It deeply moved me. Thanks to the author Martin Long for the translation. And of course , heartfelt thanks to In Octavo publishing, where this adventure first began.
Neil Barber
Christelle Angano
Biography
Bibliography
Site : Éléphants et pattes de mouche
Incipit
... / ...
Merville Battery
Clara's Cycle
For the Fallen
Act of Remembrance.
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old : Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember Them.
Laurence Binyon
The End !
Overview of the novel Serenade over the Channel
Christelle Anjou
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Transcript
Overview of the novel
Moonlight serenade over the Channel
B.O.D
Table of contents
On june 5, 1944, Dakotas took off from Broadwell, an RAF airbase. Their mission : the Merville battery. A few hours later, a handful of British paratroopers from the 9th Battalion were mistakenly dropped over the forest of Saint Gatien des Bois. They were taken in by villagers from Barneville-la-Bertran. Among them was Clara, an English woman naturalised as french : my great-grandmother. All were arrested and deported.Clara never returned from Ravensbrück.This episode, and above all the courage shown by these anonymous heroes, forms the thread of the novel.
We follow Peter Gordon, a British veteran, as he recounts the story of D-Day to a young boy fron Étretat.Through his memories, a vivid gallery of characters comes to life : Emily, the Englishwoman, married to the village schoolteacher ; François, a teenager who joins the Resistance by hidding the paratrooper ; Marcel, his brother, who fought in the underground Resistance in Le Havre ; Camille, the father, a cider maker... and others still.And, in the background, the music of Glenn Miller, returning to London to support the GIs.This novel is a tribute to all those who, through their love of freedom and their curage, helped make D-day a success.
"We took off for Normandy at quarter past eleven at night on June 5th, 1944. At one o'clock, on june 6th, i landed in a wood west of Barneville. I sprained my ankle when i touched the ground. Of course, i immediatly tried to make contact with my platoon and to recover our containers. Without success. Thus, i remained hidden in this wood until morning, and then i went towards the North. I met a Frenchman who could tell me where i was. I remained in the wood for another 18 hours before going on, this time towards the south. After 2 hours, i found Corporal Wilson, who was hidden in a hedge. We remained hidden until June 7th. At 7 o'clock in the evening we were able to continue on towards the southwest. In the evening, a German sentry shot at us and we had to hide in a field of wheat until dawn.
Then we went on to arrive, at around 8 o'clock on June 8th in the forest of Saint-Gatien-des-Bois where we remained until June 9th. It was while going towards Saint-Benoît that we met 2 women who accepted to help us. They came back with their brother, and food. We remained hidden in a wood, close to St-Benoît until June 12th. During these 3 days, the Frenchman brought us food.On June 12th, at last, a member of the resistance came to our hideout and took us in a lorry to a barn that was about 3 kms from Honfleur where we stayed until June 25th until a group of about 30 members of the Resistance broughts us towards a house near Manneville. On July 9th, we were taken in a lorry once again to a barn 4 km north of Beuzeville..."
Sergeant Smith Report
I am grateful to Neil Barber for his foreword. It deeply moved me. Thanks to the author Martin Long for the translation. And of course , heartfelt thanks to In Octavo publishing, where this adventure first began.
Neil Barber
Christelle Angano
Biography
Bibliography
Site : Éléphants et pattes de mouche
Incipit
... / ...
Merville Battery
Clara's Cycle
For the Fallen
Act of Remembrance.
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old : Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember Them.
Laurence Binyon
The End !