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2024 D-Day 80th Commemoration

Upper valley from Weston Lane

8th June 2024 - villagers shared their memories of D-Day on the 80th Anniversary.


Read below the text used on the evening:-


Mark D'agostino


"Let's turn now to what happened on the night of 5 June 1944. Keep a look out for John Tillett (see photograph 1 below) who was a long-time Micheldever resident and the father of Anthony Tillett, who many of you will know.

John was one of the 180 men who took off from an airfield in Dorset in 6 Horsa gliders late on the evening of 5 June 1944. Their task was to capture Benouville Bridge, now known as Pegasus Bridge, and another bridge nearby."  (see photograph 2 below


Richard Vellacott


"John Tillett. A resident of Micheldever was in the company led by Major John Howard, who landed by glider at 2100 hours on 6 June 1944 to capture two vital bridges in Normandy, of which one was Pegasus Bridge, near Ranville.

John was actually in the second wave of gliders. He remarked that the first group thought that they had a tough task when they caught the Germans off guard. The reception for the second wave, when the Germans were awake was something different.

He was a regular visitor to the annual pilgrimages to the D-Day beaches and to Pegasus Bridge. As a mark of the respect in which John Tillett was held, the late Field Marshall, Lord Brammall attended his funeral in this church.

He lived in the Old Post Office in Church Street and in his later years in Brook View Northbrook. He died in December 2014 and his grave is in the churchyard."




Thank you to all the villagers who researched the information for this very informative evening

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