Jean Ferrolliet at the Holdy Battery. Copyright Gretta Schifano.
‘Get down. In the ditch,’ orders the American soldier in an urgent whisper. Instantly my companions melt into the grass at the side of the country lane we’ve been creeping along. A soldier crouches on each side of the track, gun at the ready.
I stay upright and look down at my cream jacket, cashmere scarf, favourite skinny jeans and long leather boots. I can’t really see them in the dark but I know they’re there.
‘I don’t want to lie in the ditch,’ I whisper back.
‘But the Germans are coming.’
I lie down in the ditch with the others and wait, willing myself to suspend my disbelief. The grass is wet and cold. In the distance I see two lights wobbling towards us along the lane. As they get closer I see that the lights are attached to old-fashioned bicycles ridden by World War II German soldiers. I start panicking that they’ll spot my jacket and shoot me. Then I tell myself not to be ridiculous.
Holdy Battery
An hour later I sit at a long wooden table in the Holdy Battery farmhouse B&B drinking home-made cider with my companions: two other journalists, a Normandy Tourist Board PR, farmhouse owners Jean & Pascale Ferrolliet and a gaggle of local men and boys wearing World War II uniforms and civilian outfits. There’s 1940s music playing and the cosy room is lit by lanterns. Jean is explaining to us in French how this farm was used as a temporary field hospital in the battle that followed the D-Day landings.
Holdy Battery farmhouse. Copyright Gretta Schifano
D-Day
Jean is passionate about showing people what happened here in the countryside around Sainte Marie du Mont during World War II. The village is just a few kilometres inland from the Normandy coast. Jean organises re-enactments of the events of the night of June 5th 1944 when Allied soldiers were parachuted behind enemy lines in order to secure strategic points before the D-Day landings on the beaches nearby a few hours later. He has an original 1940s Jeep and has recreated the German Holdy gun battery in a field behind his farm. We experienced a mini version of the full re-enactment which includes a battle with noisy-but-not-real ammunition to capture the gun battery from the Germans. The full event uses around twenty actors – Jean says it feels like there are 200 of them because they pop up all over the place – in authentic costumes to recreate what happened when US paratroopers arrived here and took the Holdy Battery from the Germans that night. This is truly bringing history alive and it’s thrilling to be a part of it.
Holdy Battery. Copyright Gretta Schifano.
The verdict
Jean assures us that children love taking part in his re-enactments. There are two young French boys involved on the night we’re there. They look to be around ten years-old and are clearly enjoying themselves. Jean says that children as young as six years-old have come along and loved it but I’m not sure that all young children would like the gunfire or the dark. I enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend it – but make sure you wear warm, practical clothes and shoes and leave your cream jacket at home.
The lowdown
Willy’s Jeep Tour re-enactments cost from 200 euros for a group of eight people. Thank you to the Normandy Tourist Board and Brittany Ferries for arranging my trip.
Wow, this sounds like something I’d LOVE to do! Thanks for sharing!
Katrina recently posted…Mapping My Month: June 2014
This sounds marvelous. So they do this reenactments once a year? Would love to go next year.
Jennifer Howze recently posted…Visiting Winchester: Things to do with kids
They arrange the re-enactments to suit their clients so I think you just have to get in touch and book. They aren’t running any during the D-Day commemorations this week because there’s very tight security and the fake ammunition isn’t allowed.
I do hope the cashmere scarf wasn’t ruined! 😉
Sounds like a super idea for the right age children who you know will enjoy it and not be too scared.
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It was fine! None of the group knew what the tour involved so we weren’t prepared at all. It was really fun though and I’d like to do the full tour, wearing the right clothes!
Well done – that sounds terrifying Gretta! nicola
No, it was really fun!
Sounds like good fun and what a wonderful way to give children an idea of what is was actually like for the soldiers in 1944.
Jenny/Mum recently posted…D-Day: Willy’s Jeep Tours
What a fabulous trip. We were just next door in Brittany. x
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