The Twinning flourishes! A party of 29 Eardislandians and friends again ventured accross to France (Portsmouth to Le Havre, actually) to be met by a coach which took us onward to our Normandy 'Twin' La Vieille Lyre, the village whose Abbey was the recipient of tithes from Eardisland for centuries in the past.
Our long weekend was a mix of group and total party outings, the later being truly memorable for the bonhomie, (not to mention the food, and wine!), which now characterises these visits.
One unique collective gathering took place just outside the village, where a monument had just been erected to commemorate the liberation of Lyre on the 23rd of August 1944 by a section of the 2nd Army Royal Scots Greys under the leadership of Lieutenant Althorp Spencer - Yes ! later to become the father of Lady Diana ! A large gathering of villages, preceded by flag-bearers and a local band (playing 'Scots Wha Hae'!) marched to the spot nearthe bridge which the troops had captured, and where a black marble monument, unveiled by a French lad and Eardisland's Robert Harding, spelt out the moment of liberation. A short but moving ceremony followed, with speeches in French and English, before the Brits and French together marched back behind the band to the village hall for canapes and drinks.
I think that many of us, in the next two days, looked at the local countryside with different eyes as we made our trips out, realising that under the surrounding fields and woods lay the sad relics of the fighting, and the remains of the troops who had fought to regain freedom for Normandy.
Our all-too short visit ended with our return to Le-Havre by coach and the good wishes of all of our hosts to those in Eardisland who had not made the trip this year : 2012 perhaps?
Graham Simpson
Click here to open a pdf of a report in the local (French) paper.
