The photographs recollect the time in 1944 when General Eisenhower came to inspect Polish soldiers from a tank regiment who were stationed in the village.
General Eisenhower arriving at Earlston Station to
inspect the
Polish Tank Regiment stationed in the village in 1944.
Tanks in Earlston Square - note the two little boys giving them close inspection!
Background:
Following
the formation of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, in February 1942 at
Duns, the county town of Berwickshire, Polish troops under the command of General Stanislav Maczek
trained across Scotland including Berwickshire, before taking part in the Normandy Landings of 1944. At its peak, the division numbered 16,000 soldiers.
In Earlston, the rugby club pitch and clubhouse were requisitioned by the
military. Approximately one third of the pitch was dug out and concrete
laid to make a "hull-down" park for the tanks stationed in
the area preparing for D-Day.
Earlston was far away from military action and from the wartime devastation that hit so many parts of Britain, yet here it was playing a role in the D Day offensive.
Earlston was far away from military action and from the wartime devastation that hit so many parts of Britain, yet here it was playing a role in the D Day offensive.
Wartime photograph courtesy of Auld Earlston
Military Monday is one of many daily prompts from www.geneabloggers.com encouraging&@ bloggers to record their family history.
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