This week and Normandy - Sainte Marie Du Mont

Another busy week at work.  My posting to Lincoln on promotion has arrived so plans and negotiations are ongoing around the take up date as there is a lot of training involved in the job and not all of it will need to be done on site.  looks like I'll be flitting between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for a while.

Des sent me a picture of a Bat that for some reason took a liking to his outside wall...in the daytime!  The pic is below.

I have also been presented with a framed picture of Sainte Marie Du Mont by Jo's Mum and Dad as a thank you gift for my tour guide duties whilst in Normandy.  Sainte Marie du Mont is one of my favourite Normandy villages and was a central point of action on D-Day.  It was also the main route from Utah beach inland onto Carentan and beyond.  So, I have posted some pics of the village from my recent trip and included contemporary shots swell - hope you find them interesting.

The Bat...for those of you unsure, it's head is at the bottom!  Can anyone identify what kind?

The picture from Jo's parents of Saint Marie du Mont

The church at Sainte Marie Du Mont as portrayed in the picture above.  Taken on a wet June morning!

American troops passing by the church on their way from Utah beach

The square opposite the front of the church.  The picture below is from the same viewpoint...

Hardly anything has changed from those days in June 1944

Another view of the square but note the water pump on the left..

This is that same water pump today..

The centre of the village activity...fresh water from the pump..

Again this is of the the water pump but from a different angle.
Allegedly this one is taken on June 6th ..Liberation day.
The insignia on the shoulders of the Americans show them to be Airborne troops from the 101st, the 'Screaming Eagles'

The village has 'info' boards all over the village.  This is an example of one and is
on the water pump.

If you look again at the 5th picture in this post, of the square opposite the church, you will
see the 1st world war memorial.  These troops from the 101st Airborne are stood in front of that memorial

Another example of the info boards found around the village..