Slapton “Sands” is, ironically, a pebble beach, in Devon. I first visited it in 2016 and noticed the large tank situated at the south end of Slapton Ley. This led me to undertake some research into the history of the beach during World War Two. On 28 April 1944, a large number of US servicemen were killed off Slapton Sands during preparations for the D-Day landings. I have set out the details of this in a previous Post. The 75th Anniversary of this tragedy took place recently. The four photos at the top of this Post were taken by the US Embassy in London during the Anniversary Ceremony.
The following are reports of the Anniversary which include material on the beach, the Exercise in 1944, and the ceremonies that took place in 2019.
A BBC news report (1 minute 41 seconds long):
Another BBC Report (4 minutes 50 seconds long), with a cross-over to a live reporter on the scene:
CBS News Report (2 minutes 47 seconds long):
Video clip of the Ceremony on Slapton Sands, from Devon Live (31 minutes 19 seconds), along with an article – click here.
Shorter video clip (42 seconds) of the Ceremony, from Devon Live, with a more detailed historical article – click here.
One of the moving speeches from the Anniversary Ceremony can be found here (7 minutes 48 seconds), made by US Rear Admiral David Manero (Defense Attache, US Embassy, London), along with other video clips related to Exercise Tiger.
Previous TumbleStone Posts on Slapton Sands include: Slapton Sands, Part One: A Visit, Mid-2016; Slapton Sands, Part Two: The Protective Significance of the Shingle Beach; Slapton Sands, Part Three: The Historical Significance of a Shingle Beach – The 1943-44 Evacuation; Slapton Sands, Part Five: Beach Stones in the Rough; and Slapton Sands, Part Six: The Beach Stones Polished.
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