Remembering World War 2 in Chesterfield

D-Day – the term brings to mind World war 2, our minds eye produces a vision of thousands of troops landing on the beaches of Normandy in France.  In military terms it simply refers to “the first day” “the start” of any operation, if it wasn’t for the success of Operation Overlord on 6 th June 1944 then we probably wouldn’t give the term a second thought. Thanks to the brave troops who took part in the largest seaborne invasion in history we commemorate the most celebrated D-Day in our history today, 76 years  on from the first day of Operation Overlord .  T he actions on that one day led to the eventual overturn of Hitler and his Nazi oppression throughout Europe. Chesterfield’s part in the D-Day landings…. I wrote a blog post for the 70 th anniversary of D-Day telling some of the stories which emerged from Chesterfield in relation to the day.  The blog “ D-Day for the  Chesterfield townsfolk ” is still available to read, just click on the title. I reme

The city of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) in the north east France was the location of the now infamous Operation Dynamo; the Dunkirk Evacuation.   In May 1940 the German armies were tearing their way through Allied countries; the Netherlands and Belgium were forced to surrender and France was swiftly being overrun.   For the British army and their Allies all options of retaliation were beginning to look less promising as the German army moved at pace through the country of France.   The German advance resulted in hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops becoming trapped close to the city of Dunkirk, just 10 Kilometres from enemy occupied Belgium.   Winston Churchill was all too aware that the situation may well result in a devastating defeat and in consequence lead to the British Isles becoming the next target for an invasion.   Something had to be done, urgently.   With no means of escape other than by sea, a feat which until that time would have been deemed an impossibility, O

Today we celebrate International Nurses Day, a day which is even more poignant as we live through the current Covid 19 pandemic.   This date was chosen to mark the 200 year anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the "mother" of nursing as we know it today. Nurses, doctors and all healthcare workers are receiving the recognition they deserve for their dedication to the cause, especially during the dangerous situation we are in right now.   Each Thursday we all go out onto our front doorsteps, balconies or simply open a window to clap a round of applause for our country’s carers.   The National Health Service is in the spotlight, our doctors and nurses are being hailed heroes for their selfless work caring for Covid 19 patients.   Not a night goes by now without the news on television running a story on how the N.H.S is coping, individuals are being picked out to showcase their particular story in regard to carrying out their jobs during the pandemic.   Roll back

Today, 75 years on from the end of World War 2 we will all sit back and remember..... The day won't be as we would have wished for, we all remain under lock down with strict instructions to obey social distancing rules, but we will still remember those from our not so distant past who lived through World War 2.   Many of us will have memories of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, some of us will have been present during those times.  Family stories of how life was during World War 2 will no doubt have been passed down through generations; photos, medals and other memorabilia cherished and taken out of their boxes on days like this to add a tactile connection to the lives of our family members.   However we choose to spend today, whether watching the footage on television, listening to the radio or reading I am sure we will all be proud, sad and awestruck as we hear the renditions of life during the war years from 1939 to 1945.   This blog has been set up to tell the stori