SHAMROCK VENTURE FOR BALLYGOWAN CADETS

A group of Army Cadets from Ballygowan Detachment recently embarked on an action packed weekend of adventure and reflection as they took a whirlwind tour of London and Normandy. 

Exercise Shamrock Venture 2018 saw the Cadets travel to London to visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for their Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.  The Cadets had the honour of parading with the Battalion and forming a Guard for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They also had the privilege of meeting the Royal Couple, having won the annual Irish Guards Cadet Competition back in September – an opportunity that they will never forget.

After the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day, the Cadets packed up as they prepared to move to the next phase of their trip, a D-Day battlefield tour of Normandy.  

Their first stop was Pegasus Bridge, hearing how the men of the 6th Airborne, including those of the Royal Ulster Rifles, landed in the early hours of D-Day to take and secure the Left Flank of the Landings. In particular they learnt of Major John Howard and the men of D Coy Oxs and Bucks Light Infantry who captured Pegasus Bridge as the Opening Coup-de-Main for Operation Overlord. They also learnt of Lt Den Brotheridge who was tragically killed in this action and became the first allied soldier to die due to enemy action on D-Day.

From here they held a short act of remembrance at the nearby Ranville cemetery with Cadets placing poppy crosses on the graves of fallen Irish Guards and Royal Ulster Rifles Soldiers. Then they moved onwards to tour Sword, Juno and Gold Beaches and finally the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches.

Following this, the group checked into their hotel for the night and the Cadets tucked into a well-earned Chinese buffet!

Day 2 of the Battlefield Tour started with a visit to the Bayeux CWG Cemetery where the Cadets laid more Poppy Crosses and a short act of remembrance was held at the memorial. The snow really added to the atmosphere of the Cemetery and all the groups really got a true feeling of the cost of war on all sides, faiths and creeds.

The group then travelled out deep into Normandy to look at the American objectives on D-Day. They started at Dead Man’s Corner – a museum located at Saint-come-du-mont. The building was a German Garrison on 6th June 1944 when a US Stuart light Recce tank advancing nearby was destroyed and its crew sadly killed. The commander, Lt Walter T Anderson was left there for 4 days and thus to this day it is known as Dead Man’s Corner.

From there they moved to Angouville Au Plain where in a small 12th Century Church they looked at the story of two US Airborne medics who treated both friend and foe alike inside the church as the battle raged around them. The scars are still visible to this day, with the pews still stained from the blood of those wounded and those who sadly passed away.

They moved onwards again first to Saint Mere Eglise, where they studied Private John Steele – the Paratrooper who became stuck on the church tower famously portrayed in the film The Longest Day. Then it was a short hop out to Brecourt Manor, scene of the famous Easy Company (Band of Brothers) first action on D-Day led by Lt Richard D Winters.

After taking in the Beaches at both Utah and Omaha they finished the day at the Longues Sur Mere Battery, the last surviving gun emplacement from Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, preserved just as it was in 1944.

 

The final morning involved a few more stops, firstly visiting the rolling fields around Cagny where, in the Weeks after D-Day, the Irish Guards saw action as an armoured unit in their Sherman Tanks. In particular the group focused on Killyleagh man Lt John Gorman MC and his amazing action when encountered by the German King Tiger Tank.
Before leaving Normandy they made one final Cemetery visit where they laid crosses onto the graves of fallen Irish Guardsmen and held a short act of remembrance.

Shamrock Venture 18 was a great success and the group are very grateful to their Battalion for their Support in making it happen. They also would like to thank the Irish Guards, SW London ACF, Beds & Herts ACF, RFCA NI and Troop logos…and of course all the Parents, Guardians and friends who supported theirr fundraising efforts towards the trip.
Finally, to all those men they had the honour to study and all the thousands of anonymous Heroes who we owe so much to – Thank You.

We Will Always Remember Them.