Trowbridge Armed Forces Weekend 27/28th June 2009- 101st Airborne Div

Whilst most groups were doing their own things at events over the county, GI44-45 made their way to support the Armed forces weekend celebrations in Trowbridge .
It was a great opportunity to meet with members of the Great War Society, and some Brit re-enactors from the Wiltshires’, with a nice assortment of WW2 Vehicles.
This event was probably one of the most well attended events that I think I have been to. The public were really interested in our display, asked lots of questions, and made it so worthwhile that we totally fulfilled our mission statement (see our website if you want to know what it is!!!)

The best part of the weekend was the opportunity to meet up with some Veterans of WW2, Korea Malaya, as well as other post war theatres of war. It made it all worthwhile when all of them stated they thought what we were doing was a good thing, to educate the public and not let people forget.

Although I ended up with Jeep arse after driving 170 miles there and then back again, I think the weekend was well worth it.





Some of the veterans


Able Seaman Roland Smith, who served with the Royal Navy on LCT 549. We got talking to this lovely old man, when he noticed I had chalked on the jeep “LCT 498”. It turned out that he had crewed LCT 549 from about 1942 through to the wars’ end. He spent most of the time in Italy and recalls watching at Montgomery bollock Mark Clark with regard to some poor tactical decisions.

We remarked the Jeep, as a gesture of our respect. On Sunday Roland took the time to come back to the show and showed us a selection of photos taken on 21st May 1945 when as Storm wrecked a number of LCT’s on the Italian coast, his being one of the only LCT’s that survived.
Roland was a cheerful, modest old man, who I was really proud to have met. For me, meeting him and other vets, listening to their stories was the highlights of the weekend.






“Churchill” also turned up, and we were asked to chaperone him around the event and Trowbridge Town.

brill pics looks as though it was worthwhile and meeting veterans make this hobby all that more interesting just think in 40/50+ years the young generation may well be re-enacting the iraq and afghanistan wars and people like me will be veterans

Make sure you write everything down now!! Especially the important things like did you where OD7 or OD3 webbing!!!!

dpm desert or green thank god we only have two types of camo not like the yanks omg last count was 8 i think

Good pics Paul!

Good weekend. Thse pics however don't capture just how much public where there!!!

Thanks for posting the Pics. Meeting Roland was the high point for me, he told me that he had not taken those Pics. out of the envelope since the war but he wanted to show us.