Two D-Day veterans return to Normandy
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| 1. Two D-Day Veterans at Sword Beach (7 June 2004) George Dooley (left) and Jim Tweedie (right) They served with 2nd Bn. East Yorks. Regt. during WW2 [George and Jim landed at Sword Beach on 6 June 1944] |
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| 2. George Dooley (2nd left) and soldiers in WW2 uniforms 60th anniversary exhibition of the Normandy Landings [E. Leclerc supermarket, Bayeux (4 June 2004)] |
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| 3. Headstone of Pte. Peter Scholes, East Yorks. Regt. Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, France [Peter Scholes was killed on D-Day, 6 June 1944] |
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| 4. Jim Tweedie at the grave of his pal, Pete Scholes Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, France (7 June 2004) [A final visit to the grave of a good pal of the war years] |
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posted by ritsonvaljos at 12:20 am
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Additional information
A 60th anniversary pilgrimage to Normandy
George Dooley from Bradford, West Yorkshire and Jim Tweedie from Whitehaven, Cumbria were two of the Normandy Veterans who returned to Normandy for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Normandy Landings in June 2004. They took part in several organised events attended by Heads of State and political leaders of the wartime Allied nations including Bayeux, Caen and Arromanches.
Many of the Normandy Veterans were able to revisit some of the places they had passed through 60 years earlier in the summer of 1944. During WW2 George Dooley and Jim Tweedie served in No. 7 Platoon, A Company, 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment which formed part of the British 3rd Infantry Division. On Monday 7th June 2004 George and Jim were able to visit Sword Beach [Photograph No. 1].
The scene was rather different from their first visit to Sword Beach on Wednesday 6 June 1944. In 1944 they were under fire from the German defenders of Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’. In 2004 George and Jim stood on a beach where families were sunbathing and children were able to build sandcastles and bathe in the sea. Here was a visible sign that the freedom that had been won at the cost of many lives had been long lasting.
Many of the communities and businesses in Normandy marked the 60th anniversary of the Allied Landings by hosting special events. One of these was at the E. Leclerc supermarket on the Boulevard du 6 juin at Bayeux (Calvados). There was a special display welcoming the sp which had a display welcoming “our Liberators”, with a WW2 jeep, artefacts and soldiers in WW2 battledress inside the store. When George and Jim visited the store to buy a few items it was a pleasant surprise to find the soldiers were wearing the uniform of infantrymen from their old battalion – 2nd East Yorkshire Regiment. A photograph of George with his new East Yorkshire comrades-in-arms can be seen above [Photograph No. 2].
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A poignant visit to Ranville War Cemetery
One of George’s closest pals in the platoon was Private Peter (‘Pete’) Scholes of Leeds, West Yorkshire, who was killed in action shortly after they landed in Normandy. Pete was 20 years old when he died. After leaving Sword Beach George and Jim made their way to Ranville War Cemetery where Pete Scholes is buried (Grave Reference I.B.19).
No words were spoken and none were necessary for this poignant visit. This was a day when a silent prayer and private thoughts would suffice. George Dooley placed a cross of poppies on Pete Scholes’ grave [Photograph No. 3]. The inscription simply said “Pete from George and Jim, R.I.P.” They then had their photographs taken – the one of Jim Tweedie at Ranville Cemetery can be seen above [Photograph No. 4]. The following day they returned home.
This would be the last visit George and Jim would ever make to the grave of their pal, Pete Scholes. George and Jim have both since passed away without ever visiting Normandy again. This may have been the last place that George and Jim visited in Normandy but it was fitting that they should honour their best pal who died on the first day of the Allied invasion.
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CWGC citation (Private Peter Scholes)
Peter Scholes’ brother (Fusilier Jack Scholes) also lost his life while serving in Burma (18 February 1943). Jack Scholes has no known grave and is remembered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Rangoon Memorial.
Below is the CWGC citation for Pete Scholes:
Name: Scholes, Peter
Rank: Private
Service No.: 4546584
Date of death: 06/06/1944
Age: 20
Regiment / Service: East Yorkshire Regiment, 2nd Bn.
Grave Reference: I.B. 19
Cemetery: RANVILLE WAR CEMETERY, Calvados (France)
Additional information: Son of John William and Mary Jane Scholes, of Leeds, Yorkshire. His brother Jack also fell.
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Dedication
This article is dedicated to Pete Scholes, killed in action in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944 and to his good pals, George Dooley and Jim Tweedie who have both now passed away.
“Worthy of Remembrance”
To read an earlier article about George Dooley and Jim Tweedie on the BBC “People’s War” website, click on the link below:
George Dooley and Jim Tweedie (BBC People’s War article)
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Thank you for this wonderful article and photos. I'm so proud of my dad George Dooley and this is a lovely tribute not only to him but all who served in WWII. Thank you
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