hi there, i'm new to the forum and this is in fact my first use of any forum anywhere, ever. so i'm new at it.
i was recently in normand visiting d-day battle monuments, batteries, and museums. and i met a dutch man who told me about the old 6th engineers special brigade monument in vierville sur mer, he showed me a photo of it in 1944 and one today, it's in a terrible state! he is trying to get some interest up in restoring the original monument and perhaps replacing it in a location where it can bee found or opening the road where it is.
i will try to insert some photos:
the first photo is the monument as it looked in 1944 and the second is one i shot last week in vierville when i was there.
oroginally the monument was placed on the beach, but at some time a dyke needed to be built to protect the cliffs and road and , as the monument was right in the path of the proposed dyke then it was moved with a cerimony. sadly it was moved to the end of a small road off of the round-about (rotary) in front of now prominent omaha beach monument. the road begins in st laurent and dead-ends about 200 yards later in vierville. at some point the town of vierville decided to cease maintainence on this road and placed a chain accross the road with a sign implying roadworks where in progress.
since then the monument has had all of its plaques, insriptions and lettering removed and the road has become overgrown to the point where no one would give it a passing glance had they not it was there or what was at the end of it.
i don't know if anyone is interested in this cause or not or if the new monument is good enough, or whatever but there is someone, in france, that would like to see it restored and advertised. if you would like to have this man's email address or know more then reply, maybe you'll know what has to be done--
thanks-- dave