Early Bird
Royal Signaller recreates first
message back from D-Day beaches
A Royal Signaller serving with
Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction
Corps has re-enacted sending the
first message back from the D-Day
beaches – by releasing a pigeon from
France on the 75th anniversary of the
Normandy landings.
Signaller Harry Swann from 252 Signal
Squadron – dressed in full WW2
uniform – released ‘Bernard’ from
Sword Beach in Normandy to re-enact
the first message sent by homing
pigeon on D-Day.
In June 1944, the Allied Rapid Reaction
Corps – as the British ‘I Corps’ – led
thousands of multi-national troops
landing on Sword and Juno beaches
in Normandy. To mark ‘D-Day 75’ this
year, troops from the modern-day
Corps headquarters returned to
France with members of the Royal
Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA).
75 years on, at the precise time and
place, Signaller Swann released the
pigeon from the seaside resort of
Hermanville-sur-Mer back to the UK to
represent the moment when the first
troops had come ashore.
WINGING IT
24-year-old Signaller Swann works
within the NATO headquarters as an
Installation Technician.
@HQARRC
Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
Dressed in authentic WW2 uniform, on
loan from the Royal Signals Museum
in Blandford, the Royal Signaller
completed his own personal ‘D-Day’
journey by sailing across from Gosport
to Normandy.
He said: “It’s awesome to be here, to
say the least. I’m proud to be able to
complete this small act, to honour
those soldiers who originally landed
here.”
Sword Beach in Normandy today
PIGEON VOYAGEUR
Carrier pigeons played a vital part
in both world wars acting as military
messengers with their homing ability
and speed. Over 100,000 pigeons
were used by British troops with a
success rate of 95% in delivering their
messages.
Richard Cambers of the RPRA said:
“The number one reason they used
pigeons on D-Day was because of
their homing instinct.
The number one
reason they used
pigeons on D-Day
was because
of their homing
instinct.
“A pigeon has got a tremendous ability
to find its way back to a central location
where it lives. Not much fazes them,
they want to get back home, they
have a really big incentive to get back
home – be that for food, be that for their
partners, etcetera. And in the Second
World War it was to serve their country.
“With all the shells going off, with all
the chaos of gunfire and being so
exposed in the open air, these birds
would just go through it. So, it’s really
important that they did that and they
did their duty.
“It has been incredible to recreate
the iconic scene on Sword Beach
75 years on.
“Working with NATO’s Allied Rapid
Reaction Corps we have been able to
further commemorate and highlight
the crucial role racing pigeons played
in wartime.”
To watch the video of the pigeon
release from Sword Beach visit
www.arrc.nato.int
the imjin AUTUMN 2019
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