Ever seen a propeller blade in a cemetery before? This certainly is far enough out of the norm to attract attention.
The blade and memorial are at Saint-Radegonde Church in Giverny. It seems that a Royal Air Force plane crashed here on June 7/8, 1944, and killed all seven of its crew. Notice the date - it was less than 48 hours after the start of D-Day.
The seven men are buried nearby, and their story is well told on the monument. The group grave stands out because of the British flags surrounding the grave.
I can't imagine what it was like to be liberated from German occupation after about four years, and there's another monument nearby that recognizes the sacrifice of local residents who died during the war. It's good to see the village saluting those who paid the ultimate price to make them happen.
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