Monument to Lancaster bomber crew
On D-Day (6 June 1944) a Lancaster bomber of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was shot down and crashed in a field near Cerisy-la-Salle. All seven of the crew perished: the pilot was Australian, the other crew British. There is now a memorial to the crew Cerisy-la-Salle (at the foot of the hill on the crossroads of the D29 and D229). Each year there is a ceremony organised by Hilary Thompson to commemorate the crew. The local band leads a parade of veterans carrying their flags, wreaths are laid, the names of the crew read out and a small cross laid next to each name. To close the event glass of friendship is offered.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 8 June 2011)
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 8 June 2014)
Robert Elcombe was one of the crew who died, aged 18. In 2015 his nephwe David Elcombe, was present for the first time with his wife Jenny and laid a small cross against his uncle's name.
Lancaster bomber crew (Memorial Ceremony 7 June 2015)