Page 41 - QARANC Vol 17 No 2 2019
P. 41

                                  The Gazette QARANC Association 39
 Alan and Linda with Joan, commemorating the QARANC’s 70th birthday!
hands-on experience with.
Our displays include attending
schools to talk about the Great War and WW2, giving children the chance to touch and feel the genuine period equipment that our brave soldiers used. The children are encouraged to sit in these vehicles and pretend to look after wounded soldiers, as well as participating in a ‘stretcher run’, enabling team cohesion and problem- solving skills.
Our Austin K2 ambulance has a remarkable history. In 1944 she was sent to Normandy during the allied landings with the 53rd Welsh Division, landing on Gold Beach. British Forces were eventually successful at taking this beach and pushed the enemy back at great cost to life. As you are aware on 6 June 2019 there was a great celebration on the Normandy beaches, marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. We took our ambulance called Joan (named after my mother) back to that very beach as part of the commemoration.
We had a very successful pilgrimage to Normandy, and what a fantastic and emotional experience it was. Unfortunately, the low-loader that we booked to take Joan the ambulance, let us down, so we had to drive her from Wigan to Portsmouth and return. Despite four breakdowns during the trip Joan performed well, considering that
Alan driving Joan
 


























































































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