This page was originally published on July 18th, 2019. It was updated to include becki's Facebook Album of photos on April 30th 2020.
On June 30th, 2019. I set off to Caen with Miss Becki Short, Portsmouth's very own highly talented 1940s style singer and professional photographer Julie Cottrell to Caen. We are hoping to be able to use some of Julie's photographs, but in the meantime this blog post has photos taken by myself and links to the videos taken of Becki's performances at the various venues around Caen we visited.
Brittany Ferries supplied the tickets for this visit to Caen, to help us mark the 75th year of D-Day and to get some useful publicity photographs of both the Caen area and Becki singing in Caen.
Arriving very early in Caen's port of Ouistreham Riva-Bella we went on a little visit first to that evening's concert venue and then onto Sword beach and 'Le Grand Bunker' in Ouistreham, a museum made out of an actual Nazi bunker. It was still too early to visit this museum.
Below a gallery of images taken in Ouistreham Riva-Bella (Sword beach, Le Grand Bunker etc)
We were initially hosted by the café "Les 3 planeurs' in Bénouvulle, right next to the iconic Pegasus Bridge and opposite Café Gondrée, still to this day in the same family as those who were the first French family liberated at just a few minutes past midnight on June 6th, 1944.
Below some images taken in and around the café 'les 3 planeurs'
We then had a visit of the Mémorial Pegasus Museum in Ranville (just across the Pegasus bridge itself)
A very well thought out and planned museum, which tells the story of the D-Day landings across Normandy and, of course in particular the capture of that pivotal and vital bridge in those first few moments on that 'longest day'. The museum includes replicas of the Horsa gliders that landed next to the bridge, designed by Nevil Shute-Norway in Hilsea, Portsmouth.
Below images taken at the Pegasus Museum in Ranville
A drive up to Bayeux next to visit a few of the main locations in the first French town to be liberated after D-Day.
Below images taken of Bayeux Cathedral, The tapestry museum and chapel and the watermill near the museum.
Up to Arromanches-Les-Bains, for a lunchtime appointment at the Café "Les bains d'été" on quayside at Arromanches, where the remains of the Mulberry Harbour built in Southern England and towed across the channel, can still be seen to this day.
This was where Becki did her first mini concert... while people lunched in Arromanches.
Becki performs - 'Unforgettable'
Becki performs - 'Stella by Starlight'
Becki performs - 'The nearness of you'
Becki performs - 'Let there be love'
Then into Caen where we were welcome at the unusually named 'Greedy Guts' vegan café in Caen City Centre. Merci Diana de votre accueil si chaleureux...
Becki performs - 'Is you is, or is you aint my baby?'
Becki performs - 'All of me'
Becki performs - 'Sway'
Becki performs - 'Somewhere beyond the sea'
Becki performs - 'L.O.V.E.'
Becki performs - 'Chatanooga Choo-Choo'
Becki performs - 'Dream a little dream'
Once more on the move, this time back to Ouistreham Riva-Bella, where Becki put on a 2 hour show for the members of the Comité de jumelage Caen-Portsmouth who had generously given up their time to organise this venue at Karine Saporta's studio - Le dansoir. Attended by the town's mayor - Romain Bail.
Becki performs - 'I dreamed a dream'
Becki performs - 'You'll never walk alone'
Becki performs - 'I'd give my life for you'
Becki performs - 'Beauty and the beast'
Becki performs - 'At last & Moon river'
Becki performs - 'The Co-op shop'
Becki performs - 'It's a long way to Tipperary'
Becki performs - 'Sing as we go'
Becki performs - 'Blue Skies, Mr Sandman & Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy'
Becki performs - 'Heaven & I've got rhythm'
Becki performs - 'Sally'
Afterwards an apéro at a member of Caen's twinning committee's home near the beach in Ouistreham with their town's mayor in his weekend wear.
Below a few photos taken in Ouistreham Riva-Bella that evening.
Many thanks to Brittany Ferries for their invaluable help with this promotional journey.
This post will be updated, if any news on other photos is forthcoming.
Becki's Facebook Gallery of Photos is now featured below.
