The following projects share a common heritage and draw upon the preparations for, and the operation of, Operation Overlord and Neptune – the Liberation of Mainland Europe 1944.
Having visited Normandy for many years to attend D-Day Commemoration Services, the founder of The Churchill Leadership Challenge became aware of a mounting desire on the part of concerned French Citizens and D-Day Organisations to try to ensure that coming generations both at home and abroad are aware of the sacrifice and price paid by those who trod before them to ensure their liberty and freedom, facets of life that are all too easy to take for granted – yet in reality – cost so dearly.
Upon sharing those concerns, the founder, whose father was the engineer responsible for the 18 Assault Landing Craft of 557 Flotilla that landed troops at Juno Beach on H-Hour, D-Day, felt compelled to use his design experience and knowledge of Operation Overload and Neptune to develop programmes specifically designed to ‘Bridge the Generations’… i.e. generate awareness and understanding across the generational divide, and thereby respect and pride – by and for – both parties.
Close cross-channel cooperation and friendship led to the following projects making the drawing board, time and effort will determine the outcome!
Project 1131
Project 1131 relates to the mystery of LCA 1131, one of 18 LCAs of Landing Craft Assault Flotilla 557 launched from Llangibby Castle, 06:25hrs, H-Hour on D-Day, 06-06-1944 to kick start the landing of 14,000 Canadian and 6,400 British troops on Juno Beach.
The mystery of Assault Landing Craft 1131 lay hidden in a Secret D-Day Diary for 80 years, but soon this emotive story will be told:
Assault Landing Craft 1131 – The D-Day Heroine of Juno Beech – the Boat that Hitler COULD NOT SINK!
Yet she lies under 30m of water somewhere off the Normandy Coast! How? Why? Where? When? The world deserves to know!
And what of Canada’s Secret D-Day Super Hero, and Great Britain’s Secret D-Day Super Hero, both of whom sailed with 557 Flotilla to liberate France – it is time Normandy, France the World knew about these ‘as yet’ Unknown Warriors of D-Day!
Thus the Legend of LCA 1131 will soon be known the length of the Invasion Beaches, and building upon that legend, the Next Generation 1131 Mobile-Memorial Challenge will lay down the challenge to young volunteers right across the Four D-Day Nations to join forces to help re-construct LCA 1131 as an ACTIVE MOBILE D-DAY Memorial!
During WW2 LCAs were built in Teesside, Northeast England, now that will happen again thanks to Project 1131! The inspiration behind offering that opportunity to 4-Nation youngsters came from seeing 140 Young Canadians of the Burlington Teen Tour Marching Band perform at the 2024 Juno Commemorations, and crucially, learning that everyone in the band had raised the money themselves to travel from Canada to Courseulles-sur-Mer!
The intent being that this over-seas contingent will join UK students, less-advantaged youngsters and Help for Heroes’ Recoverees; benefit from acquiring new transferable skills; develop as individuals, and hopefully, take full advantage of the massive publicity that the endeavour will generate to help them Turbocharge their Resume to help them Find’nEarn that Dream Job!
The 4 Nation Band of Brothers Challenge
The Service Heroes – D-Day Dive – 4 Nation Challenge throws down the gauntlet to Help for Heroes’ Recoverees from Britain and recovering ex-service colleagues from France, Canada and America to take on the highest level of military deep water survival training to dive to the seabed 7 miles off Juno Beach to the believed resting place of 1131! Once located, the challengees, and their subsequent annual contingents, will be invited to dive to LCA 1131 on each Anniversary of D-Day to lay a Commemorative Wreath.
This project is designed to aid the physical/mental recovery of all those taking part. The Challenge hopes to recruit the Royal Marines to oversee the required specialist deep-sea training. All the LCAs from Landing Craft Assault Flotilla 557 were manned by Royal Marines, the very first time Marines took that task on, brought about by the shortage of Naval personnel. Since that time, the Royals have been responsible for all British boat landings, so their involvement would be highly symbolic!
The training and challenge of diving in open water to a depth of 90 feet should prove to the Recoverees that they are still physically and mentally capable of playing a vital role in society, proof positive of their character and potential for the years to come (especially employment wise). Confidence in LCA 1131’s resting place is not limited to a sonar trace, for its location is referenced within the D-Day Diary – within a particularly emotive passage. Once found the wreckage will not be interfered with in any way – 1131 will naturally be treated with the full reverence of a War Grave, even though it is known that no bodies are present.
The icing on the cake will be the moment the re-fabricated LCA 1131 Active Mobile D-Day Memorial craft is complete and can be taken to Normandy to tranship the 4-Nation Recoveree Divers out to the location of the original 1131 for the wreath service to take place. No doubt the emotion of the divers will be replicated by all those on the shore line gathered to witness the event.
The Churchill Leadership Challenge
A Life-Changing Heritage Adventure Expedition for Young People Across the World! This challenge throws down the gauntlet to young people to come together, learn about, and develop ‘the leadership skills required to successfully develop ‘The Career of their Dreams’. Studying the young volunteers inspired by Sir Winston’s emotive and desperate call to action in June 1940; visiting the West Highlands of Scotland where leadership skills were honed and refined in the most testing of environments; to touring the Beaches of Normandy, where in 1944 those skills were severely put to the test. A unique hands-on experience, culminating with a presentation to would-be, high-end employers in a bid to Find’nEarn that all-important early career break!
The Churchill Commando Challenge
This challenge will, by contrast, be pitched at those less fortunate to have enjoyed the best start in life, the hope being to encourage and foster a more productive lifestyle than was destined to ‘be their lot!’ A brash “could you have trained to be a commando?” heralds a stark ‘Red Rag to a Bull’ approach. The combined Leadership/ Commando Challenge unit will take on (a much modified) Commando Training Regime, which will, never the less, be an eye-opening experience in the wilds of the Scottish West Highlands, whilst allowing the ‘Leaders’ (their young Churchill Leadership Challenge mentors) to master that Churchillian Characteristic as they seek to guide their young would-be Commando Colleagues!
Ukraine... Will We Ever Learn?
The nations of the world should be collectively embarrassed, seeing that 80 years on, a tyrannical, barbaric regime should once again believe it can attack a near by sovereign state with impunity.
“The only thing necessary for the Triumph of Evil is for Good Men to do Nothing!” Edmund Burke.
Despite the rejection of his endless warnings of Hitler’s true intent, upon being made PM, Winston Churchill took the weight of the entire world on his shoulders as he strove to liberate Europe.
How can we look veterans in the eye, when lessons of comrades who paid the ultimate price are simply ignored?
The Churchill Leadership Challenge will reach out and offer Young Ukraine every opportunity to join forces with Young People of the Free World to show solidarity against evil, cruelty and repression.
