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Graham Hayes
Graham Hayes, MC (9 July 1914 – 13 July 1943) was a British commando in the Small Scale Raiding Force in the Second World War. Early life Hayes was the son of Herbert Charles and Lilian Grace Hayes, of Linton-on-Wharfe, Yorkshire. He was educated at Clayesmore School in Blandford, Dorset. His brother, Flying Officer Malcolm Cedric Hayes, also died on service in the Second World War. Pre-war activities Before the war, Hayes went to Mariehamn in Finland and signed onto the windjammer ''Pommern'', on which he sailed around the world via Cape Horn and Australia. This sea-faring experience was put to good use during his military career. Wartime activities Hayes was the third founding member of the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF), a unit formed around a small group of commandos under the command of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The commandos were formed in 1940 by order of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who called for specially trained troops who would "de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison ('' French Centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes'') is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. It comprises a large men's prison (''maison d'arrêt'') of about 1200 cells, a smaller one for women and a penitentiary hospital. Fresnes is one of the three main prisons of the Paris area, Fleury-Mérogis (Europe's largest prison) and La Santé (located in Paris) being the other two. History The prison was constructed between 1895 and 1898 according to a design devised by architect Henri Poussin. An example of the so-called "telephone-pole design," the facility was radically different from previous prisons. At Fresnes prison, for the first time, cell houses extended crosswise from a central corridor. The design was used extensively in North America for much of the next century. During World War II, Fresnes prison was used by the Germans to house captured British SOE agents and members of the French Resistance. Held ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements. Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it were sometimes referred to as the "Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office. SOE operated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises mainland Normandy (a part of France) and the Channel Islands (mostly the British Crown Dependencies). It covers . Its population is 3,499,280. The inhabitants of Normandy are known as Normans, and the region is the historic homeland of the Norman language. Large settlements include Rouen, Caen, Le Havre and Cherbourg. The cultural region of Normandy is roughly similar to the historical Duchy of Normandy, which includes small areas now part of the departments of Mayenne and Sarthe. The Channel Islands (French: ''Îles Anglo-Normandes'') are also historically part of Normandy; they cover and comprise two bailiwicks: Guernsey and Jersey, which are B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port En Bessin
Port-en-Bessin-Huppain () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. The commune contains the two towns of Port-en-Bessin and Huppain. Population History The name ''Huppain'' stems from Norse/Norwegian ''Oppheim'', reflecting the general Viking history of Normandy. The town was captured by Royal Marines of No. 47 (Royal Marine) Commando in Operation Aubery during the Normandy landings and used as the terminal for PLUTO (Pipe-Lines Under The Ocean). Media Port-en-Bessin was used to represent nearby Ouistreham in the 1962 film '' The Longest Day''. Sister cities * Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, (France), since 1976. See also * Communes of the Calvados department Gallery File:Ancien château de Villiers-sur-Port à Huppain.jpg, Château de Villiers-sur-Port File:Ancienne église de Villiers-sur-Port à Huppain.jpg, Église Saint-Nicolas de Villiers-sur-Port Image:Georges Seurat 011.jpg, ''Bridge and port of Port ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes
Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Aure sur Mer. History World War II On 13 September 1942 13 British commandos landed at night near Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes from a Motor Torpedo Boat in Operation Aquatint, a reconnaissance mission to collect information about the surrounding area, and took a German guard prisoner.Operation Aquatint Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is located at the eastern end of Omaha Beach, one of the landings sites on D-Day, 6 June 1944, at the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, during World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing .... Population See also * Communes of the Calvados department History ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Aquatint
Operation Aquatint was the codename for a failed raid by British Commandos on the coast of occupied France during the Second World War. The raid was undertaken in September 1942 on part of what later became Omaha Beach by No. 62 Commando, also known as the Small Scale Raiding Force. Prior to the operation, a raid on the French coastal town of Dieppe had placed the German occupying forces on a high state of alert, and this ultimately contributed to Aquatint's failure. The commandos were also unable to identify their correct landing place due to the darkness. Within minutes of landing, the raiding party was ambushed by a German patrol and forced to try to reach their Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) transport. The MTB was located and engaged by the German shore batteries, which damaged and broke one of its engines. It was forced to withdraw, leaving the commandos behind. At the end of the raid those commandos who had not been killed all became prisoners of war. Only five of the raidin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of , and with a population of over 225 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Nigeria is a federal republic comprising of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the second-largest in Africa. Nigeria has been home to several indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms since the second millennium BC, with the Nok civilization in the 15th century BC, marking the first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 following the Government of Nigeria, government's decision to move their capital to Abuja in the center of the country. The Lagos metropolitan area has a total Population and housing censuses by country, population of roughly 23.5 million as of 2018, making it List of urban areas in Africa by population, the largest metropolitan area in Africa. Lagos is a major African financial center and is the economic hub of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. The city has been described as the cultural, financial, and entertainment capital of Africa, and is a significant influence on commerce, entertainment, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, and fashion. Lagos is also among the top ten of the world's fast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bioko
Bioko (; historically Fernando Po; bvb, Ëtulá Ëria) is an island off the west coast of Africa and the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Its population was 335,048 at the 2015 census and it covers an area of . The island is located off the Ambazonian segment of Cameroon, in the Bight of Biafra portion of the Gulf of Guinea. Its geology is volcanic; its highest peak is Pico Basile at . Malabo, on the north coast of the island, is the capital city of Equatorial Guinea. Etymology Bioko's native name is ''Ëtulá Ëria'' in the Bube language. For nearly 500 years, the island was known as ''Fernando Po'' ( pt, Fernando Pó, links=no; es, Fernando Poo, links=no), named for Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó. Between 1973 and 1979 the island was named ''Macías Nguema Biyogo'' after the then president of Equatorial Guinea; the current name, Bioko, dates from 1979 and is in honour of politician Cristino Seriche Bioko. Geography Bioko has a total area of . It is long ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fernando Po Island
Bioko (; historically Fernando Po; bvb, Ëtulá Ëria) is an island off the west coast of Africa and the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Its population was 335,048 at the 2015 census and it covers an area of . The island is located off the Ambazonian segment of Cameroon, in the Bight of Biafra portion of the Gulf of Guinea. Its geology is volcanic; its highest peak is Pico Basile at . Malabo, on the north coast of the island, is the capital city of Equatorial Guinea. Etymology Bioko's native name is ''Ëtulá Ëria'' in the Bube language. For nearly 500 years, the island was known as ''Fernando Po'' ( pt, Fernando Pó, links=no; es, Fernando Poo, links=no), named for Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó. Between 1973 and 1979 the island was named ''Macías Nguema Biyogo'' after the then president of Equatorial Guinea; the current name, Bioko, dates from 1979 and is in honour of politician Cristino Seriche Bioko. Geography Bioko has a total area of . It is long fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
