277 - A WHITE ENSIGN FLOWN FROM TANK LANDING CRAFT 506 AT JUNO BEACH, D-DAY, 6TH JUNE 1944

A WHITE ENSIGN FLOWN FROM TANK LANDING CRAFT 506 AT JUNO BEACH, D-DAY, 6TH JUNE 1944 printed over a single panel of cotton bunting, canvas sleeve with broad arrow mark and metal eyelet -- 27 x 54in. (68.5 x 137cm.); together with a service set of four medals comprising a 5th Republic Legion d'Honneur; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star with bar for France and Germany; 1939-45 War Medal and unofficial modern medals for 'D-Day' and the 'Liberation of Europe'; and a quantity of photos and ephemera about Winston Davidson's service and career (A lot) Provenance: Winston Davidson, bequeathed to the current owner. Winston Davidson (1925-2020) joined the Royal Navy as a stoker just prior to his 18th birthday in 1943. He served aboard the landing craft LCT506, which carried Canadian troops and tanks to Juno Beach during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. Several months later, on 1-8 November 1944, he and his crew were involved in the fighting at the Walcheren Islands in Belgium. Their landing craft was ordered to transport troops and armour as part of Operation Infatuate. The fighting around Walcheren was an important part of the wider Battle of the Scheldt. Although it is less well remembered today, the operation was vital because German forces still controlled the approaches to the port of Antwerp. Removing them allowed the Allies to use Antwerp to supply their advancing armies. Towards the end of the war, Winston travelled to Bordeaux in southern France where he helped hand over his landing craft to the French; he kept this ensign as a souvenir of his service and left the Navy in 1946 to work for Burnley Borough Council until he retired.