Next to the monument.

Plaque

A rectangular plaque honoring Captain John Drummond, whose aircraft was shot down in the village of Les Sillons on July 26, 1944. The plaque, written in French, features an image of Captain Drummond at the top. The plaque was unveiled on February 1, 2024.

By July 26, 1944, Captain John Drummond of the 510th Fighter Squadron, had flown 47 combat missions, including operations in support of D-day. While returning from a reconnaissance mission, Drummond spotted a German convoy and requested permission to engage. He dived towards his target, but enemy flak struck his P-47 Thunderbolt (serial number 42-27181), hitting the engine and forcing him to abandon the plane. He parachuted down as his fighter crashed and burned in the village of Giéville.

Captured by German forces, Drummond was sent to Stalag Luft I, a POW camp near Barth, Germany. Confined to North Compound 2, Barracks 4, Room 2, he spent ten long months as a prisoner, enduring the harsh conditions of wartime captivity. He was liberated as the war came to a close. Later, he was honored with numerous awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Hearts, and was invited back to Giéville for D-Day's 50th anniversary, where a parade and memorial were dedicated to him.

Source of information: www.ouest-france.fr, www.americanairmuseum.com

Source of photo: www.facebook.com/ 35 Santa Fe Division in Normandy

Le 26 juillet 1944,

un avion Américain est abattu

au village Les Sillons.

Le pilote John Drummond

est fait prisonnier.

Devenu sénateur de Caroline du

Sud aux USA, il a séjourné

à Giéville en 1996 et 1999.

English Translation:

On July 26, 1944,

an American plane was shot down

in the village of Les Sillons.

The pilot John Drummond

was taken prisoner.

Becoming senator of South Carolina in the

USA, he visited

in Giéville in 1996 and 1999.