“The Greatest Day Since 1066”: D-Day Army Officer

VaselineJune 7, 2024

0 2 minutes read

“The Greatest Day Since 1066”: D-Day Army Officer

4 hours ago

A diary of an army officer involved in D-Day described the World War II landings in Normandy as “the greatest day since 1066”.

Jack Parham, who grew up on a farm in rural Wiltshire, kept a tiny, meticulous pocket diary with sketches of his involvement in the conflict.

He landed on the afternoon of D-Day, 1944, coordinating and leading the troops.

His diary is now held by the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre. Ruth Butler, center, called him “the consummate artist, inventor, and soldier.”

image source, Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

image caption, Jack Parham started in the army during World War I and was a major general by 1945

Jack Parham was a brigadier at the time of D-Day, having started in the army in the First World War. He was promoted in the interwar years and by the end of World War II, he had become a major general.

He liked to record things, even though the journal was “very small, it’s a pocket journal, it crams in a lot of information.”

Ms Butler explained that the entries are “very, very real”.

“The fact that you see this little pocket journal … it’s well worn, well scribbled and has all kinds of information on the front covers,” she added.

image caption, Ruth Butler from the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

Brig Parham wrote everything down, even going back and adding annotations where he felt something needed to be added.

He also sketched – with caption.

That includes the camper he stayed in to go and meet troops and lots of planes.

image caption, He captioned his sketches, like this one of his trailer “from just before D-Day” to June 25, 1945

Brig Parham was a big fan of airplanes, including aerial photography, which he pushed as a way to help the military.

“He basically sketched every airplane built from 1911 on,” Ms. Butler said.

“Here’s a young teenager thinking that aerial photography is going to be really useful – he’s getting pilots to take him up on it.”

She explained that he also learned to fly and navigate, revolutionizing the way artillery worked, using aerial observation to conduct barrages and map the terrain.

image source, Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

image caption, Mr. Parham enjoyed sketching, especially airplanes

“He was an incredible individual.”

Ms Butler said photos of him “always seem open and approachable”.

He eventually retired to Suffolk.

“When he died the obituaries were very warm, he was a very respected and loved officer and he just stuck,” she added.

More on this story

VaselineJune 7, 2024

0 2 minutes read