The Story of a Second World War Massacre and the Two Soldiers Who Survived
LATEST NEWS - Permanent Memorial To The 97
We are delighted to announce that the permanent memorial to the 97 soldiers who lost their lives at Le Paradis is now in place in Norwich Cathedral Close.
A short dedication service was held on May 27th, 2021 - the 81st anniversary of the massacre. This was followed on July 14th, 2021 by a further service attended by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal who laid a wreath to the memory of the 97.
In April 2022 a special evensong service was held in Norwich Cathedral attended by many dignitaries and descendants of those who died in the massacre.
We have a new gallery of photographs on the memorial from its preparation to its dedication. To see this click here. You can also view photographs taken at the dedication services by clicking here.
The memorial has the following wording:
To the memory of the 97 soldiers who died in the massacre on 27th May 1940 at Le Paradis Northern France.
The soldiers were drawn from 2nd Battalion the Royal Norfolk Regiment, 1st Battalion the Royal Scots and other British expeditionary force units.
You can find it in a bay close to the west door of Norwich Cathedral and near the memorial to Edith Cavell.
A short dedication service was held on May 27th, 2021 - the 81st anniversary of the massacre. This was followed on July 14th, 2021 by a further service attended by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal who laid a wreath to the memory of the 97.
In April 2022 a special evensong service was held in Norwich Cathedral attended by many dignitaries and descendants of those who died in the massacre.
We have a new gallery of photographs on the memorial from its preparation to its dedication. To see this click here. You can also view photographs taken at the dedication services by clicking here.
The memorial has the following wording:
To the memory of the 97 soldiers who died in the massacre on 27th May 1940 at Le Paradis Northern France.
The soldiers were drawn from 2nd Battalion the Royal Norfolk Regiment, 1st Battalion the Royal Scots and other British expeditionary force units.
You can find it in a bay close to the west door of Norwich Cathedral and near the memorial to Edith Cavell.
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Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal lays a wreath to the memory of the 97 at a special dedication ceremony in July, 2021, and above meets Le Paradis Memorial Appeal trustee Brigadier Max Mariner and Philip Curson whose father, Serjeant William Curson, was one of the British troops who died in the massacre.
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DEDICATION SERVICE AT NORWICH
As reported above, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal gave the memorial the Royal seal of approval by attending a special dedication service in July, 2021. You can see more photographs of this historic event by clicking here.
The Massacre at Le Paradis
This site is dedicated to the memory of the 97 soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Royal Norfolks and 1st Battalion The Royal Scots and other units who were massacred at Le Paradis in Northern France on 27th May, 1940, by troops from the German 3rd Company 1st Battalion 2nd SS Totenkopf Rifle Regiment.
It also features the soldiers who fought in defence of Le Paradis and the surrounding area. Some survived to tell their stories, others died in battle. The site is also dedicated to their memory.
Hell in Paradise looks at all aspects of the massacre - the men who sacrificed their lives, the background, the village of Le Paradis and, in particular, the story and memories of the two survivors - Private William "Bill" O'Callaghan from Dereham in Norfolk and Private Albert "Bert" Pooley from Southall in London. It also looks at the years after the massacre and the effect it had on families and those left behind.
The site has been put together thanks to the co-operation of experts on the subject, residents of the French village of Le Paradis, along with the families of Bill O'Callaghan and Bert Pooley and descendants of others who died in the massacre or who fought in the area in the days leading up to the event. Many of the documents and photographs featured have never been available to the public, including Private O'Callaghan's personal diaries.
The image further up this page was drawn by Captain Charles Long and is reproduced by kind permission of the Long Family. You can see more of Captain Long's art by clicking here.
To read about how this web site came into being click here. To read about the site launch click here.
Follow us on Facebook by clicking here
To view a full site index click here
It also features the soldiers who fought in defence of Le Paradis and the surrounding area. Some survived to tell their stories, others died in battle. The site is also dedicated to their memory.
Hell in Paradise looks at all aspects of the massacre - the men who sacrificed their lives, the background, the village of Le Paradis and, in particular, the story and memories of the two survivors - Private William "Bill" O'Callaghan from Dereham in Norfolk and Private Albert "Bert" Pooley from Southall in London. It also looks at the years after the massacre and the effect it had on families and those left behind.
The site has been put together thanks to the co-operation of experts on the subject, residents of the French village of Le Paradis, along with the families of Bill O'Callaghan and Bert Pooley and descendants of others who died in the massacre or who fought in the area in the days leading up to the event. Many of the documents and photographs featured have never been available to the public, including Private O'Callaghan's personal diaries.
The image further up this page was drawn by Captain Charles Long and is reproduced by kind permission of the Long Family. You can see more of Captain Long's art by clicking here.
To read about how this web site came into being click here. To read about the site launch click here.
Follow us on Facebook by clicking here
To view a full site index click here
"Although the sands of time run out
the sands of Dunkirk
will forever remain in our memories."
the sands of Dunkirk
will forever remain in our memories."
“The golden evening brightens in the west
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest
Alleluya! Alleluya!”
Verse six: For All the Saints (Sine Nomine): W. Walsham How 1823-97/ R Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest
Alleluya! Alleluya!”
Verse six: For All the Saints (Sine Nomine): W. Walsham How 1823-97/ R Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
New On The Site: To find out what has been recently added to the site click here.
NOTICE: Wherever possible we have endeavoured to obtain permission to use all material on this site. No violation of copyright or trademark is intended.