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THE SMASHED LOCK

This article was published in a Normandy newspaper in June 1995

Although it appears in French, a translation is provided below.

In June 1944 he had smashed the lock of the family Frigoult at La Bastille. 52 years later he returned and offered a new lock.

Parachuted like the thousands of others before dawn on June 6, OB Hill dropped into water up to his belt, in the watery marshes at Vienville. After one, then six, then 44 of his comrades, they had their first contact with the enemy. How were they going to regroup and evict the German forces stationed on both sides f the bridge.

The lock which fell on the field of honor

After they skirted round the village of La Bastille, their group found the garden at the back of the house of the family Frigoult. An observation place was imperative to observe the main road and OB Hill is charged with three

comrades to pene-trate inside the house and find a place to observe the surrounding area from the first floor [in Europe that is the floor above the ground floor]. After knocking no response was heard, he fired into the lock which broke the first time. The bullet damaged the doorframe, scratched the stairs, and finished its course in the wall where it still is today. The family Frigoult was terrified. The building at the side of the Cafe-Grocers "Bisson" burnt when it was hit by an incendiary shell from the Germans. After they had destroyed three German tanks which had arrived from Beuzeville, the group of parachutists left the premises.
 


Each recover their own 52 years later

At last cloth without ration tickets

During the first lull, the family Frigoult discovered immense pieces of cloth of exceptional finesse (quality), the parachutes, abandoned all around. In this time of need, it is manna from heaven. The agile fingers of the women dress-

makers quickly made dresses and nightdresses. For Marie-Louise Frigoult, she made a dress embroid-ered well. For making the embroid -ery, they utilized the rigging lines of the parachutes, these lines were unraveled for the embroidery. These parachutes were found white, the dress has been dyed pink.
 
The good exchange procedure
In the course of his 17 visits to France, OB Hill had tried to make contact with Marie-Louise Frigoult. Due to the chances of life, this contact has not been made until the last year. On his second visit, OB Hill feeling an obligation to repair the damage, offered a new lock, while Marie-Louise offered the dress which will now be on display in the U.S. Museum dedicated to the 2nd World War. As for the stairs, their status is a representative as a victim of war.
 

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