MLU meetup Normandy: 4 June 2024

[Hanno Spoelstra]

All,

Just like in 2019, we are planning for a Maple Leaf Up meetup in Normandy next year.

This thread is to gauge interest in a gathering of Canadian and British WW2 military vehicle enthusiasts in June 2024. If there is, we need to collectively pinpoint a date and location best suited. In 2019, we used the overflow car park at Longues sur Mer where a bunch of friends of mine set up camp every year. As that site has been redeveloped, were are now looking out for a new venue. Pieter Bergman has already done some reccying this year.

So please help to determine a suitable:

1. Date: I think Friday 7 June could be a good date - let me know if this collides with any major events.
2. Location: any large car park or publicly accessible field in the British and Canadian sector could suit our needs. Please let me know if you know of any location that could work.

As this is an informal gathering, I do not plan to formally organise this with permits and all (yes, I know we're in France). One should see this as an impromptu gathering, just a couple of dozen vehicles just happening to pull up in on the same day and location for a few hours.

Thanks in advance!

[svdwal]

Sounds great to me, i´ll try to be there.
Depending on a place to stay, the location we would stay is currently uncertain so i´m on the lookout for another place to stay a few days with my kids....

Rgds.

Sjoerd

[Lars R.]

Sounds good!

I know there is a general G503 Jeep meet "next door" at Luc-sur-Mer planned for the 7th at 16:00. Well, if the "Canucks", say, meet for a luncheon at Courseulles-sur-Mer (in the parking at Quai des Freres Laberques) next to the Memorial Canadien, that might work. And then the Jeeps move on to Luc? I know France, but maybe the Centre Juno Beach supports it or even Canadian officials?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

As you may have heard, the Batterie de Longues site has been remodeled. The field behind the tourist office has now been transformed into a large car park, and the tourist office was replaced by a new building.

At this point in time, the municipality of Longues sur Mer is offering a field behind the batteries to set up our small camp where we can host the MLU Meetup.

Date is set for the morning of 7 June, which we think can dovetail with other events in the afternoon at Arromanches and Port en Bessin. We may want to reconsider, but as the week of 6 June is crammed with events it may be a matter of making the right choices.

Stay tuned and keep us posted if you plan on attending!


Source: https://actu.fr/normandie/longues-su..._30512179.html

[Barry Churcher]

Beste Hanno
We want to thank Stefan for doing all the leg work and it looks like there will be four more MLU members in Normandy this year. Stefan Leegwater, Brian Gough, Les Fisher and myself have made plans to attend so hopefully we can meet up with the rest of you.
Cheers
Barry

[Alastair Thomas]

Thanks Stefan,
We would like to attend in three qualifying vehicles:
F60S
Lynx I MkIII*
Morris CS8

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Beste Hanno
We want to thank Stefan for doing all the leg work and it looks like there will be four more MLU members in Normandy this year. Stefan Leegwater, Brian Gough, Les Fisher and myself have made plans to attend so hopefully we can meet up with the rest of you.
Cheers
Barry

Hello Barry, good to hear you are coming over to Normandy with Brian, Les and Stefan. Will see you there!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

Thanks Stefan,
We would like to attend in three qualifying vehicles:
F60S
Lynx I MkIII*
Morris CS8

Hello Alistair, Stefan is handling three Canadian visitors, I’m handling the MLU Meetup. Looking forward to seeing you again!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

At our Longues sur Mer camp meeting yesterday we discussed the options for organising the MLU Meetup. With too many things going on during 6-7-8 June, we decided to reschedule the meeting to Tuesday 4 June at 10:00 hrs.

The location will be the field next to where the Meetup was 5 years ago.

More info will follow later.

Looking forward to meeting you there!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here's a link to the official French website with all the information for the 80th commemoration events:

https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/hig...rsary-of-d-day

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Update:

• Please read the instructions and see the maps below. Let me know if you have any remaining questions.

Type of event:

• Informal gathering for MLU members, families & enthusiasts of Canadian and British WW2 military vehicles in a "cars & coffee" setting.
• There are not a lot of formalities, other than:

1. Only Canadian and British vehicles manufactured before the end of World War 2 are allowed entry onto our camp site. This includes bicycles and motorcycles of course.
2. Please follow the directions on where to park - see traffic flow below.
3. Period clothing is welcomed, but this is a vehicle event, not a reenactment event.
4. This is not a car boot sale/ militaria fair, so don't expect your can turn up with a trailer full of parts and set up a stall.
5. Be kind and courteous to the participants and public, don't litter etc. (apply your common sense).

Note: if we are able to run this event with minimal nuisance to the village, we may well be invited to organise this event at this site in the future.

Registration:

• Please post in this thread which vehicle(s) with how many people your will be bringing to the event (if not already done so).
• There is no formal registration fee, but we will be setting up a tip jar as a "thank you" for the farmer who has made this field available for our event.

Timing:

• Start: you are welcome from 10:00 hrs onwards.
• End: we expect most participants will leave around 14:00 hrs. By 16:00 hrs the field needs to be cleared.

Traffic flow:

1. When driving up to the Batterie du Longues sur Mer, coming from the village you will drive up the road called Rue de La Mer.
2. Turn left, drive past the Parking and follow the road until you are waved into the entry into our camp site at the green arrow.
3. The vehicle line up will be along the orange line.
4. Exit will the at the light blue arrow.

Note: please park your non-Commonwealth and other vehicles at the Parking (circled in red) and walk up to the Camp site.

Camp site:

• Our camp will be situated in the triangular field - see the yellow lines - just behind the bunker line. You are welcome to have a look.

Support:

• We could do with some help from MLU members to direct traffic and maybe some other activities. So if you plan on attending and are willing to help out, please drop me an email.

Looking forward to meeting you there!




Inbound traffic flow for Canadian and British made vehicles:




Inbound traffic flow for other vehicles:

[cordenj]

Hi Hanno,

I plan to be there with the C8a ZL.
With one passenger.
Thanks
John

[Tim Bates]

Hi Hanno

Plan to be there with the F15 & a Bedford MW (four people) There will also be a dodge with us, but they will park as per the guidance (four people)

Thanks Tim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Attached are some snaps of the MLU meetup at Longues-sur-Mer a week ago.

[Alex van de Wetering]

I think we can all agree the meeting was a big success. Well done, Hanno!

[Alex van de Wetering]

It was a great sight seeing all the Canadian and Commonwelath vehicles together, just behind the Longues-sur-Mer battery. I met up with Stefan, Barry, Brian, JohnC, Nick, Pieter, Egbert, Danny, Sanne and of course Hanno. There was so much to see and people to talk to, that I missed meeting up with James and Maurice......and I didn't have a chance to talk to the owner of the Cab12 C8, a close relative to my still unfinished Cab 11 C8!

[Alex van de Wetering]

John, thanks for bringing the Chore Horse!

Barry, Brian; it was great seeing you again......I can't believe it's been 4 years!

I hope the owner of the woody Snipe returned home safely(?)

[m606paz]

Beautiful meeting! Sad sad for not being there this year.