Pegasus Battlefield Tours

18/07/2026

Fashion designer Hardy Amies was born on this day in 1909 - dressmaker to the Queen, costume designer for '2001: A Space Odyssey' - and - Second World War spy (!)

In peacetime, Hardy had been primarily concerned with sartorial innovations such as lowering the waistline of women's suits. Yet at the outbreak of war, Hardy was called up to serve in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) because of his language experience.

Now working with resistance groups in Belgium, Hardy used the names of fashion accessories as codewords in his lethal intelligence work.

When Lee Miller took this photograph of Hardy in Belgium she was unaware of his work in espionage. This photoshoot caused some controversy for Hardy's superiors and the censor back in England. The back of this image has a red censorship stamp reading 'NOT TO BE PUBLISHED.' The ban was eventually overturned - partially on Lee's insistence - and the image was published in British Vogue the following year. Prints of this image, and others of Lee's work can be explored and purchased on our picture library.

📷Hardy Amies, Belgium, 1944 by Lee Miller © Lee Miller Archives, England 2026. All rights reserved.

20/06/2026

Jean Moulin was brought here after his arrest and kept in the cells in the basement where witnesses testified to have seen him badly beaten. The Gestapo HQ in Lyon where Klaus Barbie operated from is now a museum.

20/06/2026

The last time French Résistance leader Jean Moulin was a free man was when he walked through the door of Doctor Dugoujon's house at Caluire-et-Cuire in Lyon for a high level Résistance meeting. Unfortunately dark arts were at play and within minutes he was arrested...☨

19/06/2026

French Résistance and Tour from Troyes to Lyon today. Photographs include the majestic monument at Buchères where the Résistance stood and fought on 23-24 August 1944 in a courageous attempt to prevent German transport columns passing through on the Route National towards Germany. The village was burned down and 67 civilians murdered in reprisal. Victims included babies aged just 2 months to old folks in their 70s. Next stop was the small out-of-the-way Museum at Sennecey-le-Grand which is very interesting detailing actions of the SAS in the area during 1944 and also further afield. Close by is one of the Special Duties Squadrons clandestine airfields known as JUNOT where Résistants such as Pierre Brossolette and Christian Pineau were either flown in or out. We ended the day at Caluire-et-Cuire in Lyon at the house where Jean Moulin was last seen as a free man. Shortly after entering the door of this house he was arrested, beaten, tortured and finally murdered two weeks later by the SD-Gestapo. Monuments are placed around the small tree lined square paying homage to soldiers from both wars, résistants, civilians and of course Jean Moulin himself. ☨

18/06/2026

French Résistance and Tour in and around Troyes today. Photographs include the former Gestapo HQ building - notorious locally where many were interrogated, tortured and murdered. Nearby monuments testify to the brutality in this area which was a hotbed of resistance activity.

17/06/2026

Right! Presentation books ready and setting off this evening for 8 days of and French Resistance touring in the south east of France. Looking forward to this one and my last until September leaving me the balmy summer months for writing ☨

15/06/2026

PolishEagle44 Project has recently been established by Janek Codlin. This superb project will be an important resource for professional and amateur historians, family members tracing ancestors and anyone else who has an interest in the Polish Forces of WW2. To help Janek please follow and if you can contribute in any way please do so. Thanks.

Welcome to the PolishEagle44 Project

This page marks the beginning of a long‑term effort to document and preserve the stories of the Polish men and women who served from Normandy onward in 1944-45. The project grew out of my recent visit to Normandy, where I followed the route of the 1st Polish Armoured Division and spent time at the Polish War Cemetery in Grainville‑Langannerie. Standing among the 632 graves there made it clear how much work remains to be done to bring their individual stories together in one place.

PolishEagle44 aims to build a digital memorial and archive: gathering photographs, documents, testimonies, and family histories connected to the Polish Armed Forces in 1944-45. The first phase focuses on those buried at Grainville‑Langannerie, with further phases to follow.

This page will share research updates, historical insights, and progress as the website develops. I’ll also be returning to Normandy to photograph the graves and continue the work on the ground.

If you’d like to support the project in its early stages, please feel free to:
• Follow this page to stay updated
• Message me or message the page with information, ideas, or contacts
• Tag the page in articles, photos, or stories related to Polish forces in Normandy
• Share documents or family material via [email protected]

Every contribution helps build a fuller picture of the men and women who served.

Thank you for being here at the very beginning of this journey.

Acknowledging the organisations and projects whose work helps keep these histories alive:
Stowarzyszenie Rodzin 1PDPanc - Association of the Families of the 1PAD
Chailey Airfield Memorial
307 Squadron Project
The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee
Dr Simon Selby - Honorary Consul Republic of Poland.
The D-Day Story
The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee
Polish Heritage Flight
Polish Air Force Monument in Normandy
Pegasus Battlefield Tours
Mémorial de Montormel
Memorial to 302 Squadron (City of Poznan)
SPPW Southampton

10/06/2026

Bletchley Park to Eagles Nest Tour - Day 15/15 - Today, the last day, was travel home. My guests back to Munich for the flight home and for myself the drive home through Germany and France. Time to reflect on a quite outstanding two weeks.

09/06/2026

Dachau Concentration Camp Crematorium and Gas Chamber. Memorial for Agents Yolande Beekman, Madeleine Damerment, Noor Inayat Khan & Eliane Plewman. Brave women who were murdered upon entering the camp in September 1944. Never Forget ☨