Churchill AVRE Tank - One Charlie

The Churchill AVRE "One Charlie" on display at Graye-sur-Mer was part of 26 Assault Squadron, 79th Armoured Division. The squadron was commanded by (then) Major Tony Younger and the story of One Charlie can be found in his memoir "Blowing Our Bridges". The tank tried to cross a flooded area behind the dunes. The crew was mortared after evacuating on their way back to the beach causing the casualties. Three of the crew (Lance Serjeant Ashton and Sappers Manley and Battson) were killed and the surviving two were badly wounded.
The tank blocked the beach exit and was pushed into the water, then used to support a girder bridge for other tanks and infantry to cross the waters. The Tommies called this "Pont AVRE". The tank was buried after D-Day and all but forgotten until it was dug up and restored by French engineers in the 1970''s. The two surviving members of the crew and Tony Younger were present at the formal unveiling of the tank. For the 50th D-Day anniversary, the RE Museum in Gillingham put on various special display s, including a wall display of photographs of the One Charlie story.

Tony Younger received the MC for his actions on Juno Beach. He reached the rank of Major-General and died in 2010.

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Source

• Text: Ian Sharp
• Photos: Randy Brandt (1, 2), Jeroen Koppes (3), Lennard Bolijn (4, 5)
• RAMSEY, W., The best of After the Battle, After the Battle, Barnsley, 2022.