Sean
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seanboy.bsky.social
Sean
@seanboy.bsky.social
670 followers 120 following 240 posts
Normandy based tour guide/researcher/lecturer/history enthusiast.
Occasional poster of Then And Nows.
Music lover. Mostly loud stuff.

www.normandyinsight.net
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seanboy.bsky.social
Local war memorial. Twenty eight names from WW1, pre-war (1911) population of 360.
Six more names from WW2.
#armistice #11novembre #remembrance #monumentauxmorts
War memorial (monument aux morts) in the village of Montcuit, Normandie Close up of the names on the memorial
November 11, 2025 at 6:10 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Been making steady if clumsy progress with the Italeri Sunderland for the #HeaviesGB
Paint looks a bit patchy but will hopefully come together.
Fun to get back into 1/72 after about thirty years....
#histscalemodels
1/72 scale model of a Short Sunderland flying boat.
November 4, 2025 at 12:09 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Last regular tour tomorrow. Fittingly down where these chaps were doing their thing in the fight against Nazism.

#ThenAndNow #WW2 #Normandy44
August 1944, a group of men from B Company, Argyll and Surherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) search the houses at the southern end of St Lambert sur Dives, covered by a (to me unknown) Bren gunner who, along with the cameraman (Sgt Jack Stollery I believe) apparently doesn't give a fuck. The same location today (October 2025)
October 13, 2025 at 8:05 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Rather nice sunset towards the end of quite an emotional day.
September 22, 2025 at 8:23 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Little has changed in Montcuit since 1944.
#ThenAndNow #WW2 #Normandy44
Some Antifa types feom the 83rd Infantry Division are welcomed by locals and their pets as they liberate the village of Montcuit after over four years of occupation The same location today
September 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Got this out of the garage ready for #HeaviesGB
Haven't done anything in 1/72 for ages.
The tall tricolour on the tail reminded me of the Red Arrows. Them using Sunderlands instead of Hawks would be some sight.
Anyway, looking forward to starting it.

#histscalemodels
August 31, 2025 at 7:36 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Couple more #ThenAndNow photos from yesterday.
Germans trying to retreat running into trouble in the form of 2nd Armd Div. In particular S/Sgt Cermak's 57mm A/T gun, visible in the first photo.
Le Pont Brocard.

#WW2 #Normandy44
B/W photo taken in 1944. The barrel of a 57mm gun is facing two knocked out German motorcycle combinations and two similarly redundant SdKfz251 half tracks. Le Pont Brocard. Same view and location in colour, taken 6/8/25 Soldiers from US 2nd Armd Div hiding behind a wall in le Pont Brocard. Same location 7/8/25
August 7, 2025 at 9:01 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Oldie but goodie #ThenAndNow
81 years and a few days ago this PzIV (formerly of 2.SS-PzDiv) in St Denis le Gast.
#Normandy44 #WW2
B/W photo of a knocked out German PzIV with two American tank crew examining it Colour photo of the same location today
August 6, 2025 at 9:16 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Having a long-awaited tidy up/sort out. One of the great things about this kind of activity is what turns up.
LNER and M&GN rule books from 1933, the latter with a supplement from 1934 and notes written by my grandfather Benjamin Dent.
Rule books from 1933 from LNER and M&GN railways Black and white photo of M&GN railways employee Ben Dent from Wisbech Open rule books from M&GN railways with hand written notes
August 5, 2025 at 8:40 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Excellent. Just over enough to render the left hand space unusable.
July 18, 2025 at 1:10 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
I wish it was 19° here...
June 30, 2025 at 9:54 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Well that was nice.
Belem leading the tall ships up the Caen Canal
Sailing ship Belem moving along the Caen Canal under engine power.
June 29, 2025 at 11:37 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Overpainting of "Port en Bessin" with "Ouistreham" is still visible.
Half decent #ThenAndNow too
June 10, 2025 at 6:06 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Sometimes Google Earth is spot on.
Random searching through some US Signal Corps photos turned up this nice image of a Firefly in Écouché. Wondered if the building in the background was still there, plonked the Street View guy on one of the junctions et voilà....
#Normandy44 #ThenAndNow #WW2
Black and White photo of a Sherman Firefly moving through the village of Écouché in 1944, directed by a British soldier. And American watches the scene. No Germans are visible as they rather sensibly have vacated the area, albeit later than they should have. Colour image from Google Earth Street View of the same scene.
June 3, 2025 at 5:25 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Abortive trip to le Havre enabled a quick #Normandy44 #ThenAndNow on the way home.
M8 HMC from 3rd Armd Div in Montreuil-sur-Lozon.

Neat (if odd looking) little vehicles, these.
Black and White photo of an M8 HMC (Howitzer Motor Carriage) from US 3rd Armored Division moving through the heavily damaged village of Montreuil-sur-Lozon. Colour photo of the same place
June 1, 2025 at 5:13 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Memorial Day in the USA.
This is the Normandy American Cemetery in September 1951.
More in ALT text.
📷 IGN

#Normandy44 #WW2 #memorialday
Traces of the provisional cemetery are visible bottom right. Around a quarter of the temporary markers have been replaced with the permanent marble ones. Plot E is just under halfway finished while plots G and I are done. The chapel and other memorials are yet to be built
May 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Relevant pages from the manual (D662/12)
May 21, 2025 at 10:04 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
Well that was a good day with lady.
Bunch of WW2 German vehicles, catch up with friends, visits to CWGC cemeteries and also a quite nice memorial to 1/Royal Norfolk Rgt.
Cheers @niels1944.bsky.social & @philipwblood.bsky.social
Restored WW2 German SdKfz 251 half track in the woods in Overloon, NL Restored WW2 German "Nashorn" self-propelled gun in the woods in Overloon, NL Graves of members of the Royal Norfolk Regiment in Overloon CWGC cemetery Stone and brick monument to 1/Royal Norfolk Regiment between Overloon and Venray, NL
May 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
April 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Renault in lieu of the Humber
Modern Google Earth Street View shot of a Renault parked in the same place as a Humber Scout Car in 1944
April 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM
seanboy.bsky.social
For #TankTuesday here's Saumur's Tiger I showing just how effective German camouflage was.
Two sets of tracks from a Tiger tank in a tent. The tank itself is missing.
March 25, 2025 at 12:37 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
This is well worth it if you can find it cheap enough
March 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Here's the relevant section from his notes. Page is dated 17th June, so action (whatever it was) presumably on the 16th
March 11, 2025 at 7:57 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
For #TankTuesday here's a Churchill from 107 RAC doing its best to choke photographer Sgt Bert Hardy.

#WW2 #Normandy44

📷 IWM B7642
A Churchill tank drives down a track kicking up a shit load of dust as it does so. Normandy, 17 July 1944
March 4, 2025 at 12:18 PM
seanboy.bsky.social
Almost obligatory #ThenAndNow when in this neck of the woods (le Molay-Littry).
You can see quite a nice 'ghosting' of this comparison in a neat little book called Normandy Ghosts.
#ShamelessPlug
#WW2 #Normandy44
February 27, 2025 at 1:45 PM