The 75th anniversary of D-Day will be next month. In association with this event, the Caterham Rotary Club organised a visit by a dozen members to the beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. We visited some sixteen sites ranging from the Pegasus Bridge to St Mere Eglise and including British, German and US war cemeteries. Particularly memorable were Merville Battery, captured by the Parachute Regiment, the Pointe du Hoc, captured by the US Rangers after climbing the cliffs, and the site of the battle of La Fiere near Cherbourg. We took the opportunity to place an offering on the grave in Hermanville War Cemetery of Private Frederick Latter, one of several Caterham soldiers killed in the battle on 27th June 1944 at the age of 32. He lived in Commonwealth Road in the Valley.
Following the article in the County Border News we received the following letter from Mrs Pam Shotter (Nee Latter)
Dear Sir,
It was with a mixture of sadness and pride that I read the article in the County News on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, as the grave chosen by the Caterham Rotary Club to place an offering on was my uncle Fred’s He was the youngest of six children my father being the second eldest, all brought up by their widowed mother who had lost her husband at the beginning of the first world war. I was a seven and a half year old schoolgirl when I waved him goodbye in commonwealth road not realising it would be the last time I would be seeing him.I remember him as a quietly spoken man who enjoyed sport and ran for Caterham Harriers.After landing on Sword beach he survived just 21 days before falling to German machine gun fire at Le Mesnil wood.His mother (my grandmother) could never accept his death and was convinced he would walk through the door again, a hope she kept until her death seven years later.I’m now an 82 year old Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother and your article has prompted sad but happy memories of a lovely man.
Kind Regards
Pam Shotter (Nee Latter) Warlingham
Below are two photographs of Fred in his army uniform & his Caterham Harriers kit
