Latest news with #Cracknell
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'I woke up in a bath two days after VE Day'
A veteran said he drank so much when celebrating the end of World War Two that he woke up two days later in a bath in Belgium. Douglas Cracknell from Cransford in Suffolk, was 19 years old on VE Day on 8 May 1945, which marked the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in Europe. He served with the 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry as a rifleman and was in Bruges when the end of the war in Europe was announced. He said people went "berserk". Mr Cracknell, now aged 99, was recently awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French government in a ceremony at Framlingham College near his home, which he said he was "amazed" by. "I was on a guard duty and everybody went berserk. That was a really wonderful time," Mr Cracknell said of Victory in Europe Day, 80 years ago. "To think the way people acted at that time was fantastic... [they were] drinking and singing and dancing with each other in the street; it was marvellous. "We had several drinks and I think I probably lost about two days of my life because I was sat in the bath when I came to." Mr Cracknell was enlisted in the Army when he was 18 [Contributed] Mr Cracknell said as a younger teenager he did not expect to be enlisted to fight and said his father told him that he expected it to be over before he reached fighting age. However, he joined the Army and took part in landings at Arromanches in Normandy on 22 June 1944, shortly after the first D-Day landings, and fought across north-west Europe. They faced bloody battles including taking part in Operation Jupiter with the capture of Hill 112, a key strategic point in Normandy that cost the lives of 10,000 men. Mr Cracknell was also injured during several points of the war including shrapnel wounds to his face and a temporary loss of hearing. Mr Cracknell was awarded the Legion d'Honneur this year by the French government for his efforts in the war [Contributed] Mr Cracknell was keen to share his story to ensure people today knew what veterans went through. "There's only a few of us left from that era," he continued. "I haven't had an easy time, but I haven't had a hard time either. "I've been able to bear it all, but some of them broke down. I was fortunate I think that I got through it. "Some nights I sit here on my own and think about my mates and what that would have been like if they were all here. I think it would have been lovely. "I think people should really know what others went through to save them." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story
The Independent
05-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Queen says her father was ‘lucky' despite being shot in the face during war
Queen Camilla has revealed her father's near-death experience during the Second World War, describing him as "so lucky" to have survived a facial gunshot wound. The revelation came during a conversation with veteran Douglas Cracknell at Clarence House, broadcast as part of the BBC's VE Day coverage. Major Bruce Shand, the Queen's father, served with the 12th Lancers and was twice decorated with the Military Cross for his bravery. His first award came in 1940 during the harrowing retreat to Dunkirk, and the second in 1942 for his service in North Africa. While the Queen did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding her father's injury, her comment underscores the dangers he faced during the conflict. She told Mr Cracknell: 'My father, who was captured at El Alamein, he was shot at and the bullet went through one side of his face, came out the other and he was so lucky because he didn't hit his teeth or his tongue.' The 99-year-old responded: 'I always done what my father told me to do… Keep your head down.' 'Keep your head down, yes well that's what I'd like to say is possibly very sensible advice because here you are today to tell the tale,' the Queen replied, laughing. Reading an extract of her father's diary, Camilla said: 'Letters from home were very much the linchpins of our existence and the arrival of the post to regular intervals never failed in its excitement. 'I still recall the thrill some weeks after coming into the camp when somebody appeared in the library to tell me that there were a dozen letters waiting for me on my bed.' 'I remain eternally grateful to my many correspondents, family and otherwise,' she continued. The Queen told Mr Cracknell that her father 'never' talked to her about the war after he returned home. 'But I think really it should be talked about,' the veteran responded. 'We need it for future generations,' Camilla said, adding that passing down stories from the war to younger people was 'very important because they wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for all of you'. Earlier in the conversion, the Queen admired Mr Cracknell's Legion d'Honneur medal and said he should be 'very proud' of it. Of his memories of VE Day, the veteran recalled: 'I was in Bruges and they read out that the war was over and then that was chaos.' 'I woke up two days later in a barn,' he added, laughing.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Queen says her father was ‘lucky' despite being shot in the face during war
Queen Camilla has revealed her father's near-death experience during the Second World War, describing him as "so lucky" to have survived a facial gunshot wound. The revelation came during a conversation with veteran Douglas Cracknell at Clarence House, broadcast as part of the BBC's VE Day coverage. Major Bruce Shand, the Queen's father, served with the 12th Lancers and was twice decorated with the Military Cross for his bravery. His first award came in 1940 during the harrowing retreat to Dunkirk, and the second in 1942 for his service in North Africa. While the Queen did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding her father's injury, her comment underscores the dangers he faced during the conflict. She told Mr Cracknell: 'My father, who was captured at El Alamein, he was shot at and the bullet went through one side of his face, came out the other and he was so lucky because he didn't hit his teeth or his tongue.' The 99-year-old responded: 'I always done what my father told me to do… Keep your head down.' Last week, The Queen sat down with veteran Douglas Cracknell at Clarence House ahead of #VEDay80 commemorations. Douglas was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his service during the Second World War, when he served as a rifleman in the 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.… — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 5, 2025 'Keep your head down, yes well that's what I'd like to say is possibly very sensible advice because here you are today to tell the tale,' the Queen replied, laughing. Reading an extract of her father's diary, Camilla said: 'Letters from home were very much the linchpins of our existence and the arrival of the post to regular intervals never failed in its excitement. 'I still recall the thrill some weeks after coming into the camp when somebody appeared in the library to tell me that there were a dozen letters waiting for me on my bed.' 'I remain eternally grateful to my many correspondents, family and otherwise,' she continued. The Queen told Mr Cracknell that her father 'never' talked to her about the war after he returned home. 'But I think really it should be talked about,' the veteran responded. 'We need it for future generations,' Camilla said, adding that passing down stories from the war to younger people was 'very important because they wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for all of you'. Earlier in the conversion, the Queen admired Mr Cracknell's Legion d'Honneur medal and said he should be 'very proud' of it. Of his memories of VE Day, the veteran recalled: 'I was in Bruges and they read out that the war was over and then that was chaos.' 'I woke up two days later in a barn,' he added, laughing.
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Queen tells veteran how father survived being shot in face
The Queen has described how her father had a lucky escape after being shot in the face during the Second World War. Her Majesty invited Douglas Cracknell, a 99-year-old war veteran, to Clarence House to hear his stories, telling him that future generations 'wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you'. She spoke of her father, Major Bruce Shand, and his wartime experiences, reading an extract from his diary in which he described the thrill of receiving letters from friends and family back home. Major Shand served with the 12th Royal Lancers during the Second World War and was awarded the Military Cross in 1940, during the retreat to Dunkirk, and again in 1942 for his efforts in North Africa. He was later wounded and taken prisoner that same year while fighting in the same region. He died in June 2006, aged 89, and the Queen told Mr Cracknell that he had a narrow escape at El Alamein in Egypt in 1942. 'My father, who was captured at El Alamein, he was shot at and the bullet went through one side of the face, came out the other,' she said. 'He was so lucky because it didn't hit his teeth or his tongue.' As the Queen welcomed Mr Cracknell to Clarence House, she told him: 'You look very young – you belie your 99 years. 'I'm always fascinated to talk to any of the survivors of the war. Do you go back and think about it?' Mr Cracknell replied: 'I do. We went over to France and went onto Hill 112 [in Normandy], and that was where we lost a lot of men. I lost all my mates. 'I got hit with a machine gun, and I held my Sten gun like that [across his face] as I went down and a bullet hit the Sten gun. My face was just all bits of shrapnel. I always done what my father told me to do – keep your head down.' The Queen smiled and said: 'All I can say is that it must have been very sensible advice, because here you are today to tell the tale.' The pair chuckled as Mr Cracknell admitted that he had woken up in a bath in Bruges two days after VE Day in 1945 with no memory of the celebrations. 'They read it out that the war was over, and it was chaos,' he recalled. 'They were flocking around you, and I woke up two days later in the bar. Two days of my life I lost.' The Queen told him: 'Well, they were probably lost for a very good reason. At least you were celebrating.' 'Linchpins of our existence' Last week, The Queen sat down with veteran Douglas Cracknell at Clarence House ahead of #VEDay80 commemorations. Douglas was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his service during the Second World War, when he served as a rifleman in the 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.… — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 5, 2025 Mr Cracknell was part of the 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry as a rifleman and landed in Arromanches, Normandy, on June 22 1944. He was wounded twice, first in the Netherlands when a bullet hit the weapon he was operating and wounded his face, and again in Hamburg when a shell blast caused shrapnel wounds and a temporary loss of hearing. He had previously described feeling 'scared stiff' to be fighting in France, saying: 'To think that we were in a foreign country and didn't know where we were and you didn't know who your enemy was,' he said. The Queen described how her father had written a diary during the war, reading out an extract about how letters were 'the linchpins of our existence', their regular arrival always causing excitement. Describing the thrill he felt when he was told he had a dozen letters waiting for him at the camp, Major Shand wrote: 'To later generations its hard to understand the emphasis, particularly in wartime, that was put on the amenity of correspondence, not to mention the art of precis writing imposed by the limits of letter cards and the sheets of prescribed lengths. 'People in England were incredibly considerate and consistent about all this and I remain eternally grateful to my many correspondents, family and otherwise, and especially to Ursula Wyndham, whose letters I wish I could have preserved, as they were models of wit, interest and style.' Mr Cracknell agreed that soldiers had 'really looked forward' to the letters and admitted that, like Major Shand, he had rarely spoken about the war after returning home. 'I think really, it should be talked about,' he said. 'Let the younger ones know what we went through.' The Queen told him: 'We need it for future generations. I think that's so important, very important. Because they wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for all of you. So thank you.' Last year, the Queen was named Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Lancers and has paid tribute to her late father's service.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trinity, Cracknell collaborate to bring innovation to life at Sky Palazzo Residences
Gurugram – Trinity's upcoming Sky Palazzo Residences project is set to introduce a new dimension to residential living in India, with the integration of the country's first man-made beach environment. The project's landscape design, developed by global urban design and landscape architecture firm Cracknell, has recently been finalized and handed over for design, developed by Cracknell's team of over 360 professionals, is built on three core principles: social well-being, health-focused environments, and a 'nature-first' design ethos. Central to the project is the creation of a man-made beach and a network of integrated green and open spaces, aimed at redefining outdoor communal living in an urban context. 'With the final landscape design in place, we move into the crucial execution phase,' said Avinash Nagpal, Senior Vice President Projects, Trinity. 'The integration of a beach-like environment and curated green spaces reflects an emerging shift in residential architecture toward experiential, wellness-centric living .' Drawing inspiration from coastal landscapes such as Italy's Amalfi Coast, Sky Palazzo's design blends natural motifs with contemporary architecture. The project will incorporate engineered microclimates — spaces designed to modulate temperature and air quality — a feature increasingly seen in climate-responsive urban developments worldwide. Such innovations seek to address both the environmental and lifestyle needs of residents in dense urban settings like Gurugram's rapidly growing Sector 88B. Cracknell, whose global portfolio spans Abu Dhabi, London, Manila, Riyadh, Lugano, and Shenzhen, brings to the project its expertise in blending aesthetic landscaping with environmental resilience. Robert Shakespeare, Group Design Director at Cracknell, emphasized the project's focus on integrating luxury, community, wellness, and nature, adding that 'Sky Palazzo Residences is intended to set a new benchmark for design quality in residential developments.' Design Director Daniel Thomson highlighted that the project's landscapes draw from natural, fluid geometries, with an emphasis on cultural relevance, sustainability, and the creation of communal gathering spaces. 'The design fosters resilience and memorability, encouraging residents to engage deeply with the spaces around them,' he said. Beyond introducing a distinctive aesthetic, the Trinity-Cracknell collaboration highlights broader trends shaping the future of urban residential projects: the merging of engineered natural environments with smart living ecosystems. As urban living becomes denser and more complex, integrating landscape architecture that promotes wellness, sustainability, and social connection is increasingly becoming a design imperative. Sky Palazzo Residences represents a step toward reimagining how luxury residential environments can balance indulgence with ecological mindfulness — a direction likely to influence future residential developments across India's urban centers.
