Ken Small and the Tank Recovery
Thousands turned out to see the tank recovered from the seabed, many thousands saw it televised. The tank was finally winched ashore by bulldozers and towed the following day to the location where it is today. It was cleaned, repainted and placed on a plinth. It was Ken’s greatest moment in life. It was not a dream anymore, it was a reality!
On Friday, 9th of November 1984 a special service was held at Slapton Village Church to dedicate the tank. After the service, wreaths were laid at the site of the tank as the bugler played the “Last Post”. Then a plaque was unveiled which said that this American Sherman tank stood as a memorial to those American servicemen who lost their lives during the D-Day practice landings at Slapton Sands in 1944.
Ken’s next challenge was to persuade the American Government to place an official memorial to those servicemen who had died. His constant correspondence with American officials and visits to America paid off. On 6th of January, 1987 a Bill in Congress was passed authorizing the Secretary of Defense to prepare and place a plaque at the site of the tank memorial in Torcross. This to honor the American servicemen who had died there. The ceremony was held on Sunday, 15th of November 1987 which was attended by delegations and dignitaries from both America and England.
Ken Small’s sincere efforts to establish a memorial received letters of gratitude and appreciation not only from relatives and families of those dead American servicemen, but from people from all around the world.
The ultimate appreciation was when he received a letter, personally signed by the US president, Ronald Reagan, thanking him for his kind and generous efforts.
He was invited to America on several occasions to meet veterans, and as a guest speaker. He also had the chance to personally meet several families who lost relatives in the tragedy. Many of these families had never received an explanation to what had actually happened to their loved ones until Ken had unraveled the mystery.
Every year on the anniversary of Exercise Tiger, a memorial service is held at the local church and the tank with local British veteran organizations. The American flag is hoisted that day.
Sadly Ken died in March 2004, just weeks before the 60th anniversary of the Exercise Tiger tragedy after a long fight against cancer.
The full story of his efforts are to be found in his book “The Forgotten Dead”, available for purchase through this website.
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