Eveline Peardon was born in Bayeux, Normandy, France on 5 February 1941. Her father was an officer in the French Navy and was away during most of her childhood so she grew up living in her grandparents’ home with her mother and three siblings less than a mile from the Normandy coast. She was the youngest of the children. Her brother had his birthday on 6 June. Prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, Peardon had never known life outside of the German occupation. For a month or more, a German officer had even lived in the home with them. Even though he was part of the forces occupying her country, Peardon remembers the man as being polite and treating her family well. Her grandfather was mayor of the village. It was named St. Honorine des Pertes. That was on the east side of Omaha Beach [Annotator’s Note: Omaha was one of the two Normandy beachheads assigned to the American assault troops. There were three other beaches attacked by British and Canadian troops on D-Day.

Around five on the morning of 6 June 1944, Eveline Peardon and her family were awoken by the sound of heavy artillery being fired overhead. The noise was unbelievable. That was the first indication of the invasion. Someone was firing from the English Channel at targets inland and a German battery not far from Peardon’s home was firing back. The family was lucky it was not struck by any shells. The mother and her four children were living with her parents. As the shelling continued, her mother tried to open a window to keep them all from breaking due to the pressure of overhead artillery fire. When she reached for the window it blew open in her face. She was not hurt, but it was an image that young Peardon could not forget. At that point she brought her children down to the kitchen. Her older brother, whose birthday was that day, got under the heavy oak table and prayed. The house was old and the walls were nearly a meter thick. By the end of the day there were a number of neighbors in the room as well as several animals. The family maids brought mattresses down for the people to be more comfortable. Aircraft was flying overhead. No one knew ahead of time about the invasion plans. On the morning of the assault, there was nothing to do but wait and listen. There was a bomb crater that was close to the house. There was unexploded ordnance even closer to the house which could have been fatal. The mother discovered what was going on the day after the invasion start when she was confronted by an American soldier with a knife across his teeth. He was ready to defend himself. Peardon’s mother understood at that time what was happening.

Eveline Peardon and her siblings visited the young soldiers every day after D-Day [Annotator’s Note: the 6 June 1944 invasion of Normandy, France]. The Americans gave Peardon candy and rations. That was a real treat. The family met an American officer from Philadelphia. He would take them on rides on amphibious vehicles used to run back and forth to the ships offshore. Peardon loved the attention and especially loved the candy. France experienced rationing not only during the war but even late into 1945. One thing she remembers missing the most as a child was bananas. She discovered that fruit in the later 1940s. As the war continued on, soldiers came and went. The American army officer from Philadelphia lived on their property until December 1944. He would regularly bring the family rations. The family moved to Cherbourg and resided there for five years. When the war ended, there was a celebration in the local village where Peardon’s grandfather was mayor. She loved the party. Peardon’s father had returned home from being a prisoner in North Africa around December 1944. In late 1945, he moved the family to Cherbourg then later to Paris and Toulon. The Americans were the savior of France. In Normandy, the inhabitants really appreciate any American visitors. The officer from Philadelphia often returned to the invasion anniversaries in Normandy until he died. Peardon took part in many of those anniversaries. Without those landings to liberate Europe, she may have grown up as a German. It is a different feeling being under the foot of an occupier like the Germans were in France. It annoys her when the French do not show appreciation for the sacrifices of the Americans to free her country of origin.

Eveline Peardon moved to the United States in an effort to find work. She was 26 and out of work in Paris. She had only limited command of the English language. She lived in Philadelphia where the American officer who lived on their property was from. [Annotator’s Note: the officer’s name was not given but he helped the French family and particularly enjoyed being around young Peardon and her siblings after D-Day.] Peardon’s parents were not excited with her departure and being so far away. With her limited language skills, she could only babysit for families in America. She did that in Philadelphia for one year. She then moved to New York to be near her cousin who was working for the French consulate. Her cousin had lived in New York for five years and had many friends. It was at her cousin’s wedding that she came in contact with her future husband. Neither showed much interest in the other upon that initial meeting. The young man could speak fluent French which was beneficial for Peardon. They would meet again at a party in Massachusetts. There, they took note of the other and began a relationship. They would see each other frequently. They would get married and eventually ended up in Bridgewater, Connecticut where Peardon lives now. She has been married for 50 years. Their beautiful home in Connecticut once belonged to her father-in-law who was a professor at Columbia University. The home was used as his summer home during his free months away from the university. The original portion of the home was physically moved after an adjacent road was paved. It brought too much traffic. It was a considerable effort to move the home with its contents from its original location. The barn nearby was often used by her father-in-law when he wanted to be alone and work really seriously.

Eveline Peardon and the Normandy population felt they could live again after the liberation of their region by the Allies [Annotator’s Note: D-Day in Normandy commenced on 6 June 1944. The Germans were not completely driven out of the region until the end of July 1944.]. People started to go out again and be happy. They were free to do what they wanted to do. As for Peardon, she was too young to remember life before the Germans [Annotator’s Note: Germany defeated and occupied France in June 1940. Peardon was born in February 1941 during the German occupation.]. If the Americans had not succeeded, it would be difficult to imagine the consequences. At the end of the war, every village had a celebration. With her grandfather being the mayor of the village, he organized the activities [Annotator’s Note: the village was St. Honorine des Pertes.]. Peardon wore her best dress. Speeches were made and the events ended with the playing of The National Anthem. Even if the circumstances of D-Day had ended differently, she probably would have still come to America. Peardon has always been interested in discovering different countries. Her father was a naval officer during the war. As a military officer, he did not like the Vichy Government, but he respected it [Annotator’s Note: Vichy was the location of the French collaborationist government installed by the Nazis after the defeat of France in June 1940. The government was consequently known as the Vichy Government.]. Her father felt, as an officer, he had to be loyal to the government so he never joined de Gaulle [Annotator’s Note: Charles de Gaulle was the leader of the Free French forces fighting with the Allies against the Germans.]. Peardon’s father was a submarine officer. He was sent to Africa and then to western Africa to Dakar. The British at that time sunk many ships of the French fleet including her father’s submarine. The ships were sunk by the former allies because they did not want the Germans to get control over the vessels [Annotator’s Note: the Germans had a smaller fleet than the British but the modern and efficient French fleet falling into their hands could have made a difference in control of the sea.]. The submarine was sunk and Peardon’s father and his men had to swim to shore avoiding sharks. Her father was imprisoned by the Free French because he refused to join de Gaulle and his forces. He was imprisoned for almost three years. He returned to France by the end of 1944. He would remain in the French Navy until 1960. When de Gaulle became president of France, her father understood that he would never make admiral [Annotator’s Note: Charles de Gaulle was president of France from 1959 to 1969.]. Peardon’s father retired from the military and took a job in civil life. Looking back at life after the arrival of the Americans in Normandy, Peardon’s mother did not have a car. She used a bicycle to travel to Bayeux. He bike always seemed to get flat tires because the roads were rough. The materials that the Americans brought in were amazing. Peardon still remembers the road materials made of steel with perforations in it [Annotator’s Note: Marston Mat materials were used for roads and runways by American engineers and construction battalions—CBs.]. She retained an American helmet after the war. There were Canadians who were in the region who spoke a little French. It was a good time for children in Normandy. Some of the foods brought in by the troops was delicious particularly the white bread and deviled ham. Her older brother would return from the military camps with his pockets swollen with goodies. One soldier even gave his rations to the family. The chocolate ration bar and crackers were memorable as was the Christmas tree made by the Americans for the children. The Germans never did that while they occupied France. It is important for The National WWII Museum to continue the story of the war so that generations never forget what happened.