Following Sjt Fred Dawson MM — Linda's father — along his 1944–45 campaign route, in the Adria. ~17 days, September 2026.
This isn't just a French holiday — it's the route Sjt Fred Dawson, MM took to war. Fred (Linda's father) was a Troop Serjeant in 615 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, the sappers of the Guards Armoured Division. We drive his campaign: ashore at Arromanches, the tank battle east of Caen, the dash to Brussels, the Market Garden corridor, across the Rhine and on into Germany.
The full researched story — unit, war diaries, the MM citation, maps and records — lives on the family site: aikman-dawson.uk/fred ↗
Adria Coral A660 SP — 7.3 m long, 3.12 m tall. Starlink + solar fitted for comms & off-grid nights.
Out: Portsmouth → Ouistreham (lands in Fred's sector). Home: IJmuiden / Amsterdam → Newcastle, back to Co. Durham.
~17 days from 8 Sep 2026 — timed to catch the Arnhem liberation commemorations mid-trip.
Aires & Stellplätze the whole way — most €6–€21/night, several right beside the history.
Four chapters of Fred's war, west to east — each an easy campervan hop with the sites and overnight stops clustered together.
Come ashore where the Guards came ashore. Pegasus Bridge and the first liberated house, the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches, then east of Caen to the ground Fred's squadron actually fought over.
North across the Seine the way the Guards broke out — with a detour to Dunkirk, where Fred's war began in 1940 — then on to Brussels, which the Guards Armoured liberated on 3 September 1944.
Up "Hell's Highway" — the XXX Corps drive the Guards spearheaded. Joe's Bridge (where 615's own Lt Hutton won the MC defusing charges — the same kind of act as Fred's MM), Nijmegen and the Waal, then the Arnhem commemorations.
Cross the Rhine and follow the Guards' final advance toward Bremen — to Rotenburg (Wümme), the town where Fred won his Military Medal on 28 April 1945. The destination of the whole drive.
Full day-by-day (with history, parking distances and where to eat in each town) is on the family site — aikman-dawson.uk/tour ↗
All motorhome-friendly with services; book nothing but the two ferries. Prices indicative — confirm on park4night / Camping-Car Park nearer the time.
| Stop | Site | For | ~Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouistreham / Colleville | Aire near the port | Pegasus Bridge | arrival |
| Arromanches | Camper aire | Mulberry harbour | €12 |
| Bayeux | Municipal aire | Base for Gold Beach | ~€12 |
| Caen | Aire | Goodwood battlefield | ~€12 |
| Falaise | Camping-Car Park | Falaise Pocket | €13 |
| Dunkirk | Malo-les-Bains aire | 1940 memorial (en route) | ~€10 |
| Brussels | "Camp in Brussels" | City & Grand-Place | ~€25 |
| Lommel / Neerpelt | Aire | Joe's Bridge | €6 |
| Nijmegen | Riverside aire | The Waal & Groesbeek | ~€15 |
| Rees | Stellplatz Ebentalstraße | The Rhine | €15 |
| ⭐ Rotenburg (Wümme) | Stellplatz am Weichelsee | Fred's MM town | ~€12 |
| Bremen | Am Kuhhirten | City & Rathaus | €21 |
Everything behind this drive — Fred's unit and war diaries, the full MM citation, the interactive map, records and further reading.
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