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On the 23rd of January 2007, LT. Mark A. O'Neill, MSC, USN sent Overlordtour an E-mail, requesting that we honor his father-in-law by organizing and conducting a special tour for his family in Normandy, in which he wanted to follow the path of his father-in-law’s heroic actions in taking part of the D-Day Invasion. Lt. O’Neill’s father-in-law, Richard T. Lynch, was a navigator and photographer aboard an American A-20 HAVOC reconnaissance plane from the 10th Recon. Group in the 155th squadron.
 O’Neil had learned over the years that Richard’s plane was shot down in Normandy by German fire on the 17th of July, 1944 at 23:51 p.m. In order to better organize and customize Lt. O’Neil’s tour to honor his family member, Overlordtour requested the following information from Lt. O’Neill, which he provided below. This is one of the most interesting and creative tours that Overlordtour has worked on—and we believe Lt O’Neil’s recount is a fascinating piece of history involving Richard’s tragic death. Lt. O’Neil wrote us the following:
Good Evening Alain :
My father-in-law sent me a letter from the U.S. Army that describes his
uncle's final mission. The letter was sent to his aunt after she requested
additional information about her brother. I had never seen it before until
I received it tonight! It was very exciting and emotionally moving at the
same time. Here is the relevant portion of the letter:
6 May 1948
"Reports now available indicate that your brother was the navigator aboard
an A20J-type aircraft which departed from Chalgrove, England on 17 July 1944
on a photo reconnaisance mission between Torigny and Vire France.
Information obtained from local inhabitants from Regneville and Monmartin
sur Mer indicates that the plane exploded as it fell into the sea some
distance from their shores. Two weeks later, your brother's remains were
washed ashore on the beach at Regneville, France, where they were identified
by an identification tag and buried in a nearby churchyard by the French.
His remains were later removed to an American Military Cemetery in Normandy by our
forces.
The cause of the crash could not be determined since there were no survivors
and the wreckage of the plane was never recovered. Statements from the
French natives disclosed that the crash was heard at 1:00 a.m. on 18 July
1944 and in view of this information, Department of Armed Services Records
have been changed to say that Mr. Lynch was killed in action on 18 July 1944
not 17 July 1944 as you were previously advised."
So, can the original burial location be factored into the morning trip? Do
you know where the church yard mentioned in the letter might be?
Thanks for any insights you may offer.
Best regards,
Mark |
In response to this information, Overlordtour immediately contacted the local governmental officials in Regneville and Montmartin sur Mer’s Town Halls which ultimately led us to find the key persons in the area of the crash who had knowledge of the historical facts of the incident.
Eventually, we came into contact with, Monsieur Georges Esnol, a post card collector, who had an historical postcard showing Richard Lynch’s burial ceremony – born completely by the French people in the immediate area of his death- without the assistance of any American military, in 1944 at the Regneville Cemetery.
 Mr Esnol explained to us that he had no idea about identification of the American soldier being buried there. He also told us that based upon our inquiry, and his historical knowledge in the postcard of the events depicted; that he had decided to undertake some research on our behalf concerning the events behind what was so importantly portrayed in the postcard. For us here at Overlord, Esnol’s discovery was an incredible coincidence to the inquiry behind Lt. O’neil’s inquiry.
Esnol’s research paid off, and Overlordtour, in connection with the people in these villages, began to undertake a huge welcome for Lt. O’neil and his family on Overlordtour’s Tour, knowing full well, that their family had not had the privilege of being honored as Richard Lynch was by our French people at the time of his burial. For all of us French who remain steadfast to a commitment in remembrance of the sacrifice of so m any in the liberation of France, and eventually Europe, we believed in the importance of this humble gesture in expressing our gratitude even 60 + years later. Overlordtour took the lead in this effort, but most assuredly, it was the gratitude of the French people that were able to accomplish what ultimately resulted in a very moving and expressive ceremony to honor not only Richard Lynch, but the rest of his family that sought to keep his memory alive. Overlordtour and the French in these small towns believed in a complete demonstration of our respect for those who gave so much to all of us.
What follows is Richard Lynch’s grand-neice’s recount of the effort and gratitude expressed by all of us in France this past summer, to the Lynch family.
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