Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours’ inaugural D-Day River Cruise is currently underway, with the sold-out special cruise group completing two days of comprehensive touring of the Normandy landing beaches. Accompanied by an expert Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours’ Historian, the group uncovered stories of D-Day Anzacs and held a special commemorative service at Ranville Military Cemetery, Normandy at the headstones of two Australian fighter pilots killed in action during this historic campaign – Henry Lacy Smith, and Thomas Robert Bowden Anderson – who are buried side by side.
During the cruise to Normandy, the group also made a surprise discovery of a WWI Anzac buried in the same cemetery as Vincent Van Gogh. On a tour of the famous artists village of Auvers-sur-Oise, the group visited the local communal cemetery to pay respects to Van Gogh at his grave. During this cemetery visit, the group’s Historian, Pete Smith, wandered over to a row of French soldiers and was amazed to discover that one of them was in fact not French, but Australian: No. 5363, Private Harry Cossen, 59th Battalion.
Mat McLachlan said: “Walking the ground where these significant historic battles took place is an incredible, often moving, experience that our passengers time and again report as a highlight of their Europe trip. Our D-Day River Cruise combines a relaxing journey through provincial France, exploring regional villages, as well as two-days of touring the D-Day landing beaches.”
Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has three departures of its D-Day River Cruise scheduled for 2025, sailing in June, July and September from Paris. The D-Day River Cruise tour comprises eight days of river cruising along the Seine aboard the luxurious five-star Amadeus Diamond from Paris to Normandy and return, accompanied by an expert battlefield Historian, three on-board WW2 seminars during the cruise, two days of comprehensive touring exploring Normandy and the D-Day landing sites led by the expert Historian, all meals, and more. Visit: https://battlefields.com.au/d-day-river-cruise-2025/
Anzac stories
Flight Lieutenant Henry Lacy Smith, born in the Sydney suburb of Sans Souci, flew a Spitfire in the first Australian squadron (453) to go into action on D-day on 6 June 1944. His Spitfire was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 11 June 1944 when patrolling the beachheads, and his aircraft struck water in a canal. Initially posted as “missing”, Smith remained so for 66 years. His Spitfire was finally discovered in November 2010, and five months later his remains were buried with full military honours in Ranville Cemetery, France.
Flight Lieutenant Thomas Robert Bowden Anderson, born in Warrnambool and then from Moonee Ponds, Victoria, lost his life on July 10, 1944 during the Normandy D-Day campaign while flying low, firing, in pursuit of an enemy convoy between Falaise and Caen in France. Anderson joined the RAAF in July 1941 and gained his wings in March 1942. In May 1942 he was posted to England and took part in many operations over France and Germany. He was 23 years old.
Harry Cossen (born September 1897) from South Gippsland, Victoria was a farm labourer before he enlisted for WWI in December 1915. He was allocated to the 59th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force and arrived in France on the 30th of June. On the 1st July 1916 Harry was travelling to the front, acting as one of the Military Policemen on a troop train travelling from Marseilles to Amiens. On this journey he had a tragic accident – he was swept from the carriage foot-plate onto the rails as the train passed under a bridge. He was just 18. Cossen was buried by the people of Auvers-sur-Oinse, who took the responsibility for his burial and buried him with military honours in their communal cemetery on the 3rd of July. They later supplied a marble column for his Headstone. There are no other WWI Commonwealth burials in this cemetery, and Cossen’s headstone – provided by the people of Auvers-sur-Oise – has never been replaced by the standard Commonwealth War Graves headstone.
Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours offers multiple tours to the WWI and WW2 battlefields of France and Belgium – many commencing in Paris – including Anzac Day tours; 4-day Western Front Explorers departing weekly from April to May; D-Day River Cruises and others. Visit: www.battlefields.com.au
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