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D-Day time capsule found in car | D-Day time capsule found in car |
(about 2 hours later) | |
On the 60th anniversary of the A D-Day landings, a "time capsule" has been found in a vintage car hidden away during the Nazi occupation of France. | |
An Allied banknote issued on the eve of the landings and a packet of Navy Cut cigarettes were discovered in the yellow 1926 Citroen B12 Bolangerie. | An Allied banknote issued on the eve of the landings and a packet of Navy Cut cigarettes were discovered in the yellow 1926 Citroen B12 Bolangerie. |
Llangollen Motor Museum owner Gwilym Owen said he just started restoring the roof lining when the items fell out. | |
The vehicle has been at the museum for nine years. | The vehicle has been at the museum for nine years. |
Mr Owen said: "It was a real surprise to have such an evocative piece of world history just drop on your lap like that. | Mr Owen said: "It was a real surprise to have such an evocative piece of world history just drop on your lap like that. |
"We have absolutely no idea who these things belonged to and I just hope they were left in the car due to a lapse in memory rather than being a casualty of war." | "We have absolutely no idea who these things belonged to and I just hope they were left in the car due to a lapse in memory rather than being a casualty of war." |
The money was a five-franc note and hand-dated 6th June 1944. | The money was a five-franc note and hand-dated 6th June 1944. |
'Dark and dangerous times' | |
Allied troops taking part in the D-Day landing were typically issued with a number of social survival items, including the five-franc note, known as occupation money, and cigarettes. | |
Mr Owen said: "My wife Anne instantly recognised what they were, as her father served as a medical orderly at the landings. I was stunned." | |
It is believed the vehicle was hidden away during the war, only coming back into service following the landings in June 1944. | It is believed the vehicle was hidden away during the war, only coming back into service following the landings in June 1944. |
The museum describes the items as "a little time capsule from those dark and dangerous times". | The museum describes the items as "a little time capsule from those dark and dangerous times". |
Nigel Davies, of Llangollen Enterprise, which promotes the town, said: "It's very exciting and shows what else might be hidden away in these old cars. | Nigel Davies, of Llangollen Enterprise, which promotes the town, said: "It's very exciting and shows what else might be hidden away in these old cars. |
"It was brought back to this country but we don't know when, or whether it might have been used by the Allies for a time." | "It was brought back to this country but we don't know when, or whether it might have been used by the Allies for a time." |