Recent

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025

Neil Potter Promoted to Director of National Sales at Allen & Heath USA

August 1, 2025

Sonique Drums Unveils Poly Pro Slim Snare Wire Straps

August 1, 2025

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025

Jeff Mulvihill Appointed Combo Drum and Concert Percussion Brand Manager for KHS America

July 29, 2025
Thursday, August 7, 2025
  • Contact
MMR Magazine
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
MMR Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Vintage D-Day mandolin landing at NAMM

Ronnie Dungan by Ronnie Dungan
January 5, 2017
in MMR Global
0
938
SHARES
2.3k
VIEWS
Share on Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT

JHS‘ Vintage brand is launching a commemorative D-Day Mandolin with an interesting back story at this year’s NAMM.

ADVERTISEMENT

The VIntage D-Day Mandolin features a white ash body with nyatoh neck, and includes authentic aged hardware and inscriptions as a ‘nod’ to the original. It is tonally responsive and very easy to play.

Whilst a lot of the history of 6th June 1944, or D-Day, is well documented, one story that is still relatively unknown is that of Exercise Tiger – the codename for one of a series of rehearsals for the D-Day landings that took place off the coast of Devon. A convoy of fully loaded LSTs (Landing Ship Tanks) that was in Lyme Bay preparing to assault Slapton Sands was discovered by German E-Boats and attacked with the loss of over 600 American soldiers and sailors. Due to the nature of the exercise and its closeness to the actual invasion date, the incident was kept under the strictest secrecy and only nominally reported much later on.

In 1988 a man named Ken Small wrote a book called The Forgotten Dead about those tragic events and his journey to discover the truth. In the book he explains how he learned of a Duplex Drive Sherman Tank sitting on the sea bed 3/4 of a mile off the shore of Slapton Sands. After much time and effort he managed to purchase the tank from the US Government. His plan was to recover it and create a lasting memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

In 1984 he achieved his goal. The tank stands today as a memorial in Torcross, Devon and is a constant reminder of the sacrifice made for the freedom and democracy we enjoy today. In so doing he had brought world wide recognition to the exercise.

Shortly after this an elderly lady came from Torquay to visit Ken at the tank. She said that she had a mandolin since the war with a very special significance. On it were inscribed the names of the crew of LCT 639 who landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy. Many of those men were billeted with her in Torquay. She told him that all those years since, she had been looking for a home for the mandolin and now she had found it, she gave it to Ken.

Apparently, these men had returned to the lady’s home and it is believed that on their return, they continued their stay before heading home to the States. One of the servicemen carried with him a 1940 Regal mandolin, typical of the budget war issue instruments that abounded at that time. He wanted to gift her something as a reminder of their friendship, and these servicemen each scratched their names on the back and upper side of the instrument.

A message scratched onto the upper side (and replicated on the rear of the D-Day Mandolin) reads: “God helped us. USS LCT 639 hit (Omaha) beach off France on June 6th 1944.”

Supplied with a zero gravity carry case, the D-Day Mandolin is endorsed by Gordon Giltrap (pictured).

Tags: D-Day MandolinJHSVintage
Previous Post

Antelope outlines NAMM plans

Next Post

D’Addario & Company Looking for a Regional Sales Manager in Africa/Middle East

Related Posts

MMR Global

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025
MMR Global

Recording and Mixing Engineer Thiago Baggio Thrives with DPA Microphones

July 29, 2025
Cesar Lamschtein, incoming Audio Engineering Society President-Elect in 2026
MMR Global

Audio Engineering Society Announces Results of 2025 Elections

July 29, 2025
MMR Global

Martin Audio Guides Visitors Through UK Pavilion at Osaka’s Expo 2025

July 28, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Awards Rebranded as The NAMM Retail Awards

July 21, 2025
Next Post

D’Addario & Company Looking for a Regional Sales Manager in Africa/Middle East

Please login to join discussion
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025

New Spring King Junior Reverb Pedal from Danelectro

May 11, 2025
A picture tells a thousand words - a historic Gresch gathering at Carnegie Hall.

Gretsch at Carnegie Hall: Capturing a Moment in Time

August 2, 2013

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
The Latest News and Gear in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!
  • August 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • July 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • June 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • May 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • April 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
© 2005 - 2025 artistpro, LLC
7012 City Center Way, Suite 207
Fairview, Tennessee 37062
(800) 682-8114

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!

© 2005 – 2024 artistpro, LLC 7012 City Center Way, Suite 207 Fairview, Tennessee 37062 (800) 682-8114

This is Modal Title

Click Me
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?