OPERATIONS ‘OVERLORD’/’NEPTUNE’: a very rare historic British Union Flag carried by Sub-Lieutenant Alan Dalton of the Royal Navy ‘P’ Commando, on both JUNO and SWORD beach on D-Day, 6th June 1944 Of stitched bunting manufacture typical of the period, the canvas sleeve with cord lanyard and retaining the owner’s original hand-written inscription ‘DALTON’ and traces of a stencilled abbreviated inscription, possibly ‘3YD JACR’ (wind frayed). 174 x 91.5 cm. Sold together with two modernly inscribed brass plaques, the first inscribed: ‘S/LT. DALTON LED THE COMMANDO TEAM THAT THE (sic) CLEARED THE BEACHES PRIOR TO THE LANDINGS’; the second reads: ’THE FIRST UNION JACK TO BE FLOWN ON THE ‘D’ DAY BEACHES. HOISTED BY S/LT. NOW SIR ALLAN (sic) DALTON’.Alan Dalton joined the Royal Navy in April 1943 and volunteered in September for the Royal Naval Commandos (distinct from the Royal Marine Commandos), a force created specifically for the allied invasion of Europe. Dalton was posted to ‘P’ Commando and trained with Force ‘J’ (for JUNO beach) as part of Operation NEPTUNE, the naval element of the Normandy landings, and subsequently with the 3rd Canadian Division on the southern coast of England (R.N. Commandos ‘L’, ‘P’ and ‘S’ were to operate in sectors over the 7.2 km width of JUNO). Of pivotal importance to the landings, the functions of an R.N. Commando officer in the initial landing waves were foremost to facilitate the immediate tactical needs of the landing troops, establish and maintain beachhead communications with the headquarter ships to control incoming landing craft and then organise the safest movement of troops and armour off the beach inland away from minefields and active pockets of the bypassed enemy. On 6th June 1944, Dalton was designated to hit JUNO beach at H-hour + 5 minutes, immediately behind the first assault wave formed of two British specialist beach groups (involving infantry of the 8th King’s and 5th Royal Berkshire Regiments), supporting the 7th and 8th Canadian Infantry Brigades. On the western part of JUNO, the initial objectives of the 7th Canadian Brigade were the clearing of enemy troops from the beach, the establishment of a beach perimeter and the capture of the villages of Courseulles and Graye sur Mer. On the eastern beach area the 8th were similarly tasked and required to take Bernières and Saint Aubin sur Mer. On the morning of 6th June, the 7th Brigade H-hour was in reality pushed back from 07.35 to 07.45 and the 8th Brigade pushed back to 07.55; accordingly, Dalton (in one of the two ‘P’ Commando advance parties) was re-scheduled to land at H+20. This timing confirms that Dalton’s role was that of an Assistant Beach Master in the obviously most hazardous first assault wave, rather than belonging to the main body of ‘P’ Commando which correctly landed at ‘MIKE’ sector on JUNO, and which accompanied the second assault wave companies of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Regina Rifles (which together took Courseulles later in the afternoon after bitter street fighting). Dalton and the party of men under his command were transported ashore in a tank landing craft which, very unfortunately, was caught in the strong west to east sea currents. This resulted in Dalton instead landing on SWORD beach, most probably at Ouistreham, approximately 11.2 km east of the intended destination of ‘Mike’ sector in the middle of JUNO. Another of the ‘P’ Commando landing craft was swept even further eastwards, landing beyond the outer limit of SWORD. This unplanned beach landing presented Dalton and his men not only with a lengthy and dangerous hike to their designated sector on JUNO, but also with a hike from east to west directly through the expanse of the SWORD and JUNO combat zones. In his own words: “ …. we were going to have quite a troublesome time getting to where we were supposed to be, through mortar and machine gun fire, crossing through streams of troops and tanks (which were) storming over the beach and up to the enemy’s first line of defence”. It is important to note that the German defence had adjusted their machine guns not to fire directly towards the tide-line, but instead to fire along the beach in order to enfilade the allied landing. Dalton and his men were therefore at times receiving enemy fire both to their front and rear in the course of their journey. In addition to moving with their weapons and equipment east to west through this hail of enemy firepower, Dalton effectively had to cross the ‘line of traffic’ of the assaulting troops moving generally north to south from the tide-line to inland. Dalton’s journey to the ‘P’ Commando beachhead HQ west of Courseulles would probably have taken several hours under these gruelling conditions. From Dalton’s account to his friend Harbisher (to whom he subsequently gave the present flag), it is assumed that he was carrying the flag with him throughout this time. Back from the dead, having eventually made contact with his beach commander, Lt. Commander Lowndes R.N., Dalton was assigned to his proper beachhead duties. The entire 3rd Canadian Division, including its 9th Brigade artillery and armour, was ashore by 14.00 hrs on 6th June. Fighting on sections of the beach continued until late morning and then at its inland edges well into the afternoon. The ‘P’ Commando continued its subsequent organisational beachhead operations at least until 22nd June.Having carried the present flag across the beaches, it is most probable that Dalton’s union flag was then flown at the mast of ‘P’ Commando’s beachhead H.Q. on JUNO, presumably identifying the location of the H.Q. within the Canadian landing zone. This flag carried by Dalton on 6th June was subsequently brought back by him as a fitting souvenir of his experiences on the Normandy beaches. Extracted in parts from recent private research by Dr Andrew Cormack, FSA, FRHistS, formerly a member of the curatorial staff at The Imperial War Museum and at The Royal Air Force Museum, currently editor of the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. Provenance: Sub-Lieutenant Alan Dalton, R.N. ‘P’ Commando (subsequently Sir Alan Dalton, CBE, DL, 1923 – 2006). Gifted by Dalton, circa 1990, to Brian Harbisher of Mylor in Cornwall. Sold by him at Charles Miller Ltd., London, 7th November 2017, lot 89, to the present owner. Condition: II - III Condition: II - III Sir Alan Dalton (1923 - 2006) - Union Flag von der Landung der 3rd Canadian Division am Juno Beach, D-Day 6. Juni 1944 Typische zeitgenössische Fertigung aus mehrfarbig vernähtem Fahnentuch, die seitliche Leinenverstärkung mit handschriftlichem Besitzernamen "Dalton" und Größenaufdruck "3YD JACR". Sichtliche Gebrauchsspuren, ausgefleddert. Größe ca. 174 x 91,5 cm.Dazu zwei neuzeitliche Messingplaketten mit frei übersetzter englischer Gravur "Leutnant Dalton führte die Kommandogruppe, die die Strände vor der Landung säuberte" und "Der Erste Union Jack, der über den D-Day Stränden wehte. Gehisst von Leutnant - jetzt Sir Alan Dalton". Alan Dalton trat im April 1943 in die Royal Navy ein und meldete sich im September freiwillig zu den Royal Naval Kommandogruppen (nicht zu verwechseln mit den Royal Navy Kommandogruppen), einer Einheit speziell für die Invasion in Europa. Dalton führte diese Fahne vom 6. bis 22. Juni während schwerster Kämpfe immer mit sich und brachte sie im Juli zurück nach England. Provenienz: Sub-Lieutenant Alan Dalton, R.N. ‘P’ Commando (später geadelt, daher Sir Alan Dalton, CBE, DL, 1923 – 2006). Ein Geschenk von Herrn Dalton um 1990 an Brian Harbisher aus Mylor in Cornwall, von dem es am 07.11.2017 als Los 89 einer Auktion bei Charles Miller Ltd., London, an den