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We shall slight them on the beaches! Cafe on Normandy's Omaha beach stormed by the Allies during D-Day 'tells British soldiers it won't serve them because they are ENGLISH'

7 months ago 35
  • Creperie la Falaise overlooks the coastline which the Allies stormed 60 years ago

By Elena Salvoni

Published: 11:56 BST, 30 April 2024 | Updated: 12:50 BST, 30 April 2024

A World War II tour guide has slammed a cafe on Normandy's Omaha beach, claiming it refused to serve a group of British soldiers 'because they are English'.

Creperie la Falaise in Vierville-sur-Mer overlooks the coastline which was stormed by Allied troops on D-Day as they sought to liberate France from Nazi occupation.

Almost exactly 60 years on, battlefield guide Eugenie Brooks said troops she took to the eatery were refused service.

'This cafe at Vierville Draw at Omaha Beach Normandy refused to serve my British Army soldiers today as "they are English",' she wrote on X, adding: 'An utter disgrace & I will NEVER EVER EVER take any of my tours there again.'

Ms Brooks insisted that the group of 'junior soldiers' had been 'well behaved' and 'smartly dressed' when they were snubbed. 

Battlefield guide Eugenie Brooks said on X that troops she took to the eatery were refused service

US Assault Troops seen here landing on Omaha beach during the Invasion of Normandy on June 6 1944

The group were not the first to have a bad experience at the lunch spot, with half of all TripAdvisor reviews giving it a measly one star and describing it as 'horrible'.

One visitor, who said they visited this month, said they had the 'worst customer experience ever' and claimed the establishment showed 'utter contempt for customers and visitors from the UK'.

Another person who posted yesterday said they and 'a small party of descendants of servicemen visiting Omaha beach' received 'appalling service' and were 'ignored'.

In 2018, another British customer described how they got up and left after 'the owner totally ignored us and made no effort to clear the table,' describing their experience as 'the rudest, most unwelcoming service I have ever received in a cafe.'

It is not just British travellers who appear to have been put out by the bistro's service, with a Dutch couple also said to have got up and left.

In a separate review from 2022, a Polish customer 'staff were rude, commenting something about us out loud in French.' 

'From what I understand, they didn't hear our hello. So each of us had to repeat it several times quite loudly to get the menu,' he added.

And a Google review about a visit in summer 2022 also mentioned staff 'rudeness,' with the person writing bluntly: 'Ladies and gentlemen, we found it! This might be the worst place in the entire country of France.'

Pictures from inside the cafe show the flags of the world, including Britain's Union Jack, on display.

It appears to be American diner themed with Coca-Cola signs and Betty Boop memorabilia. 

It is situated less than a mile away from the D-Day museum in Omaha and a short distance from the Overlord Museum and Normandy American Cemetery.

Operation Overlord saw Allied troops invade five Normandy beaches on June 6 1944 codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

British troops take positions on Sword beach during D-Day 06 June 1944 after Allied forces stormed the Normandy beaches

The cafe is situated less than a mile away from the D-Day museum in Omaha and a short distance from the Overlord Museum and Normandy American Cemetery (pictured)

Taking Omaha was the responsibility of the US 1st Infantry, 5th Corps, with sea transport from the US Navy and support from the Royal Navy. 

The most well-defended of the areas, the Americans suffered more casualties than Allied forces did on any other beach, around 2,400.

They managed to gain a small foothold by the end of a day of bitter fighting and 34,000 Allied troops landed by nightfall.

The movie Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, famously portrays the storming of the beach. 

MailOnline has contacted Creperie la Falaise for comment.

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