Tree carving leafs a wartime mystery
THE riddle of a 75- year- old tree carving on the other side of the English Channel sparked an intriguing search for an answer in a Rossendale village. Frenchwoman Marie Roques contacted the Free Press after discovering an inscription carved into a tree on her property in Normandy.
Marie Roques, who is half- British on her mother’s side, recently bought the manor in Monceaux-en-Bessin, in northern France, with her husband.
The historic property was built in 1800, and when Marie was clearing ivy from a tree, she found the inscription, which read: “MP July 29 1944 Loveclough Lancs”.
Marie then researched ‘ Loveclough’ online where she came across the village’s Facebook group, and posted the picture, sparking much interest.
Although two names were suggested, none seemed right within the timeframe, and Marie is now hoping to find out more about the elusive person who carved into the tree, just a month after the Normandy Landings.
It was suggested by Marie’s brother- in- law, who is a history professor, that MP could actually stand for “military police”.
The manor, Le Manoir des Équerres, has a rich history.
It was occupied by the Nazis in the Second World War, and then by English troops when Bayeux was liberated.
Additionally, when plumbing work was carried out in the manor, Marie found a pair of military boots amongst the pipes which had once been hidden for safe- keeping, although the owner had clearly not retrieved them.
If you have any information regarding the history of the manor, or who may have carved this inscription, please contact us at freepressnews@menmedia.co.uk