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Original D-Day Clicker Search
The small metal device was used by troops abroad to try and determine if they were around friends or foes in pitch black conditions. Every paratrooper was issued a clicker and after being dropped into darkness on the eve of D-Day, were told to use it if they suspected they were near someone. The Acme 470 clicker was used during the D-Day landings in 1944 as a means of communicating with allied troops (ACME Whistles) They were told to click once and if they heard two clicks in reply, that meant friend. No response meant something else, Simon Topman explains.
On D-Day - June 6, 1944 - World War Two Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France which was codenamed Operation 'Overlord'. It marked the beginning of a long campaign to liberate north-west Europe from German occupation. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold on the Normandy beaches and could begin advancing into France.
The Managing Director at ACME Whistles said the quiet noise created by the clickers was the “original sound of D-Day” and was a hugely important tool for soldiers to find allies in unfamiliar conditions. Mr Simon Topman said the ACME Whistles Birmingham based factory was given the “top secret” task of making 7,000 clickers, six months before D-Day. Paperwork and instructions about the task were given, but these plans were swiftly rushed away to London afterward. Because of this, the factory could not even be left with one clicker and have not seen one since they were dispatched to soldiers. Mr Topman called the clickers we're “vital” for soldiers’ safety.
He said: “No one knew about clickers and no German soldiers had them. They were only to be used in the first 24 hours of landing and that was to stop Germans from making their own or trying to mimic them. “It was only later we found out what they were used for.”
The importance of the devices was also highlighted when the factory creating them was targeted, Mr Topman added. He said: “During World War II ACME played a vital role in the war effort. There was no commercial trade as production was given over entirely to making whistles for the war effort, and of course, Clickers. “The factory itself was bombed when incendiary bombs were dropped and one found its way down the lift shaft, exploding in the cellar. Whistles were sent raining out into the streets of Birmingham, a third of the factory was demolished, but so essential were its products that it was rebuilt in just four days.”
Supported by The Royal British Legion and intended to meaningfully mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, ACME Whistles is now appealing to people to try and trace the historical tools. Mr Topman said: “It would be absolutely lovely to be able to put one in our showroom maybe, even for a few weeks, and be able to say it’s here. “It’s the original sound of D-Day and the sound of history. We would love to find as many of the original Clickers as possible.
“Perhaps your great Grandad was a D-Day veteran, maybe he has a box of war medals where it could lie unknown? Maybe an elderly neighbour is a widow of a D-Day veteran who doesn’t realize the significance of the unassuming Clicker? We ask that people start seeking them out, to see if they can unearth a lost piece of sound history.”
If you believe you’re in possession of an original ACME Clicker please contact:
Ben McFarlane: Ben.McFarlane@ACMEwhistles.co.uk,
Call: 0121 554 2124
or feel free to message on Instagram: @ACME_whistles
Original D-Day Clicker Search
The small metal device was used by troops abroad to try and determine if they were around friends or foes in pitch black conditions. Every paratrooper was issued a clicker and after being dropped into darkness on the eve of D-Day, were told to use it if they suspected they were near someone. The Acme 470 clicker was used during the D-Day landings in 1944 as a means of communicating with allied troops (ACME Whistles) They were told to click once and if they heard two clicks in reply, that meant friend. No response meant something else, Simon Topman explains.
On D-Day - June 6, 1944 - World War Two Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France which was codenamed Operation 'Overlord'. It marked the beginning of a long campaign to liberate north-west Europe from German occupation. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold on the Normandy beaches and could begin advancing into France.
The Managing Director at ACME Whistles said the quiet noise created by the clickers was the “original sound of D-Day” and was a hugely important tool for soldiers to find allies in unfamiliar conditions. Mr Simon Topman said the ACME Whistles Birmingham based factory was given the “top secret” task of making 7,000 clickers, six months before D-Day. Paperwork and instructions about the task were given, but these plans were swiftly rushed away to London afterward. Because of this, the factory could not even be left with one clicker and have not seen one since they were dispatched to soldiers. Mr Topman called the clickers we're “vital” for soldiers’ safety.
He said: “No one knew about clickers and no German soldiers had them. They were only to be used in the first 24 hours of landing and that was to stop Germans from making their own or trying to mimic them. “It was only later we found out what they were used for.”
The importance of the devices was also highlighted when the factory creating them was targeted, Mr Topman added. He said: “During World War II ACME played a vital role in the war effort. There was no commercial trade as production was given over entirely to making whistles for the war effort, and of course, Clickers. “The factory itself was bombed when incendiary bombs were dropped and one found its way down the lift shaft, exploding in the cellar. Whistles were sent raining out into the streets of Birmingham, a third of the factory was demolished, but so essential were its products that it was rebuilt in just four days.”
Supported by The Royal British Legion and intended to meaningfully mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, ACME Whistles is now appealing to people to try and trace the historical tools. Mr Topman said: “It would be absolutely lovely to be able to put one in our showroom maybe, even for a few weeks, and be able to say it’s here. “It’s the original sound of D-Day and the sound of history. We would love to find as many of the original Clickers as possible.
“Perhaps your great Grandad was a D-Day veteran, maybe he has a box of war medals where it could lie unknown? Maybe an elderly neighbour is a widow of a D-Day veteran who doesn’t realize the significance of the unassuming Clicker? We ask that people start seeking them out, to see if they can unearth a lost piece of sound history.”
If you believe you’re in possession of an original ACME Clicker please contact:
Ben McFarlane: Ben.McFarlane@ACMEwhistles.co.uk,
Call: 0121 554 2124
or feel free to message on Instagram: @ACME_whistles