Tattered by Nazi bullets and reeking of history, a United States flag that somehow survived the invasion of Normandy 57 years ago has landed on the North Shore thanks to the gracious friends and family of the late British naval officer who took it home from the bloody beachhead.

Douglas Edmonds, a young barge commander in World War II who died over the summer, was given the flag by American officers after spending eight days with the yanks on Omaha Beach, one of the deadliest battlegrounds in the history of war. After the Sept. 11 attacks on America, Edmonds' widow, Margaret, and his longtime friend, Michael Cole, decided to hand it over to a Beverly-based nonprofit organization they're affiliated with.

"You can almost smell the death on the flag," said Cole, currently staying on the North Shore after delivering the flag to the Peace and Hope Trust. "It's got battle written all over it . . . and the time has come for the flag to come out of its dusty box and be placed in a suitable place of honor in the United States."

Cole, a former British Air Force officer who knew Edmonds for 40 years, is a member of the U.K. arm of the Peace and Hope Trust, which does relief work in remote areas of Central America. Given the flag by Edmonds' widow, Margaret, Cole decided to return the battered banner to its homeland as a symbol of England's long-standing solidarity with America, which has been reinvigorated in the hunt for terrorist Osama bin Laden.

"September '44 was very much a time when Brits were shoulder to shoulder with Americans," said Cole. "The same sort of spirit exists today."

Peter Coleman, director of the Beverly branch of the Peace and Hope Trust, said he's excited about having the flag appropriately preserved and mounted to bring it around to veterans events and schools.

"It's just a good symbol of the brotherhood and camaraderie we have with the British," Coleman said. "They're our best ally right now."

Coleman said the flag, with its oily stains and bullet holes, packs a visceral punch that will be useful in teaching youngsters about the brave sacrifices made by World War II veterans.

"It's really a captivating chunk of history," Coleman said. "When I first laid it out and looked at it . . . it took me there. It was pretty shocking. You can really imagine what it was like."

Found in The Boston Herald