Draper Binoculars
Frank Draper carried these binoculars as his landing craft approached Omaha Beach. A German shell struck the vessel, mortally wounding Draper before reaching shore. Aboard the troop ship Empire Javelin, a British sailor named Bert Fuller tried to render first aid to the dying man, removing the binoculars from Draper’s neck to provide comfort. Draper died within minutes. Fuller kept the binoculars as a reminder of D-Day for sixty years before returning them to Draper’s family in Bedford.
