Story & photos: John Mellor
Local members of the Normandy Veterans Association recently joined two parades at the war memorial in Barker's Pool to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944.
The first was held on 6th June, the actual day of the anniversary, for a small group of veterans who had not been able to travel to France for the commemorations in Normandy. Members of the public stopped to watch the parade and greeted the veterans afterwards, expressing their pride for the bravery they had shown and thanking them for what they had done 70 years ago.
The second event, a much larger group in the presence of the Lord Mayor, was held on 11th June, by which time the veterans had returned from France.
Veteran Gordon Drabble reported on his visit to France, saying,
"The 70th anniversary events in France proved to be a memorable and moving reminder of what happened on the Normandy beaches 70 years ago, especially visits to the war cemeteries where so many of our comrades are buried. We never forget them. The importance of these events was acknowledged by the presence of the Queen and other members of the royal family, together with the heads of state from 18 other countries.
“This will probably be the last major commemoration of this kind, as most Normandy veterans are now over 90 years of age.”
Two other veterans, Charlie Hill and Douglas Parker, who were among the first to land on D-Day, had a particularly memorable visit. They said,
“The Prince of Wales had especially asked to meet veterans who had been the first to land on the Normandy beaches on 6th June 1944. Prince Charles listened to the accounts of our experiences on that day and was clearly moved by what we were able to tell him of the desperate situation the first landing parties faced and the heavy casualties inflicted on D-Day. It is always a moving experience to go back to Normandy and the memories are just as vivid even after 70 years, particularly of our fallen comrades whose graves we visited.”
