06-Jun-2023

D-Day 79 at the Memorial

On 6 June 2023, the 79th anniversary of D-Day, Veterans, dignitaries and the general public gathered at the British Normandy Memorial to remember and reflect.

The morning ceremony was organised by the Royal British Legion and included the reading of a poem ‘When You Go Home’ by Ken Hay MBE, Normandy Veteran and Memorial Ambassador. The Exhortation was read by fellow Veteran and Ambassador, Stan Ford.

Lord Richard Dannatt, Chairman of Trustees, also attended and appointed D-Day Veteran Jack Quinn as the Memorial’s new Ambassador.

In the afternoon, the Memorial played host for the first time to the annual International Ceremony involving the UK, the other Allied nations and Germany, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his French counterpart Sebastien Lécornu in attendance.

Shots of the British Normandy Memorial and the new miniature sculpture, by Florence Marsac:

 

 

The model (pictured below) is a high-quality bronze resin that stands at 11inches tall. They will be available to purchase through our online shop from November 2023.

The cost to purchase is £180 plus £10 P&P via tracked delivery to the UK.

Postage for other countries will be calculated at check-out when the order is placed online.

If you are interested in buying a model, please contact us at contact@britishnormandymemorial.org and we will notify you as soon as they become available in the online shop.

 

The pictures from the morning ceremony below are courtesy of Arthur Edwards FRPS:

D Day veterans in Normandy paying tribute to their fallen comrades on the 79th anniversary of the landing. The service was at the British Normandy Memorial Gold Beach. 

 

Lord Richard Dannatt, Chairman of Trustees, appoints D-Day Veteran Jack Quinn as Memorial Ambassador 

 

 

Left to right: Ken Hay, Jack Quinn, Henry Rice, Alec Penstone, Reg Pye, Stan Ford and Richard Aldred

 

Left to right: Ken Hay, Jack Quinn, Henry Rice, Alec Penstone, Reg Pye, Stan Ford and Richard Aldred

 

Ken Hay MBE reading his poem ‘When You Go Home’

 

Stan Ford reads the Exhortation

 

Lord Dannatt pays tribute to the fallen

 

Stan Ford and Jack Quinn pay their respects during the service

 

Below are shots of the Memorial from coverage of the international ceremony 

 

Defence Secretary and French Minster of the Armed Forces meet D-Day Veteran Ken Benbow, who visited the Memorial for the first time. Ken spoke at the international ceremony, and of D-Day he said:

“It’s a great honour for us all to be together, remembering things that happened 79 years ago….I was only 18 on the 15th of June 1944, so I was only a boy, but I remember it as if it was yesterday.”

Picture credit: Ministry of Defence Twitter 

 

At the official opening of the Musée de Débarquement, President Macron met with Jack Quinn, Henry Rice and Gilbert Clarke among others. 

Picture credit: Spirit of Normandy Trust

 

On 5 June, a youth ceremony took place where Veterans visiting with Taxi charity including Memorial Ambassador Mervyn Kersh met young French schoolchildren.