It was not the grand ceremony that had been planned for the opening of the British Normandy Memorial. But where there was neither fanfare nor crowd, it was rather an intimacy and an extraordinary poignant.
In the shadow of Gold Beach in northern France, where large numbers of British troops landed 77 years ago, the names of those who lost their lives under British command have been brought together for the first time.
Michael Smallman-Tew was only nine years old when his father died while fighting in Normandy. He said he was “delighted” to see his father’s name among the 22,224 British soldiers registered in the new memorial in the Norman town of Ver-sur-Mer.
The British Normandy Memorial honors those who lost their lives under British command in Normandy 77 years ago
He said: “I am so proud that his name is here forever, on his grave it says ‘they love the stars that shine forever’, and I think that phrase can be applied so well to this place. “
Normandy will forever be associated with the Allied forces and will be a place where wartime enthusiasts will come to re-imagine an extraordinary battle.
Away from formal events, we met Emmanuel Lejemtel, a local “sharing his passion” for D-Day by letting the families get into his war-style jeep.
The names of 22,224 British servicemen and women who lost their lives on and after D-Day have been brought together for the first time
Mr Lejemtel said he was here to “share his passion”.
“It’s so important for me to be here today, my parents lived through the war and I’ve always heard their stories, I think it’s so important for the next generation to hear them, to understand this that happened, “he added.
Bernard Faucon was there to “relive history” during a reenactment of the Battle of Normandy. He said he could “see the excitement on the children’s faces” when they heard the D-Day stories.