Prince Charles praised the “personal courage and sacrifice” of those who died in the D-Day landings as a new memorial was unveiled on the 77th anniversary of the operation.
Like many D-Day veterans, the heir to the throne was unable to attend the opening on the hillside overlooking Gold Beach in Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Former soldiers who took part in the historic liberation mission gathered with their families on Sunday at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to watch the event broadcast live from a distance.
The £ 30million memorial, funded by the British government and benefactors, records the names of 22,442 men and women under British command who fell on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
Gold Beach was one of three places where British forces landed on the morning of June 6, 1944, to begin the liberation of Western Europe.
In a recorded video message, the prince, godfather of the Normandy Memorial Trust, said: “I especially wanted to address my opening remarks directly to those whose presence today, in person or online, really matters most.
“I know how much our incomparable veterans had hoped to be in Normandy today to see their memorial for themselves.
“Despite having to watch via satellite, this in no way obscures the enormous esteem and admiration we have for our veterans or lessens our debt of gratitude to the more than 22,000 men and women whose names are now permanently etched in stone in this place of honor above Gold Beach. “
Charles added: “As I said when I first learned about the plans for this long-awaited British memorial, it has been of concern to me for many years that the memory of these remarkable people will be preserved for generations. future as an example of courage and sacrifice, for the benefit of the whole national and, in fact, international …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-06 09:48:00
