Commemorating the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day
Some of the last surviving UK veterans are marking the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of northern France during World War Two.
The large-scale operation, which occurred on 6 June 1944, involved British, American, and Canadian forces landing on beaches along the Normandy coast to initiate the liberation of France from Nazi control.
This year’s commemorations are the first since nearly 100 additional names were inscribed on the British Normandy Memorial, which honors troops who lost their lives during the campaign.
"To most people coming here they're just a series of names," 100-year-old veteran Kenneth Hay told the BBC. "To people like myself, they're people, I can see their faces."
At the British Normandy Memorial overlooking what was known as Gold Beach in 1944, 98 new names have been added to the roll of honour.
Research has identified men who fought in the battle but were previously omitted due to inaccurate records.
In some instances, families provided evidence confirming a relative was killed in Normandy, while in others, men mortally wounded there but who died later in British hospitals were not included on the original memorial lists.
Cecil Green is among those newly commemorated.
He was mortally wounded in Normandy, but his death in a British hospital meant he had not been formally recognized until now.
"I was really pleased, I cried," Cecil's son John told the BBC after learning his campaign to have his father's name added had been successful.
"It's a strange mixture of being glad and happy and sad at the same time," John said, touching the stone where his father's name is now inscribed.
Veterans Attendance and Historical Context
This year will see the smallest number of Normandy veterans attending the ceremony since the memorial opened in 2021, with only six confirmed to be present.
D-Day was the largest military seaborne operation ever undertaken and marked the beginning of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.
The operation involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of troops on five separate beaches in Normandy.
Planning for D-Day took more than a year. The invasion was originally scheduled for 5 June, considered the optimal date due to calm seas, a full moon, and low tide at first light. However, storms delayed the landing by 24 hours.
The term "D-Day" is a military designation for the first day of an operation.
Commemorative Events
Commemorations for the 82nd anniversary began with French schoolchildren walking across Juno Beach to mark H-Hour, the time when British servicemen were deployed.
Serving military personnel, the grandson of British Commander Field Marshal Montgomery, and pipers from the Jedburgh Pipe Band marched alongside the schoolchildren.
