Honouring all those who took part in D-Day 80 years ago
It was an absolute honour to lay a wreath at the D-Day memorial service in Penistone this morning.
For those of us born after the Second World War, it’s hard to comprehend the scale of the D-Day landings on June 6th 1944, and the extraordinary logistical achievement of landing hundreds of thousands of men and machines on the Normandy beaches under heavy bombardment.
But even more remarkable than the military achievement was the individual bravery and determination of the servicemen who each risked their lives to liberate Europe from the grip of the Nazis.
We can never know what would have happened if, instead of risking everything to rescue occupied Europe, our leaders had decided to negotiate with Hitler. But we can be sure that neither we, nor our neighbours in Western Europe, would have enjoyed nearly 80 years of freedom, peace and democracy.
At the event I took a moment to speak to RAF Veteran Ian White, who served for 26 years, he said:
The people who took part in D-Day gave their lives so that we can be free here now, and that spirit is still here in the armed services today, with those serving willing to give up their life so that we can continue to be free (Ian White)
In a few years, these events will no longer be in living memory. It will then be even more important to remember and re-tell the stories of bravery and sacrifice that make our freedom so precious.
About D-Day
Unprecedented co-ordination between Allied nations, and the intensive planning of engineers, meteorologists, logisticians and countless more, led to a force from 13 countries approaching Normandy in a 5000-vessel armada.
In the early hours of D-Day, 24,000 paratroopers and glider-borne troops landed behind German lines to provide tactical support. Massive naval and aerial bombardments attempted to supress the German defences and weaponry. Then a ground force of more than 130,000 troops came ashore on five beaches across a 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast, with the first waves often facing intact defences. By the end of D-Day there had been 10,000 allied casualties. Yet this was only the beginning. The ensuing Battle of Normandy was to last into August and cost tens of thousands of lives as it defeated and repulsed the occupying German forces eastwards. It was a decisive success for the Allies and paved the way for the liberation of much of north west Europe. (Royal British Legion)
