D-Day 80

I went to a D-Day 80 beacon lighting this evening at North Weald Museum. Shame there wasn't a beacon. They lit a hurricane lamp of peace instead. Appropriate as the address is Hurricane Way.

There was a very interesting and moving D-Day 80 programme on the BBC this morning. I made a few notes.

The new British Normandy Memorial looked wonderful in the sunshine surrounded by fields of ox-eye daisies, (called ox-bow daisies by the presenter) with 1,475 Standing with Giants silhouettes representing the number of fatalities under British command on 6th June 1944.

A veteran told a horrific story of his tank being struck and on fire. He managed to get out and it wasn’t until he dropped to the ground that he realized that his foot had been blown off leaving just his heel.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new piece of music was inspired by veteran Cecil Newton who has a school in Normandy named after him. Cecil spoke of a cloak of sorrow that has never gone away.

I think it was Royal Navy veteran John Dennet who touchingly called Sophie Raworth my dear.  He said of the memorial, the kin have got somewhere to have a little weep. He paid tribute to the other services.

It was lovely how veteran Ron Hendrey, from Clacton, greeted the actor Douglas Booth, who was to read his words, with, Hello dear boy.

With skylarks singing in the background the Prime Minister spoke of the humility of the veterans and said that is why they are truly the best of us.

Just as the veterans were being applauded and two Dakotas were flying over, I think I saw a butterfly flit round Rishi’s head. In many cultures butterflies are symbols of the souls of the dead. It was explained that the aircraft were hastily painted with invasion stripes just before D-Day to prevent a friendly fire tragedy as had happened in Operation Husky.

Martin Freeman read movingly from a letter by Essex veteran Joe Mines whose task was clearing mines.

Douglas Booth read Ron Hendrey’s words. Is this my last day on earth? He remembered seeing his first body, an American. I thought he looked so damn smart.

A woman called Collette, whose family were in the French Resistance, remembered, aged fifteen, thinking that the Allied soldiers had given her a second birth.

Brigitte Macron looked very stylish in white (no hat), as did The Queen.

Veteran Arthur Oborne told of being shot in the chest by a sniper and being saved and taken to a field hospital by his friend ‘Gummie’. Gummie was killed the following day.

Tom Jones sang powerfully on a theme of comradeship.

The King spoke of his grandfather describing the invasion as the supreme test.
   
Naomi Kimpenu sung Andrew Lloyd Webber’s anthem Lovingly Remembered beautifully. It included the words, written by Don Black, we must never forget each soldier has a name.

Mishka cocked her head and sang to the bagpipes.

Then the Red Arrows plus the National Anthem. Wow!