Autumn 2022

tears by the television coverage of the 70th
anniversary of D-Day in 2014. A month later,
he slipped quietly away aged 90, perhaps to
meet up with some of those who never caught
the troop carrier home.
For many years, families of Allied soldiers have
been able to visit memorials, museums and
beaches on the Normandy coastline in the
footsteps of relatives who fought for freedom
in Europe. But only now is there a memorial
to the British soldiers who didn’t return from
the conflict, a spot where relatives can see the
names of lost family members inscribed for
posterity.
The campaign for the British Normandy
Memorial began in 2015 when D-Day
veteran George Batts, formerly of the Royal
Engineers, pointed out to BBC broadcaster
Nicholas Witchell that no national memorial
in Normandy recorded the names of all those
under British command who had died on
D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy.
As a result, the Normandy Memorial Trust was
established and the project began to move
forward.
In March 2017, the British government
pledged £20 million towards the construction
of the Memorial on farmland overlooking the
shoreline codenamed Gold Beach. The site
was formally inaugurated on 6 June 2019 in
the presence of then British Prime Minster
Theresa May and French President Emmanuel
Macron, and construction work began soon
afterwards. Despite delays due to the Covid
pandemic, the Memorial was officially opened
by video link by HRH The Prince of Wales on 6
June 2021.
Carved on 160 stone columns are the names
of 22,442 individuals – British personnel
and other nationalities serving British units
– whose lives were lost in the Normandy
campaign. Also included are members of the
RAF who supported the mission, and secret
agents and Special Forces personnel working
behind enemy lines. Names are listed in
chronological order of death, day-by-day, and
grouped by branches of the armed forces. This
huge undertaking was greatly aided by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission and
supplemented by other military institutions
and individuals.
But you don’t need a family connection
to enjoy a visit to this special place which
is easily reached by car, midway between
Bayeux and Caen. Buses also run from both
towns, except on Sundays, stopping outside
the Memorial gate. Admission is free with just
a 3€ parking charge that goes towards the
upkeep of the site. Visitors will find toilets at
the entrance and a picnic area near the car
park, but no visitor centre, no shop, no guides,
and no cafe. Nothing that detracts from the
tranquillity and beauty of the site. If you need
snacks, the village shops are just five minutes’
walk away.
Access to the Memorial is via a level gravel
path, suitable for wheelchairs and walking
aids – expect an 8-10 minute walk from the
car park. Along the way, stone information
panels are carved with the story of the D-Day
landings, English on one side, French on the
other.
As the Memorial came into view, my first
thought was ‘Stonehenge beside the sea’, its
uniform stone columns topped with a lattice
of timber. The full beauty of the design doesn’t
hit you until you get close and can see the
layout, a rectangle criss-crossed by paths in
the shape of a Union Jack, which flies on a
tall flagpole at the centre beside the French
tricolore.
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