Cyril from the front page of the Telegraph 6th June 2014 |
Today marks the 70th
anniversary of Operation Overlord, or D-Day, a massive seaborne invasion by the
Allied Forces on the beaches of Normandy that marked the beginning of the end
of the Second World War.
Over 150,000 British, American
and Canadian troops landed on Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach
and Sword Beach with bicycles, bulldozers, tanks, jeeps and trucks, plus there
were over 11,000 aircraft to support them. By 11th June over 300,000
troops and 54,000 vehicles had landed in France. Even today these are huge
numbers to comprehend as are the number of lives lost.
Mulberry Harbour Gold Beach |
I am not the first in our family
to have links with France. My Granddad, although not part of the D-Day landings
was in France for about three years during the Second World War where he served
in the Royal Artillery. He would have been 36 years old at the time of the
landings and had a wife and young family at home. Details about his time in the
War are sketchy, but he was certainly part of the liberation and repatriation
teams working in France, Belgium and Germany.
Cyril in Normandy 2004 |
I cannot imagine the horrific
sights he must have seen that day and during his time serving during the War,
and at such a young age.
19, is only two years older than
my nephew Alex who is studying for his A-Levels and due to take his driving
test next week.
19, is only four years older than
my nephew Ben who is currently sitting his GCSE’s.
19, is only six years older than
Ed, my baby!
I will be taking the time to
think about all our heros today.
We will remember them.
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