160 standing stones are inscribed with the names of 22,442 men and women who lost their lives during the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France in 1944
The Prince of Wales has spoken of the importance of preserving the memory of the more than 22,000 “remarkable individuals” commemorated at the British Normandy Memorial.
The Memorial, designed by British architect Liam O’Connor, records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
On the 77th anniversary of the landings, the memorial at Ver-sur-Mer was officially opened, while veterans unable to travel to Normandy because of Covid-19 travel restrictions could watch on from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Charles, patron of the Normandy Memorial Trust, said he had wished to travel to France and spoke of his pride at opening the “remarkable” memorial.
D-Day veterans are grounded today, just as their wish is finally granted for a single British memorial on Gold Beach. When the unveiling is beamed back to the UK, no veterans’ boots will be on the