British Normandy Memorial
British Normandy Memorial | |
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United Kingdom | |
For the British dead of the Normandy landings | |
Location | |
Designed by |
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Commemorated | 22,442 |
The British Normandy Memorial is a
The memorial records the names of 22,442 people from more than 30 countries under British command who were killed in Normandy from 6 June to 31 August 1944 .[1]
Background
The Normandy landings began just after midnight on 6 June 1944, with a glider assault to capture the Caen canal and Orne river bridges.[2]
US forces began landings on Utah and Omaha Beaches at about 06:30. About an hour later, due do different tide conditions along the coast, British and Canadian forces landed on Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches, from Port-en-Bessin in the west to Ouistreham in the east. Ver-sur-Mer lies at the eastern end of King Sector of Gold Beach, near its border with the west edge of Juno Beach, on the road inland from the landing site around La Rivière to Crépon.
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Map of the invasion area: Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches are in the eastern half of the landing area, with Ver-sur-Mer marked at junction of Gold Beach and Juno Beach, near the centre of the map
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Aerial photo of the junction of King Red and King Green beaches, Gold assault area, on 6 June 1944. The Mont Fleury battery (WN 35a) and ananti-tank ditch (a long chevron) are visible in front of the village of Ver-sur-Mer
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Map shows the British and Canadian beaches, and the positions at the close of D-Day
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Column of British vehicles moving inland from King Sector, Gold Beach, on 7 June 1944
Establishment
In July 2015, George Batts, a veteran of the Normandy landings, met with BBC journalist Nicholas Witchell. Batts pointed out that the United Kingdom was the only major Allied nation without a dedicated memorial in Normandy. The Normandy Memorial Trust was set up after their meeting.[3]
Construction of the memorial cost 30,000,000 pounds sterling, of which £20 million was funded by the British government using proceeds from fines levied after the Libor scandal,[4] and £10 million by private donations.[1][3]
About 18 ha (44 acres) of land for the memorial was acquired on a hill to the west of Ver-sur-Mer overlooking Gold Beach, and permission for the memorial sought from French authorities in 2017 and 2018. The site was formally inaugurated by British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron on 6 June 2019, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, after the installation of David Williams-Ellis's D-Day Sculpture.
Construction was performed from 2019 to 2020 by the French company Eiffage-Route.[5] The stonework was made by the stonemasons S. McConnell and Sons at their works in Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland, using 4,000 tons of French limestone from Massangis.
Design and symbolism
The memorial was designed by British architect Liam O'Connor, who previously designed the British Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, and also the RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London.[1] It lies parallel to the coast, about 700 m (2,300 ft) inland from Gold Beach.
The centrepiece of the memorial is a bronze sculpture by David Williams-Ellis, with larger than life size statues of three soldiers coming ashore during the D-Day landings.[6][7]
The names of 1,746 people killed on
Long crossing paths across the quadrangle of the memorial create a plan that resembles the
In a field adjacent to the memorial are the remains of the Mont Fleury German battery of 122 mm (4.8 in)
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Map
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Wreath and shield
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Memorial to French civilians
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Royal Artillery memorial in Ver-sur-Mer
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Hertfordshire Regiment memorial in Ver-sur-Mer
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French war memorial in Ver-sur-Mer
Reception
During planning some local residents expressed concern over an increase in tourism and environmental degradation to the area.[10] The reaction of visitors and local residents since the memorial was completed has been very positive.[citation needed]
Maintenance
The British Normandy Memorial is maintained in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.[11] As noted above, the construction of the memorial was supported by the British Government. Ongoing maintenance of the memorial and its landscape is funded through voluntary contributions.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Also known as D-Day or Operation Neptune.
Citations
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Mary (6 June 2021). "British Normandy Memorial unveiled in France to honour D-Day and Normandy fallen". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ISBN 9780191727603. Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Making of the Memorial". British Normandy Memorial. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ £20 million for D-Day landings memorial, gov.uk, 5 March 2017
- ^ British Normandy Memorial : inauguration le 6 juin Archived 13 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine, eiffageroute.com, 4 June 2021
- ^ Willsher, Kim (6 June 2021). "Normandy marks D-day anniversary with new memorial". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ D-Day Memorial, dwe.com
- ^ "Long-awaited British memorial opens in Normandy to remember D-Day fallen". Radio France Internationale. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Mont Fleury battery, normandywarguide.com
- ^ Bremner, Charles (19 February 2019). "La résistance fights D-Day memorial". The Times. Paris, France. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ CWGC. "CWGC to care for British Normandy Memorial". CWGC. Retrieved 25 July 2022.