Normandy veterans have gathered to watch a livestream of a new memorial being opened on the 77th anniversary of the D-Day landings, as Covid travel restrictions prevent them from making the trip to France.
The British Normandy Memorial – which sits in the village of Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy – has the names of more than 22,400 servicemen and women under British command who died on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy written on its stone columns.
Hundreds of miles away from the new memorial, veterans met in Staffordshire to watch the livestream of its unveiling together exactly 77 years after the landing of Allied soldiers on the Nazi-occupied Normandy shore.
The decisive assault led to the liberation of France and western Europe from Nazi control.
It is the second year in a row that the coronavirus pandemic has affected travel for its anniversary, with restrictions stopping veterans and their families from visiting France and only a few officials allowed.
The opening of the British Normandy Memorial was shown online for those unable to make the trip over to France, with veterans and families watching it from the National Memorial Arboretum in the village of Alrewas as they marked the 77th anniversary of D-Day.
The new memorial – which was funded by the British government and private benefactors – stands on a hillside overlooking Gold Beach, one of three where British forces landed on the morning of 6 June in 1944 to begin the liberation of Western Europe.
Images showed British veterans sat outside with umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain as its opening was broadcast to the crowd in Staffordshire.
Bob Gamble, the Royal British Legion’s assistant director for commemorative events, said it was a “great privilege” to have brought so many Normandy veterans and their families together for the anniversary.
"It remains as important as ever for us to remember and pay tribute to the immense bravery and sacrifice shown by all who served and fell during the Battle of Normandy,” he said.
Most public events for the D-Day anniversary have been cancelled and official ceremonies limited to a small number of selected guests and dignitaries.
The UK government currently advises against all but essential travel to the whole of France due to the Covid pandemic.
France has said it will allow fully-vaccinated Britons to come to the country from next week if they have a negative antigen test result.
Additional reporting by agencies
