D-Day veterans to sound last post on Normandy beaches

Veterans of the D-Day landings are to hold their last official commemorations on the beaches of Normandy as they prepare to disband their association.

By John Bingham
Last Updated: 3:08PM BST 31 May 2009

About 800 servicemen who took part in the 1944 landings will return to northern France next week to mark the 65th anniversary of the invasion which unlocked the liberation of occupied western Europe.

Another 1,000 British veterans will be forced to mark the milestone at home because of increasingly frail health.

Together they are the last survivors of the almost 62,000 British troops who landed on the coast of Normandy on June 6 1944, as part of an allied invasion force which numbered 156,000 in total.

Approximately 4,414 Allied servicemen died on D-Day alone.

The veterans in Normandy will be joined by American and Canadian veterans for a weekend of commemorative events attended by Gordon Brown as well as the US President Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.

With an average age of 85 and many in increasingly poor health, the Normandy Veterans Association, which has spearheaded efforts to commemorate the landings for the last quarter of a century, has taken the decision to close its central structures later this year.

A smaller number of individuals and some local veterans groups from around the country are expected to continue to make the annual pilgrimage to the beaches and war graves each June to honour the dead.

But the focus of future commemorations for British veterans is expected to shift to sites across the Channel in Britain which will be more easily accessible for elderly veterans.

It follows the model adopted by Dunkirk veterans who announced at the time of their 60th anniversary in 2000 that it would be their last major anniversary.

Remaining funds will be transferred to a new commemorative organisation called Spirit of Normandy which will include children and grandchildren of veterans.

"We just can’t keep on going forever," said Ed Slater, 85, chairman of the association.

"It is far better to do this while some of us have still got the wherewithal and the physical strength to do it, otherwise we will just fade away."

On Friday June 5 veterans are due to parade past the statue of Montgomery in Colleville-Montgomery as well as attending a ceremony at the Peace Garden in Caen.

Events on June 6 include a Royal British Legion service at Bayeux cathedral, a separate veterans’ service in the nearby war cemetery, a parade at Arramanches and a major international ceremony attended by world leaders in the American sector.

There were originally no official plans to celebrate the 65th anniversary as a national event but Gordon Brown indicated that he intends to be there after it became clear that Barack Obama would be making the journey.

The association organised a major fundraising exercise to make it possible for hundreds of veterans to make what for many will be their final visit

Mr Slater said that many local branches of the association had become increasingly reliant on a few individuals and many had already folded because of dwindling numbers and ill health.

"At our peak we had 105 branches in the UK, now we are down to 77 but there are branches hanging on by the skin of their teeth with just one or two veterans," he said.

But he added: "I would bet my last pension that there will still be veterans going over there on the 70th anniversary … I will be 90 and if I can still go I will go."

A row built last week after it was disclosed that no member of the British Royal Family would be attending the event and the Queen had not been invited. Downing Street was blamed for the situation.

Yesterday, Gordon Brown told Andrew Marr on his BBC1 show: "If the Queen wanted to attend these events, or if any member of the Royal family wanted to attend these events, I would make that possible."

Speaking later, David Cameron, the Tory leader, said: "The Government has made a complete mess of this right from the start."

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said it had nothing to add.