Memorials mark UK France relationship

Architect Liam O’Connor has been commissioned to design the tribute which will have on it the names of 21,000 servicemen, women and those from the civilian services who lost their lives in the campaign.
Two sites in Calvados where British soldiers landed on the beaches have been shortlisted. One is at Colleville-Montgomery, which changed its name from Colleville-sur-Orne in 1946 in honour of Field Marshall Montgomery and the other is Ver-sur-Mer, at the eastern end of Gold Beach.

The Mayor of Ver-sur-Mer, Philippe Onillon told Connexion that he was doing everything he could to bring the memorial to his town.

“We are a small town of just 1,600 residents and it would be tremendous to have something like this here. The links with the British are very strong since the D-Day landings and this region is lacking a central memorial. It would attract tourists to our town. With 32 other local communes we are working towards a Unesco label for the D-Day beaches and this project fits in perfectly with that demand.”

D-Day Veteran George Batts, now aged 94, was an 18-year-old Sapper when he landed on Gold Beach on June 6, 1914 and the memories of that day are still vivid: “We left a lot of mates behind. You never forget them. When you come back here you can see their faces and of course they’ll never be older. We still see them, you know 18, 19, 20 year olds. Coming back now you see kids playing over there, enjoying themselves and I think that is the most marvellous thing going. Their lives have not been in vain.”
Mr Batts eventually became the national secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association which has now been disbanded because of dwindling membership due to age, but he has long held an ambition to build a monument on a single site in France. His wish will now come true and he recently visited Normandy to meet the mayors of the two chosen communes. The memorial is due to be unveiled on the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019.

One of the mayors who had been vying to have the memorial in his town is Romain Bail, mayor of Ouistreham. Though his town has not been shortlisted he says it is excellent news that there will at last be a central memorial to the British. He has meanwhile got the go ahead for his own project, a museum which will be an Interpretation Centre dedicated to the Normandy Campaign but also giving a wider look at the whole history of Franco-British relations. The project will cost €14m and 60% of the budget has been secured. Mr Bail is now appealing to the British and French governments as well as individuals to make up the short fall. He plans for it to open in June 2019.

A shortlist of three architects has been drawn up from 134 architects and the winner will be announced in July. The museum will trace the whole story of relations between France and Britain from William the Conqueror up until Brexit, including Joan of Arc and of course the Normandy Campaign. It will also look at commercial links such as Brittany Ferries. To donate visit the town website ouistreham-rivabella.fr/mairie