70th Anniversary of D-Day in West Cumbria
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1. Order of Service of Remembrance (front cover)
70th anniversary of D-Day
[St Nicholas' Church Gardens, Whitehaven, Cumbria]
70th anniversary of D-Day
[St Nicholas' Church Gardens, Whitehaven, Cumbria]
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2. Floral tributes and poppy crosses
[Normandy Veterans Memorial, Whitehaven, Cumbria]
[Normandy Veterans Memorial, Whitehaven, Cumbria]
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3. Some of the floral tributes placed in remembrance
[Friday 6 June 2014]
[Friday 6 June 2014]
4. Poppy crosses remembering family and friends
[Friday 6 June 2014]
[Friday 6 June 2014]
For additional information click on 'Comments' below.
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posted by ritsonvaljos at 11:56 pm
4 Comments:
Additional information
Shortly before 11.00 a.m. on Friday, 6 June 2014, a short commemorative service was held at the Normandy Veterans Memorial Plaque in St Nicholas' Church Gardens, Whitehaven Cumbria. Photograph No. 1 (above) shows the front cover of the 'Order of Service sheet'. The servivce was conducted by the Padre Reverend Richard Lee - a former Armed Forces Chaplain.
A small number of surviving Normandy Veterans were able to take part in the service to remember their friends and comrades who lost their lives in Normandy and later battles of the war. In addition, family and friends were placed floral tributes and poppy crosses in front of the memorial tablet [Photographs Nos. 2-4].
The last post was played by Mark Shaw of the Salvation Army while the gun salute was given by members of Whitehaven Army Cadets.
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Act of Remembrance and Commitment
The order of service and remembrance was as follows:-
Reverend Richard Lee:
"Let us remember before God, and command to His sure keeping those who have died in the service of their country, those whom we knew and whose memory we treasure and all who have lived and died in the service of mankind."
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Major Ray Devlin, T.D., Parachute Regiment (Retired) read the 'Exhortation' from Laurence Binyon's poem, "The Fallen":
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."
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All:
"We will remember them."
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The Last Post (played by Mark Shaw, Whitehaven Salvation Army):
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Gun salute (by Whitehaven Army Cadets)
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Two minutes silence
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Gun salute
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Reveille
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Major Ray Devlin read the "Kohima Epitaph" attributed to John Maxwell Edmonds:
"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"
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The Mayor of Copeland, Mrs Eileen Eastwood, laid the first wreath on behalf of the Borough of Copeland. Among the other floral tributes placed at the tablet was one by the Royal College of Nursing (Cumbria Branch) [Photograph No. 3]. Members of the public were then invited to place their own floral tributes at the memorial or poppy crosses in a box containing sand from one of the Normandy Beaches [Photograph No. 4].
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Prayers for the dead, led by Reverend Richard Lee:
"O Lord, through the mouth of your Prophet you declare that all souls are Yours. We thank you for the brave and faithful dead, who willingly laid down their lives on the battlefield of war or succumbed to the perils of the deep or in the air.
We bless You for the dauntless courage of those defenders of our Commonwealth who have fallen in the cause of truth and righteousness.
In Your hands, O Father, we leave their departed spirits. Grant us to follow their good example in faithfulness and endurance, even unto death, that we may with them be found worthy of the crown of everlasting life.
We thank You, O Heavenly Father, for the efforts being made by the Nations of the World in seeking peace and happier relations with each other. We praise you for the spirit in men and women which made them scorn the way of safety and ventures all for the common cause of Freedom and Right; for all great and noble acts known and unknown, which we believe by the Mercy of God will bring about the final conquest of the forces of evil which threaten the peace and security of the world."
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A pledge for peace, led by the Reverend Richard Lee:
"Let us pledge ourselves anew to the service of God and our fellow men and women:
That we may help, encourage and comfort others, and support those working for the relief of the needy and for the peace and welfare of all nations."
All:
"Lord God, our Father,
We pledge ourselves to serve you and all people, in the cause of peace, for the relief and want of suffering and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your spirit: give us wisdom, give us courage, give us hope and keep us faithful now and always."
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All:
(The Lord's Prayer, traditional Anglican form)
"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen."
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Final blessing (by Reverend Richard Lee)
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Normandy Veterans remember
Earlier in the morning, two of the Normandy Veterans who attended this service had been interviewed by BBC radio about the Normandy Landings. Especially for these two wartime veterans this was an important anniversary to remember those whose lives had been lost in the war.
One of them was Signalman George Smith, R.N., originally from London, who enlisted to the Royal Navy on 7 September 1943. On 6 June 1944 George was on board the minesweeper HMS BYMS 2205, part of 165 Minesweeping Flotilla.
Also attending the service was Gunner George M. Cottier, R.A., from Whitehaven, who enlisted to the Army on 3 December 1942, serving for five and a half years. During his time in Normandy George was a driver with 61st Medium Regiment, R.A. He landed in Normandy on 8 June 1944 (D + 2).
According to George: "There were so many killed in Normandy and it's important we still show our respect. The lives lost should be celebrated."
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The Normandy Veterans Prayer
This is the prayer of the Normandy Veterans:
"O, Eternal God, who has united together all Veterans of the Normandy Campaign. Grant, we beseech You, Your blessing and give strength to carry on our work to aid and bring Comradeship to all Normandy Veterans, and joy and common purpose throughout our Association.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, whose courage never failed.
Amen."
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Memorial Ceremony Nijmegen 25 September
Dear Sir,
Starting at 4.30pm on the 25th of September, a commemoration will take place in the Petruskerk in Hees, Nijmegen, marking seventy years since the crash of a British Mitchell Mk.II medium bomber close to the church, resulting in the deaths of both Air Force personnel and Dutch civilians. This is to be a very unusual memorial service due to the length of the intervening time, and also important, with the Mayor of Nijmegen Hubert Bruls, members of 320 Squadron, and relatives of the air crew, and finishing with a Spitfire flypast! More information here…
http://www.litho320.veteranen.nl/
and here…
http://hewasahero.wordpress.com/
Kind regards.
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