D-Day anniversary a time to reflect on security of Europe, says Lord Dannatt

The 80th anniversary of D-Day is a time to reflect on Britain’s “ongoing interest in the collective security of Europe”, former Army chief General Lord Dannatt has said.

The British Normandy Memorial, of which Lord Dannatt is chairman of trustees, will be hosting a series of events to mark the anniversary on June 6.

Lord Dannatt said the King is expected to attend the memorial site in Ver-sur-Mer in northern France if he is well enough, as he continues treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, alongside fellow heads of state including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden.

The King will also open the new Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning on the memorial site,  Lord Dannatt said.

He told the PA news agency it is important that “future generations, particularly children and young people, know the story of D-Day” and understand Britain’s role in the war.

“Britain’s role [was] really, really important and we want to make sure that’s properly explained in the Winston Churchill Centre, so that people do remember the role that Britain played in the liberation of Europe.

“You can say, ‘well, we’ve left the European Union now, so perhaps we’re not so interested in Europe’. That’s completely wrong.

“We have a terribly important ongoing interest in the collective security of Europe, which really began on June 6 in 1944 under British command.

“We want to make sure that story is told in an appropriate and proportionate way.”

The Winston Churchill Centre will house two educational exhibition galleries telling stories of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, and a classroom for schools visiting the memorial site.

British Second World War veterans will attend the anniversary event at the memorial site.

“It will be a very exciting day and very special for the small group of remaining veterans who are very proud to be there, they’re very elderly now, (in their) late 90s, early 100s,” Lord Dannatt said.

“Quite remarkable that any, given all that they’ve been through, are fit enough and well enough to actually make the journey and come.”

The D-Day operation brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied forces in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

It is regarded as a success and began the process of ending the war in Europe.

The British Normandy Memorial records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women from more than 30 countries under British command who died on D-Day and in the subsequent Battle of Normandy.

The Royal British Legion has planned events at the memorial and across the UK, with veterans of the Normandy campaign at the heart of them.

Lord Dannatt said recent wars and ongoing conflicts around the world were a reminder that “war hasn’t gone away, that campaigns in which people lose their lives haven’t gone away, and that we do need to remember the sacrifice of those who have fallen, and to celebrate the service of those who have taken part in the name of our nation”.

“The tragedy, of course, is that there is a war going on in Europe at the moment.

“Russia’s quite outrageous aggression into Ukraine frankly has brought ugly and brutal war back on to the mainland of Europe in a way that we hoped we’d seen the back of it in 1945.

“It just shows the kind of fragility of our society.”

He added: “It’s really important that Nato countries like ourselves, the United States and Canada and France and Germany, we stand up against him [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to make sure that he does not go further – that further aggression is deterred.

“That’s really important and I think that sort of plays into the wider story of the importance of D-Day.”

In the meadows around the British Normandy Memorial, 1,475 silhouette statues will reflect the number of servicemen under British command who lost their lives on D-Day.

The installation, called For Your Tomorrow, has been built and put together over the past four years by Standing With Giants, a volunteer group from Oxford.

Lord Dannatt said the display will be “very memorable for visitors” at the British memorial site, which is “a moving experience in its own right”.

“Most importantly, there will be a very large number of visitors who will just want to come to the memorial and reflect and commemorate loved ones and family members who landed and fought and those who fell,” he said.

Lord Dannatt and his wife, Lady Dannatt, will travel to the British Normandy Memorial with a group of 10 to 12 veterans for the anniversary, which he said is “a highlight of the year and very special”.

Those who wish to support the British Normandy Memorial and Standing With Giants can sponsor one of the “giants”.

A tribute plaque can be bought on the memorial website and personalised, and will be displayed next to one of the statues in the grounds of the British Normandy Memorial.