Visit of the "Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire" association

On Sunday 5th September, as part of the 65th Anniversary commemorations, there took place at the Royal Artillery Memorial on the Route d'Asnelles a ceremony in honouir of six British veterans who landed on Gold Beach. All now aged over 90 years (one of their number was unable to make the journey) these old soldiers received their Normandie Mémoire 65th anniversary badges from Mme Jaqueline André, first assistant mayor of Ver sur Mer.

" Their association, that of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Yeoemanry, always visits in September" said Jean-Pierre Dupont, who organised the ceremony with Colonel John Sainsbury. "It is these men who, on the eve of the 50th anniversary, inaugurated the Royal Artillery Memorial, dedicated to all the gunners who landed and particularly those who landed on Gold Beach"

During their stay the veterans held a private service of remembrance on Gold Beach, where 70 of their comrades perished. They also visited several other historic sites - The Pegasus Bridge Museum at Ranville, the radar museum at Douvesla Délivrande, Arromanches and the America-Gold Beach museum at Ver sur Mer.