The 70th Anniversary of D-Day

The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day and I was going to post something quite frivolous, but I've just sat and watched a couple of hours of the D-Day Memorial on BBC1 and couldn't just let it pass. Instead of anything I could come up with, I thought I'd share with you the poem that was read as part of the service, written by a veteran of the Juno landing. It's not the fanciest poem in the world, but I found it moving because it's by someone who was really there

Normandy

By Cyril Crain

Come and stand in memory

Of men who fought and died

They gave their lives in Normandy

Remember them with pride.

Soldiers, Airman, sailors

Airborne and marines

Who in civvy life were tailors

and men who worked machines.

British and Canadian

And men from USA

Forces from the Commonwealth

They all were there that day

To Juno, Sword and Utah

Beaches of renown

Also Gold and Omaha

That’s where the ramps went down.

The battle raged in Normandy

Many lives were lost

The war must end in victory

And this must be the cost

When my life is over

And I reach the other side

I’ll meet my friends from Normandy

And shake their hands with pride.