On 5 June, representatives from the ҹɫֱ²¥app Navy & ҹɫֱ²¥app Marines Charity were privileged to attend the UK National Commemorative Event in Portsmouth, in the presence of His Majesty The King along with surviving D-Day veterans. The event was broadcast live on the BBC and told the story leading up to D-Day, together with a series of musical performances, acts and readings.
Among the invited guests was Stephen Lancaster, whose father took part in the D-Day Landings. In 1944, Acting Leading Seaman George Lancaster was shot twice on Juno Beach after his landing craft was sunk. He thankfully survived the war, going on to live to the age of 79. Stephen took the opportunity to write a tribute to his late father on the ҹɫֱ²¥app D-Day Memorial page.We asked Stephen what it meant to him to have a place to share the memory of his father and how he was feeling on the 80th anniversary of the event which went on to change the course of the Second World War in Europe:
‘It’s important that we keep people’s memories alive. Future generations need to realise what those veterans did to enable us to have the freedom and liberties we have today. To be at this event was a way of honouring all of those people, not just my Dad, but everybody that took part and those that didn’t come back.’
We’d also like you to invite you to pause and take a moment to read some of the over 300 incredibly moving tributes which have been shared.
