Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Beacons to light up West for 80th anniversary of D-Day
THE 80th anniversary of D-Day will be marked with the lighting of beacons across the West and around Britain.
Preparations are under way to commemorate the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944, which will include lamps being lit on the five D-Day beaches in Normandy – Sword, Gold, Juno, Utah and Omaha.
As well as beacons lighting up across the UK on the morning of June 6, smaller ‘Lamp Lights of Peace’ are being made available for anyone wanting to join in.
UK pageant master Bruno Peek said: “There will be many locations such as hospitals, care homes, pubs, hotels and even families that would like to take part but do not have the facility to light beacons. So, with this in mind, we developed the Lamp Light of Peace, providing a simple way of taking part in this occasion.”
On Tuesday, June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion saw the largest seaborne raid in history as 156,000 soldiers stormed ashore. The remarkable operation kick-started the liberation of occupied France and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations for Allied victory.
Mr Peek added: “We are asking villages, towns, cities and organisations of all sizes to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day by lighting a beacon on June 6. It is our country’s opportunity to remember the 210,000 Allied casualties of Operation Overlord.”
He added that events could raise funds for service charities. Taunton in Somerset, Malmesbury in Wiltshire and Down Ampney in Gloucestershire are among the towns and villages in the West that have already announced events. For more information visit