HENRY, VISCOUNT MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN
Field Marshal Montgomery’s Grandson
IT has been my absolute privilege to travel to Normandy with a group of veterans to remember and reflect on the events of D-Day.
The stories I have heard while I have spent time with them are in many ways difficult to comprehend.
They are stories of extraordinary courage carried out by ordinary, but very special people.
People like Jack Quinn who delivered frogmen to clear the beaches on the night of June 5 and then made multiple journeys rescuing people in trouble from the German bombardment that had started.
Or Stan Ford, who was one of the few survivors of HMS Fratton when she was sunk off Normandy and tells the story of how he survived that ordeal, but is still affected by the injuries he sustained.
All have a common thread. They are told with humility and a deep sense of good fortune they were the lucky ones – and with great sadness for the loss of friends who did not survive.
Grandfather, of course, would not have personally known any of the wonderful veterans I have met over the last few years.
But he would have recognised the spirit that still burns brightly in their ageing bodies. A spirit that stands up for what is right and was prepared, if necessary, to pay the ultimate price for that cause.
A spirit that he tried to foster and above all preserve because he knew that the best laid plans were only as good as the people who had to implement them. I know he was immensely proud of the men who served under him, and his many writings confirm this.
We need to hear these stories. We need to remember them, tell them to others and learn from them.
We need to hear the price at which our freedom was bought. We need to work hard every day to earn that freedom – it is not a right.
The Spirit of Normandy Trust, along with other charities that work with Normandy veterans, have played a crucially important role in doing this.
History
By bringing groups of veterans on these annual pilgrimages and by providing a safe, caring and loving environment to support them both on visits to Normandy and throughout the year, it has encouraged the veterans to be increasingly open about their experiences.
The amazing welcome the veterans have received from the people of Normandy and particularly from them local schoolchildren has also helped.
Those people know what it was like to be occupied and they are incredibly grateful to the veterans for freeing them.
There will not be many more years when we will be able to travel with veterans to Normandy or hear their stories first-hand.
But the work of the Spirit of Normandy Trust will continue with the aim of ensuring these stories – and the significance of the Normandy landings on the subsequent history of the world – are not forgotten.