English soldier Ken Hay was trapped behind German lines and captured while on night patrol in 1944, days after joining the Allied invasion of Normandy, a turning point in World War II.
The ambush near the bitterly contested “Hill 112” came during weeks of fighting after the largest seaborne assault in history, which began the liberation of France from Nazi German occupation.
“Thirty of us went out, 16 including my brother got back, five of us got captured and nine got killed,” Hay said.
As many nations around the world commemorate last century’s wars and other conflicts during a weekend of remembrance, preparations are already underway to mark next year’s 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy.
Born in the English county of Essex, Hay took part in the early reinforcements of Juno Beach, which had been stormed under Canadian command on D-Day, Jun 6. He is now an active ambassador for the nearby British Normandy Memorial, overlooking Gold Beach in the UK sector.
Until two years ago, Britain was alone among allies on the Western front in not having a dedicated Normandy memorial.
An elegant rectangular colonnade now sits on former farmland chosen by veterans themselves at Ver-sur-Mer.
In total, 22,440 servicemen and two servicewomen of more than 30 nationalities who died under British command between Jun 6 and Aug 31, 1944, are commemorated on 160 stone columns, as well as a ceremonial wall for those who perished on D-Day itself.
The £30 million (US$37 million) memorial was financed by fines levied on banks by the British government, as well as private donations.
Hay, 98, is helping raise funds for an educational pavilion in time for next year’s 80th anniversary, likely to be attended by Britain’s King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron.
With the average age of a dwindling number of veterans also 98, it will be the last major chance to gather some of those who helped their fallen comrades push back the Western front.
Unusually, the memorial is laid out by date of death.
Source: CNA
