Find out what commemorative events are planned in Penzance to mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
What’s it all about?
D-Day was the successful allied invasion of the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. Code-named Operation Neptune, the Normandy landings made up the largest seaborne invasion in history and played a crucial role in liberating Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
D-Day was of unprecedented scale. The allied forces’ staggering operation involved the coordinated efforts of more than 155,000 troops supported by 11,500 aircraft, and 6,900 naval vessels in an assault on five Normandy beachheads: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Integral to its success were years of planning, intelligence gathering, and deception campaigns, as well as the courage of the thousands of brave men that stormed the beaches that day.
International collaboration was crucial to the allied victory. While most of the personnel that landed in Normandy on D-Day were from the UK, the United States, and Canada, a significant number from Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland also took part in the Normandy Campaign.
In commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we pay homage to the resilience and fortitude of the British veterans who played a crucial role in this pivotal moment of the Second World War. The invasion claimed the lives of thousands of allied soldiers. These brave men—many just teenagers—left their families and their futures behind to liberate Western Europe from the grip of the Nazis. We must remember the sacrifices they made.
(Information taken from the Government’s D-Day 80 web page: Discover D-Day – D-Day 80 (dday80.campaign.gov.uk))
What’s happening and when?
Thursday 6 June
- 10am: Proclamation & Commemorative Service at Penzance War Memorial
- 10:30am: Proclamation at Newlyn War Memorial
- 11am: Proclamation & Ceremony led by Mousehole Royal British Legion at Mousehole War Memorial
The official proclamations will be given by the Penzance Town Crier
We have also requested Cornwall Council to fly the Union Flag at St John’s Hall (the town’s Municipal Building) as a sign of respect for those who gave their lives fighting for our freedoms.
Sunday 9 June
Mousehole Royal British Legion will also be holding a formal ceremony at the Mousehole War Memorial at 11:30am where a wreath will be laid to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
