15 touching pictures show Carnforth paying tribute to heroes of Normandy on D-Day 80th anniversary

Carnforth Town Council was delighted to organise the town’s commemorations for this important moment in history.

It began at 10am with a D-Day proclamation read by Melanie Guilding, the Town Crier, under the D-Day flag of peace and the Union Flag, attended by residents and children from Christ

Church Primary School, including one little girl whose great-grandfather fought on Sword beach on D-Day.

At 8.45pm residents arrived, many with jam jars in hand to light a ‘candle of peace’ whilst the fabulous ‘The Bobby Pin-ups’ sang songs from the 1940’s.

At 9pm the Town Crier, repeated the D-Day proclamation, which was followed by the International Tribute read by the Deputy Town Mayor, Councillor Rowland Parker.

After a poignant prayer from the Salvation Army’s Captain Tracey Collis, at 9.15pm precisely, Carnforth joined hundreds of parish and town councils across the country in lighting a beacon, followed by two minutes silence, in the memory and honour of all of those who fought on that day 80 year ago.

The beacon was lit to the sound of ‘Highland Laddie’– that Major Trevor Macey-Lillie played on his bagpipes as he arrived on Gold Beach in Arromanches.

The Bobby Pin-ups then led the crowd in songs of the day including ‘We’ll meet again’ and a ‘Nightingale sang in Berkely Square’ – a fitting and uplifting end to a great evening.

As the numbers of D-Day veterans continues to dwindle with the passage of time, we know that we can never thank them enough, but we can, we must, remember them.

In the words of the King ‘...let us affirm that we will strive to live by their example; let us pray such sacrifice need never be made again; and let us commit to carrying forward their resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom...’