Families of Second World War fatalities to pay virtual tributes to those who made ultimate sacrifice

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the annual pilgrimage made by relatives and veterans to Normandy for D-Day commemorations cannot be made.

Instead, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) which looks after Second World War cemeteries in France is getting gardeners to lay flowers at the graves on behalf of loved ones, while also setting up a way for people to virtually send tributes.

On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces began their assault on the northern shores of France – serving as the turning point in the Second World War.

The invasion signalled the end of the German occupation of France.

The CWGC’s Remembering Normandy scheme will allow people to have a special marker placed on the grave, in lieu of a visit in person, bearing the words ‘their name liveth forevermore’ which were coined by poet Rudyard Kipling.

Xavier Puppinck, CWGC’s France area director, said: ‘When we welcomed thousands of veterans and visitors to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day we couldn’t have imagined how different things would be just one year later.

‘While it is sad that we cannot host any large gatherings this summer to pay respect in person, we can still pause and remember.’

For the D-Day 75 commemorations last year, veterans travelled to Normandy from Portsmouth.

According to the CWGC, more than 1,000 digital tributes have been paid to the veterans buried in their cemeteries since the lockdown measures were introduced.

There are more than 22,000 veterans buried in the commission’s cemeteries, with many more graves in churchyards across the region.

Tribute requests will need to be submitted by May 31, so that they can be placed by June 6. Requests can be easily submitted online for free and a picture will be taken for relatives.

Xavier added: ‘We want our Commonwealth communities to keep alive those D-Day memories and #ShareYourTribute to our digital wall of remembrance.’

To post a message to the digital wall of remembrance or request a tribute be placed in Normandy, people can go to cwgc.org/share-your-tribute.

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