D-Day 75 marked with a Picnic for Peace

Thursday 06 June 2019

Maison de Normandie have organised a Picnic for Peace today to mark perhaps the major turning point in the Second World War, and the beginning of the end of the Occupation of Jersey.

75 years ago today, Allied forces landed on the Normandy coast as part of Operation Overlord on D-day. The island's Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, and External Relations Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, are both part of a delegation involved in the commemorative events in France.

Picture: Picnic for Peace 6th June 2019, Parade Gardens, St Helier

Meanwhile, here in Jersey, a Picnic for Peace will be held at the Parade Gardens at 12:00, with the official ceremony being held beforehand to commemorate those who took part in the D-Day landings.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, will attend that ceremony organised by the Parish of St Helier in conjunction with the Normandy Veterans' Association and the Royal British Legion. Events will start at 10.45 at the Cenotaph and the service will start at 11:00.

Picnic organisers Maison de Normandie commented: "Many from the Channel Islands were impacted by the war and took part in those landings. The Picnic for Peace is a great opportunity for us all to come together, remember and honour the memory of those heroes who fought for freedom."

Pictured: "It is indeed very important to keep the memory of D-Day alive."

They continued: "It is indeed very important to keep the memory of D-Day alive so that we can all remember the price that had to be paid for us to be able to live freely in a world where Picnics for Peace exist."

In France, ministers will attend a ceremony of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral before a service at the British military cemetery.

The Channel Islands delegation will then travel to an international ceremony at Courseulles-Sur-Mer which will be presided over by the French Prime Minister Édouard Phillipe and attended by international dignitaries.

Pictured: British Forces during the invasion of Normandy. (Imperial War Museum/Wiki)

Senator Le Fondré said: “It is an honour to attend the 75^thcommemorations of the D-Day landings. This date is an important part of Jersey’s and France’s shared history as it marked a significant turning point of the Second World War.

"It was the bravery of the Allied troops 75 years ago which started the end of a terrible period of our history.”

Pictured top: 'Into the Jaws of Death' (Robert F. Sargent/National Archives/Wiki)