Families of Normandy veterans invited to take part in Caithness commemoration
Relatives of servicemen from Caithness who were involved in the Normandy landings are being invited to join in a tribute marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
They will be able to write the name of their family member on one of a number of small poppy crosses that are being made available as part of a display in the garden of remembrance beside Wick Town Hall.
The commemoration is being organised by the Wick, Canisbay and Latheron branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland.
A short service will be held at the small garden in Bridge Street on Thursday, 80 years on from D-Day.
Caithness Vice-Lieutenant Willie Watt is expected to lay a wreath and the provost of Wick, Jan McEwan, will attend. A minister will say a prayer.
Two pipers will be present and the Legion colours will be on show.
To mark the occasion, branch chairman Alex Paterson has created a row of white crosses representing each of the five Normandy beaches – Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. The flags of either Britain, Canada or the United States have been placed beside each cross as appropriate.
In front is a sign saying “D-Day 6th June 1944” and standing guard behind are two of the servicemen silhouettes created by Legion member Denny Swanson.
Mr Paterson was assisted by fellow Legion members Donald Harper, John Mackenzie and Tommy Munro to install the display on Monday morning.
From about 10am on Thursday, for an hour leading up to the D-Day service, family members of veterans associated with the Normandy landings are invited to go along and, if they wish, write a name on a poppy cross.
“There are bound to be people in Caithness whose fathers or grandfathers were at Normandy,” Mr Paterson said. “If any of the families want to come we’ll give them a little cross – they can write the name of the deceased on it, and place it in the garden.
“It will be good if some of them can come, even their grandchildren or great-grandchildren.”
A wreath also will be laid at the town’s war memorial.
Mr Paterson, who will be 81 this year, has 66 years’ experience as a signwriter. He served in the Territorial Army for over 30 years and has been part of the local Legion branch for more than half a century.
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“There are not many veterans now,” he said. “I think a lot of people don’t realise how important D-Day was. That was the turning point.”
Commemorations and events are taking place across the UK and in France to mark the 80th anniversary. D-Day saw the Allied forces mount a large-scale invasion of Nazi-occupied France that ultimately tipped the course of World War II in the Allies’ favour.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lead some of the 80th anniversary tributes.
He said: “The country will pay tribute to the heroes who fought against the odds to liberate Europe 80 years ago.
“We can never forget those who sacrificed so much to defend the freedom of the UK and our closest allies.”
Twenty years ago, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the John O'Groat Journal asked several Caithness veterans to speak about their Normandy experiences.
Duncan Cormack was the coxswain of a landing craft that ferried troops to Gold beach and picked up casualties. Nineteen years old at the time, he was a Royal Marines lance corporal.
“The noise of whining shells overhead, aircraft, rockets, explosions, smoke from burning tanks and landing craft was constant,” Mr Cormack recalled six decades on. “We were diverted to the aid of stricken landing craft, took on survivors and put the uninjured ashore... The noise of explosions, the smell of smoke and death was our hell on earth that day.”
James Webster, a 22-year-old army driver from Wick, landed at Sword beach in his DUKW, an amphibious landing craft.
Also speaking in 2004, Mr Webster said: “One of the things that sticks in my mind from the morning of June 6 is looking over the side of the LST [tank landing ship] and seeing this armada of ships, all going in the same direction and all going at the same speed. It was amazing.
“Anyone who saw that knew this was it – there was nothing to stop this drive forward. It was a very critical time, on landing, and we had to get as much stuff ashore as possible.
“There were no heroics – we were doing a job. The boys who had a rough time of it were the infantry boys right at the front, the assault troops who went in at seven in the morning.
“I was one of the lucky ones. I feel a bit guilty that I came home unscathed and some poor chaps never got home at all. Looking back, though, I’m glad I was there. I have no regrets about taking part in the huge operation that it was.”