D-Day 80th Anniversary

Today (Thursday, June 6) marks the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, when the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies were deployed across the beaches of Normandy to establish a foothold ashore in the then Nazi-occupied France.

While the event marked a turning point in the Second World War, many lives were lost. Several thousand allied troops died in action that day and several thousand were wounded.

In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, more than 70,000 lives were lost from the allied forces, among them were three police officers from south Wales. They were Special Constable Alfred John Went (Welch Regiment) and Police War Reserve Constable William Vincent Jones (Welsh Guards), both of the Glamorgan Constabulary and Constable Walter Bernard England (Royal Armoured Corps) of the Cardiff City Police.

Last year representatives from South Wales Police visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Cemetery and Memorial at Bayeux, where England is commemorated and Jones is buried, and the Commission’s Ryes Cemetery, where Went is buried, and laid crosses in their honour.

 

During this time, we pay tribute to the bravery of those who landed in Normandy and remember all those who lost their lives during the Second World War. Their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten.