D-Day remembered
A supermarket lorry whooshed past the Library, on Graham Road, its brakes squealing at the traffic lights.
Then silence fell.
At 6.30am, the exact time of the start of the D-Day landings, 80 years ago, service veterans, civil dignitaries, and local people gathered for a service of commemoration.
Representatives from the armed forces told of the 132,000 ground forces, who landed on the Normandy beaches - Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah; the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving 7,000 ships, following in the wake of the airborne assault.
The granddaughter of serviceman who landed on Sword beach read Davenport’s haunting poem ‘D-Day’; the Mayor of Malvern read two poems; Rod shared a reflection.
He likened Britain in the Second World War to Noah’s Ark - an ark of safety in a sea of tyranny. He told of the sword and rainbow badges worn by the infantrymen on their uniforms. How, as they landed, for a short time there was a rainbow overhead, in the stormy June sky. A sign of hope amidst the horror and destruction of war.
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them."
"We will remember them."
A lone bugler played the Last Post, silence was held, broken only by the sound of birdsong. Reveille.
'When you go home, tell them of us and say,
for your tomorrow, we gave our today.'
Lord of the nations,
we honour the bravery and sacrifice of those who served.
Grant us similar courage to recognise and restrain evil in our own day,
and may those who lead the nations of the world work together to defend human liberty,
that we may live peaceably one with another.
This we ask in the name of the Prince of Peace,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen
As the service ended, the congregation stood, sharing memories - of fathers and grandfathers who served, on both sides of the War, of visits to the now-peaceful beaches, of the waste and horror of war, and of the refugees, from Ukraine, and elsewhere, who now call Malvern their place of safety.
Listen this evening, at 7.30, when the Malvern Priory Bellringers will Ring out for Peace during their practice.
’that we may live peaceably with each other’
