On 16th October 2014 the Duke of Gloucester attended a service in St Margaret's church Westminster to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, 6th June 1944, and the Normandy campaign for the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. A plaque was put in at the west end of the church and the National Standard of the NVA was laid up and hangs above the plaque. The brass plaque above the Association badge reads:
The Standard of the Normandy Veterans Association was laid up on Thursday 16th October 2014 in the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, KG., GCVO, Patron, Normandy Veterans Association
The Association was formed in 1981 and honours the memory of those who fought and those who died on the Normandy beaches (codenamed Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah) in the Allied invasion under General Eisenhower. In November 2014 it was disbanded. At the service the Rector of St Margaret's said:
Here in the heart of our nation's capital, we gather to give thanks to Almighty God for the loyal service given to Crown and country by all members, living and departed, of the Normandy Veterans Association; to commemorate the victory of the few, achieved on land, at sea and in the air, for the liberation of the many; and, in this holy place, to lay to rest this Standard.
Further reading
The roll of honour for the Commandos, in Westminster Abbey, includes the names of many members of the British Liberation Army who died in the campaign. See the entry for the Combined Services memorial.
The Laying up of The National Standard of Normandy Veterans Association (PDF, 445KB)
This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library
Image © 2024 Dean and Chapter of Westminster
