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75th Anniversary
D-Day
Celebration
Cruise
John Paice
, BEM, Hants, Dorset & IOW RAFPA Branch
My wife Bebe and I joined the ship at Portsmouth for an overnight cruise to Antwerp, our first port of call.
With us on board were 800 passengers, including three D-Day Veterans. The remaining passengers were
retired Navy, Royal Marines, Army, RAF and Home Office Police.
W
e arrived around midday
and
boarded coaches to Tyne Cot British
War Graves Cemetery, near Ypres,
where we paid our respects and thanks at the
many hundreds of British Servicemen’s graves.
All were beautifully kept, and each grave had a
red rose left by local school children. A visit to
Ypres is not complete without an evening visit
to the town’s WW1 Menin Gate Memorial. Every
evening hundreds of visitors and ex-servicemen
from all over the world, gather at 8 pm to hear
the Local Volunteer Fire Service Brigade Buglers
sounding the Last Post. A Canadian Scottish Pipe
Band played a lament whilst wreaths were laid.
The Ceremony is part of daily life in Ypres, as
a tribute to the courage and self-sacrifice to all
those who fell in defence of their town.
The next day also began with a coach journey
from our ship. This time we were heading to
Brussels for a guided walking tour of the city, with
its Cathedral, Royal Palaces, Atomium Statue
and magnificent Square. We also got to meet the
Manneken Pis, Brussels famous statue of a little
boy on top of a fountain.
After another overnight sailing, we arrived at
Honfleur, in France. We again travelled by coach
through beautiful countryside, passing several
War Time Cemeteries to the British WW11
Cemetery at Ranville. This cemetery has 2,564
graves, including those of 2,152 British soldiers.
As we arrived, many ex-serviceman, their families
and visitors from around the world, laid wreaths
and stood in remembrance. The sheer number
of graves took our breath away as we stood in
silence while a military band played soft music.
We walked along the long line of graves, noticing
that the soldiers and sailors aged from 16 to 59
years of age, which again made one think.
From Ranville we travelled on to visit the
Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum and Glider
at Benouville.
The Museum is dedicated to the men of the first
Paratroopers drop into occupied France. They
were the Green Howards, part of the 6th British
Airborne Division, Commanded by Major John
Howard who landed their gliders during the night
of 5th-6th June 1944, to secure the bridge for the
British Forces. They captured Pegasus Bridge in a
very short time, losing only one man and holding
it until relieved from the Normandy Beaches. The
whole area was packed with ex-servicemen and
visitors, cars, motor cycles, caravans and WWII
military vehicles. Back at the coach park; the
heavens opened, which thankfully did not prevent
a fly past by the RAF Dakota and Spitfire from
Britain’s Historic flight.
Thursday 6th June was the actual 75th D-Day
Anniversary, which we commemorated at
11 am with a service on board the Marco Polo.
We assembled on the open rear deck of the
ship. It was a lovely warm and sunny day as we
cruised slowly along the D-Day Beaches, passing
several naval and other cruise ships. Our three
D-Day Veterans were given a place of honour
and a standing ovation by all present. The ship’s
Director of Ceremonies and Captain, both gave
speeches of gratitude for what we all owe to
these very brave men, and all those who are no
longer with us.
Friday was the last day of our cruise and we
sailed along the River Seine to the Historic French
city of Rouen. Here we were taken on a walking
tour of the old city, along narrow streets lined with
more than 700 medieval timber-frame houses.
Rouen has many churches, including an imposing
modern church dedicated to St Joan of Arc, the
Patron Saint of France. Close by is the spot where
she was burnt at the stake as a witch and a
heretic in 1431.
During the days on board ship, we were given
talks and watched films about wartime figures
like: forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn and band
leader Glen Miller. Each night we were treated
to excellent performances by musicians, singers
and dancers. The ships crew and food were
excellent throughout our cruise.
Article
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POLICE WORLD
Vol 64 No.4, 2019