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Cadets join Veterans on D-Day Beaches

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE News Release (121/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 6 June 2009

Veterans who took part in the D-Day landings will be joined on the Normandy beaches this weekend by hundreds of air, army and sea cadets to ensure the legacy of D-Day is remembered by future generations.

650 young people from across the UK will mark the 65th Anniversary of the Allied invasion, alongside those who landed in France in June 1944.

This year's commemorations may be the last that many D-Day veterans will attend and the Normandy Veterans Association has invited the cadets to join the 700 veterans who have made the trip.

In a ceremony in Arromanches tomorrow, the veterans will officially ask the cadets to make sure that the bravery and the sacrifice of so many thousands is not forgotten.

Air Commodore Ian Stewart, Commandant Air Cadets, said:

"This will be a poignant moment for all cadets. They are the next generation and they will take the memory forward into the future. Many, have direct family links to WWII because their grandfathers and great uncles were there. The cadets' involvement is key and their support and enthusiasm for the veterans is boundless. We are extremely proud of them."

Veterans Minister Kevan Jones, who is in Normandy to mark the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, said:

"It is vital that what happened here on the beaches of Northern France 65 years ago is never forgotten. To keep alive the memory and to appreciate the ultimate sacrifice made by so many in June 1944, it is essential that younger generations are involved in this weekend's commemorative events. This ceremony will ensure that this country's young people learn about the heroism and selflessness that those beaches witnessed - and they will be able to do this at first hand, learning from the men who fought on those sands. They will then be able to recount, to future generations, the battle that was fought in France so that we could all live in freedom."

The cadets will also take part in parades in Colleville Montgomery,
Bayeux Commonwealth War Cemetery and Arromanches, alongside veterans.

Notes to Editors

1. For more information contact Denise Parker Housby, Head of Media & Comms, HQ Air Cadets, 07880 780 774.