Memories of D-day heroes live on as Gold Beach learning centre opened

THE focal point of commemorations in June marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day will be the spot where tens of thousands of young men were slaughtered in 1944.

- Giles Sheldrick

Perched high on cliffs overlooking Gold Beach, one of five landing points in France for the invading Allied armada, sits the stunning British Normandy Memorial.

The names of 22,442 service personnel from 38 countries who lost their lives on June 6, 1944 and the subsequent three-month bloody Battle of Normandy are inscribed on 160 pristine limestone columns.

In 39 days, the last remaining warriors of one of the most significant days in history will take a final salute at the monument just 750 yards from the sand where giants fell.

And while the proud warriors will bow their heads in respect and reverence to fallen brothers in arms, an equally important new chapter will begin on the anniversary of the battle that ultimately saved the world.

The Winston Churchill Education and Learning Centre will officially open alongside the magnificent monument in Ver-sur-Mer, telling the story to future generations of the heroism, service, sacrifice and dedication that helped liberate Europe and secure freedoms we cherish today.

Operation Overlord, the codename for the vast air and sea invasion of France, was commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, known to his troops as "Monty".