The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Friday 25 June 2004

"A Moment for Thanksgiving" - D-Day, The Queen & Beyond

The official speeches were over. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had been invited to go over and greet the 2000 or so veterans of the Juno Beach invasion force. These old soldiers, sailors, and airmen had been sitting patiently, gazing out over the calm, peaceful seas off the Normandy coast. Sixty years ago that very day they had fought those stormy waters every inch to reach the shore. So many more of their comrades had not. 

Why had they done this? They were mainly civilians, Canada’s youth, a quarter of a million kids who had freely chosen to put themselves in harm’s way. True they were then still part of the British Empire and Britain was in big trouble. So was France. Europe had been occupied and it needed their help. This day they landed, already with their backs against the wall, with Nazi forces well entrenched above the cliffs, their machineguns blazing with fanatical zeal around them, taking away lives before they had even got into the boats. None doubted for a second that they were fighting for the freedom and protection of the world they knew.  

Now the sun shone brightly. Where once the noise of battle was overwhelming, now the only sounds were those of military bands playing, “The Last Post”, a lone piper’s haunting lament for the fallen, and waves of spontaneous applause from invited guests and the ever-grateful people of Normandy. 

They had never known that the price of failure was the end of the Allied cause. The planning had been meticulous and the secrecy so tight that even King George VI had not been shown the maps. The soldiers were not told where they were going despite training in Scotland for a year or more. By then they considered themselves the best, ready for anything.  

Churchill had declared in 1940 that, “our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the new world, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the old”. And so it did, with the help of the US (who had no interest in preserving the British Empire but had the needed financial and military resources Britain could no longer afford).            

That day the King had broadcast that, “a supreme test has to be faced…to fight to win the final victory for the good cause”. This day his daughter did an impromptu walkabout among these heroes, average age 82. They called out to her, “I saw you when you were a princess”. “Did you?” she replied. “I’m 81. That means I’m four years older than you”. “Yes, that’s right”, she smiled, “you would be”. Cameras clicked as she stopped discretely for them to take pictures. Hands were shaken. Memories exchanged. Medals and decorations recognized and asked about. 

The British Empire is now the Commonwealth, and on its behalf she thanked all those who had fought for that victory. Knowing it was the final time they would all be here together The Queen affirmed their extraordinary achievements and sacrifices would never be forgotten.  

Her eldest children also took part in recognition ceremonies-Prince Charles in Normandy and Princess Anne in Canada, inspecting the Regina Rifles Regiment of which she is honourary Colonel-in-Chief.  

Did they realize too, that their fates were inextricably fixed to the outcome of that day’s actions? Had all the Allied planning been completely scuttled by the stormy seas, had the German traps set up on that beachhead been too much for them to overcome, had General Eisenhower’s ‘Great Crusade’ failed, the British Monarchy would have ceased to exist. 

No Queen Elizabeth II would have presided over this day’s commemorations. No King Charles III would be there to honour the very few veterans left on the 75^th Anniversary. No King William V, in his own 6^th decade, would be around to recognize the D-Day Centennial on June 6, 2044.

As the Queen implied in her speech at Arromanches, as long as we continue to care for one another, help each other in need, support each other in loss and keep alive the memory of all they achieved in those critical days, we will not forget them. 

We must not forget them

Anon til we meet again!

- The Court Jester