Every year, veterans and relatives return to Europe to pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. However, this year it has become impossible for them to do so due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
June 6th will be the 76th anniversary of Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day, the seaborne invasion of Normandy, France. There are more than 22,000 Commonwealth war dead buried in cemeteries in Normandy, but many more graves will be found in churchyards and village cemeteries throughout the region. In addition, the Bayeux Memorial commemorates 1,800 men and women of the Commonwealth land forces who fell during Operation Overlord and have no known grave.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is offering a couple of ways for people to pay tribute to the War Dead during times of social distancing and quarantine. Firstly, you can request a tribute to be laid at one of the 19 CWGC sites at Normandy by sending in a request here. Submissions placed before May 31st will be placed in time for June 6th and those received before the closing date of June 7th will be placed in the following two weeks.
Secondly, you can share a tribute to the CWGC's virtual wall of remembrance. You can head over to the Share Your Tribute page and submit a form for a loved one where it will be reviewed and published to the virtual memorial. You can also share stories and photos on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook using the hashtag #shareyourtribute.
Featured image courtesy of On This Spot via onthisspot.com
