SPECIAL events will take place in Ballynahinch next week to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The commemorations start early next Thursday morning (the 6th of June) and continue throughout the day, culminating with the lighting of a beacon on Thursday evening.
Church bells will ring out, the bagpipes will be played, there will be a World War Two display and also musical entertainment from the 1940s.
“On Thursday June 6 the nation will come together to remember the tens of thousands of allied forces who gave service on D-Day 80 years ago and helped to secure the peace we in the UK enjoy today,” added a spokesperson.
“From early morning when the sun rises to evening as night descends, church bells will ring out, special flags will be flown, schoolchildren will learn stories about their great grandparents, town criers will proclaim the victory, the haunting sound of bagpipes will fill the air and, in a final gesture of homage, beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit to signify the light that emerged from the dreadful darkness of war.”
The events in Ballynahinch begin at the town’s war memorial at 8am.
“John Cartwright, who will be reading the D-Day Proclamation, will be joining hundreds of others wanting to remember the brave men and women who took part, not only from our country, but from America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Norway, Greece, France, Czechoslovakia, Rhodesia, and Poland too,” said a spokesperson for Ballynahinch Royal British Legion.
“At 8.20am pipe major Alan Barr will play ‘Highland Laddie’, ‘Road to the Isles’ and ‘All the Blue Bonnets’, as played by Bill Millin, a Cameron Highlander and who was Lovat’s personal piper.
“Lovat commanded the 1st Special Services Brigade at the landings and asked piper Millin to play the pipes on the beach and when they were joining the men who had captured the famous bridges at Benouville.”
At 9am Ballynahinch Royal British Legion Branch vice-chairman Mike Richer will raise the Flag of Peace.
Bruno Peek CVO OBE OPR, Pageant master of D-Day80, and of the 80-day countdown to June 6, 2024, said: “In 1944 Allied forces mounted the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever witnessed.
“Operation Overlord, D-Day, saw over 5,000 ships and landing craft set down more than 150,000 troops on the five Normandy beaches that would bring about the liberation of north-west Europe from Nazi occupation.
“In order to commemorate the peace and freedom given to us through the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of so many thousands involved in the D-Day landings, and throughout the whole of World War Two, beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories – and in a very poignant and unique gesture, special Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit on each of the five beaches in Normandy, at 9.15pm local time that night, to coincide with the lighting of beacons at that time too.
“However, at 9.10pm, as night descends – and just before the beacons ignite – the resonant sound of bagpipes will be heard across the capital cities of London, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Cardiff.
“We will also have a presence in the capital cities of the Allied nations that took part.
“From Washington DC to the distant shores of New Zealand’s Auckland, from Ottawa to Paris, and from Canberra to Brussels, Athens and Amsterdam, Oslo, Warsaw, and Prague.
“The light from the flames from the lamps and the beacons will represent the ‘light of peace’ that emerged from the darkness of war, with the lamp providing a very simple, safe, unique and cost effective way of taking part in this important 80th anniversary occasion, especially as once used, they can be lit again at 11am on every Remembrance Sunday thereafter, in tribute to the many millions that sacrificed their lives during WWII.”
The D-Day/World War Two display will open at the Market House in Ballynahinch from 10am next Thursday and everyone is very welcome to visit it.
Church bells will ring out in the town at 6.30pm.
The evening programme will commence at 7.15pm with the ‘Swingtime Starlets’ and the dance troupe ‘Ballroom Blitz’, who will entertain the audience with singing and dancing from the 1940s.
The 1937 Wolseley 18/80 Salon De Ville car that was driven by Catherine Zeta Jones in the film ‘Dad’s Army’ as well as a few other World War Two cars will be on display at Market Square on the night.
The lighting of the Beacon of Peace will take place at 9.15pm in the Market Square, and John Cartwright will read the ‘International Tribute’.
Molly Watson from Hollymount Pipe Band will play ‘Highland Laddie’, ‘Road to the Isles’ and ‘All the Blue Bonnets’.
Commemorations in Ballynahinch continue on Sunday the 9th of June with the Ballynahinch Vintage, Classic and Retro Vehicle Static Display.
The display will be held at the High School Ballynahinch. It starts at 10am and will continue until around 2pm.
There’s a £5 charitable donation entry per vehicle – each exhibitor will receive a specially designed D-Day commemoration pin.
“We are delighted that James Black from Ballinderry plans to bring his 1913 Alpine Trial Rolls Royce, which took part in the 110th anniversary in 2023!
“James and his team of experts have been working on the restoration of the car for a number of years and we feel extremely privileged to be having the vehicle at our D-Day event.”