News & Views

The people we celebrate and commemorate on this, the 80th D-Day anniversary, paid an enormous price to protect what we consider to be the most basic of liberties. They are freedoms that plenty of people in today's world still don't enjoy. It's my wholehearted hope that we never have to ask for that kind of commitment from anyone ever again, but we also owe it to those who have given so much of themselves before us, not to simply remember, but to proactively protect and appreciate the gifts that they gave us.

This year, 6th June will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. The army’s Operation Overlord combined with the Royal Navy’s Operation Neptune involved over 5,000 craft and succeeded in landing 156,000 troops within its first 24 hours, in an operation which became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history and marking a turning point in the Second World War.

Such was the young age of many of the people involved in the events, that we're privileged to have a few voices left to remind us, in person, of what took place. We will most likely not have them for many more years, and it's vital that we commemorate and celebrate their service, as well as that of the people who did not return home. One hopes that the realities of their experience and their sacrifice are not lost or taken for granted as we face what appears to be an extremely turbulent world once again.

Stories that live on

Every family has a story - if not relating to D-Day itself, then to the war and its impact on loved ones. Some have become enshrined in pride and even a degree of glamour, but most are tinged with heartache as well, such is the longstanding and unrelenting impact of war, despite the many glorifying movies.

My own family is proud of my Great Uncle Gordon, who, having joined the Territorial Army in 1937, was called up early on in the Second World War, and served throughout with the 83rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery. On D-Day he was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions as a liaison officer co-ordinating the Royal Navy’s Operation Neptune bombardment during the Normandy landings. I am fortunate to have his map, with his pencil markings, of the landing beaches and his orders papers from that day and it is moving to see them, hold them and reflect on where they have been.

He subsequently went on to be awarded the Military Cross with a citation that reads: "This officer showed outstanding courage and selfless devotion to duty while serving as Bombardment Liaison Officer during the battle of WESTKAPELLE in WALCHEREN ISLAND on 1st November 1944. Though wounded himself by one of the repeated hits of the superstructure, Captain PENNEY acted as additional ship's officer and later, by continually contacting the wounded Commanding Officer on the upper deck and then returning to the bridge, gave considerable and successful assistance in continuing to fight the ship until she was finally abandoned. Throughout this close action, at point-blank range, Captain PENNEY gave an outstanding example to the Ship's Company."

While my own military career was thankfully less eventful, it was a source of pride to be commissioned to the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) following training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. My former regiment also has its own illustrious D-Day story in that it was equipped with the famous swimming Duplex Drive Sherman tanks, and were the first tanks ashore on 6th June. Proving that connections are never that far away in these things, Captain (later Major General) Stuart Watson also landed with the regiment that day in 1944. Now, his son, Angus Watson MBE, who is a contemporary and friend of mine, is the Regimental Colonel.

Where we are today

It's a particularly poignant D-Day commemoration this year, not just because of the many years that have passed since that day, but also because of the events happening in Ukraine, Gaza, and other, less publicised, corners of the world. Talk of a wider war in Europe rumbles away, along with the potential need for mass mobilisation. It seems like something that does not apply to us in what has been a privileged few decades, particularly in the UK.

However, in January the head of the British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders spoke starkly at a military conference, describing the British people as part of a “prewar generation”, saying that the UK needed to broadly follow Stockholm’s example and take “preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing.”

It led to a flurry of reassurances from the Ministry of Defence clarifying that it has no plans for conscription, but indeed the chair of the alliance's military committee of national chiefs Rob Bauer was reported as saying that NATO countries need to be on red alert for war and "expect the unexpected." It's a sentiment that's being echoed in a number of different forums - Grant Shapps too has said the country is moving from a "post war to a pre-war world".

In the meantime, and in a very real context, Ukraine, which has seen phenomenal levels of volunteering amongst its citizens, has been talking about recalling refugees living in Europe in a bid to boost armed forces.

Taking nothing for granted

In 1938 the total strength of UK service personnel (regulars) stood at 384,000, rising to nearly 1.1 million by the end of 1939. In context, the current strength (as at 1st January 2024) of the UK armed forces is placed at 183,130 including reserve personnel. Notably, in the last month, the Prime Minister announced that the UK is now to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

I do not mention this to raise anxieties and certainly not to predict the future. However, I do believe that the first role of government is to protect the nation. As a society we're very good at protesting the importance of our freedom, but for a long time we have had the privilege of not having to do that much to protect it.

The people we celebrate and commemorate on this D-Day anniversary paid an enormous price to protect what we consider to be the most basic of liberties. They are freedoms that plenty of people in today's world still don't enjoy. It's my wholehearted hope that we never have to ask for that kind of commitment from anyone ever again, but we also owe it to those who have given so much of themselves before us, not to simply remember, but to proactively protect and appreciate the gifts that they gave us.