D-Day veteran, Harry Billinge has had a high-speed train named after him.
Harry was 18 years old, serving as a Royal Engineer, when he landed on Gold Beach on 6th June 1944. He fought in Normandy at Caen and in the Falaise Pocket.
Harry who has visited the Memorial Pegasus on a number of occasions raised over £25 000 for the Normandy Memorial Trust which is managing the project for the new memorial to the fallen under construction at Ver sur Mer.
The Queen decorated Harry, from St Austell in Cornwall, with the MBE for his outstanding fund raising efforts.
The Great Western Railway company (GWR) which runs services from London to the West Country and has a tradition of naming trains after illustrious individuals has named 7 of its locomotives after remarkable people from the 2nd World War.
Should have been Knighted like Captain Tom ...
respect
Fantastic! Huge thank you
Groot respect 💓💓
Susie Bchz 🥰
Laureano Clavero David López Cabia
Well deserved
Super star , thank you.
Brilliant Massive Respect Sir
Claude Louis, former mayor of Saint Vaast en Auge, has sadly passed away following an illness bravely fought.
Claude, along with his family, was a staunch supporter of the D-Day commemorations notably in his village where 12 soldiers of 6th Airborne Division are buried.
Every year in June, veterans, their families and friends accompany British and Canadian servicemen and women to pay their respects to their fallen comrades. Claude, with his son Ludovic and their family always assured that they received a special welcome.
Claude enjoyed visiting the Memorial Pegasus and regularly attended the commemorations at Pegasus Bridge along with his friends from the Mont Canisy Battery.
The future commemorations are now in the capable hands of his son Ludovic.
Claude we will miss your down to earth straightforward approach to life, your integrity, and your humor.
Rest in Peace.
Repose en paix .
Rest In Peace lest we forget.
Glad ludovic is carrying on the name
Oh how sad. Condolences to the family ❤️
THANKYOU he truly must have been a wonderful person 👏💙
Rest in peace
😥
Repose en paix Claude Louis.
Students of the Tunon International School at Caen visited the museum today.
The school is one of the world’s most reputable centres of education in the domain of the hospitality industry specializing in tourisme, hoteliers, aviation, events and also the sports industry.
The students were interested to learn about D-Day but also how the museum functioned on a day to day basis.
The curator reminded the students, all in their late teens and early twenties, that the men and woman involved in the conflict 76 years ago were the same age as themselves.
L'ensemble des étudiants de l'Ecole Internationale Tunon Caen remercie chaleureusement l'équipe du Musée Mémorial Pegasus pour son accueil et son professionnalisme. Au plaisir d'une prochaine visite 🙂
How true that is I was one of those who landed on Juno Beach I was 18, years old had my 19th Birthday on that beach,
Why are these "people" wearing muzzles? Do they bite?
Last weekend the “Normandy Beach Race” was held on Sword Beach at Ouistreham.
More than 200 competitors took part in races in their vintage cars and on bikes.
Several participants visited the Memorial Pegasus on their way to join the competition.
C’était impressionnant....jamais vu ce genre de voiture ....à refaire l année prochaine...🚖🚘🚌🚙🚗
Looks fantastic!
Alan Tomkins, one of Britain’s most respected art directors and a great friend of the museum, died this week., he was 81 years old.
In a career spanning five decades, Alan used his talents as an artist in the making of many of the iconic films of 20th century.
Lawrence of Arabia, Cleopatra, numerous James Bond films and the legendary Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back are just several of the great films he was involved on.
He always took enormous pleasure explaining how the artwork was carried out on the iconic war films he was involved in. The Battle of Britain, Memphis Belle, A Bridge Too Far, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers in which he himself played a short role.
Alan and his wife Titi regularly attended the D-Day Commemorations at the museum where he would take great pleasure meeting people and dedicating his autobiography “Stars and Wars”.
We will miss you Alan, you were a gentleman.
Sincères condoléances à sa famille et ses proches ; qu'il repose en paix.
Rest in peace
A such a talented man, he will be greatly missed. Condolences to the family. RIP Alan.
Triste nouvelle, je pensais à lui justement il y a quelques jours en feuilletant son livre qu'il m'avait très gentiment dédicacé il y a quelques années au Mémorial.
A true gentleman. I was privileged to share a guest house with him and his lovely wife some years ago.
Wonderful Museum & Tribute R. I. P😢
😰