Normandy Memorial for heroes… thanks to the Mail

Theresa May has thanked the Mail’s generous readers as she today prepares to unveil a monument to 22,442 fallen servicemen and women.

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to those who raised funds for the British Normandy Memorial which she said will ensure ‘the legacy of those who died lives on’.

Thousands of Mail readers donated money towards the spectacular monument which will overlook Gold Beach, where British troops stormed ashore on June 6, 1944 – D-Day.

Mrs May and French President Emmanuel Macron will formally unveil the monument today at Ver-sur-Mer in France, beginning a day in honour of veterans from across the world.

Praising Mail readers, Mrs May said: ‘D-Day was one of the most ambitious military operations in history and a decisive moment in the fight against fascism in Europe. Today I will join commemorations in France to pay tribute to those who laid down their lives 75 years ago in defence of liberty and freedom.

‘Their sacrifice is a debt we can never repay. But I am proud that we now have a dedicated and fitting memorial to honour their memory. It is thanks to those who have campaigned so tirelessly on behalf of our troops that the British Normandy memorial overlooking Gold Beach can be inaugurated today.

‘And I thank the Daily Mail and their readers – some of whom are veterans themselves – for the role they have played in helping this fitting monument to our armed forces become a reality.

‘The memorial will ensure the legacy of those who died lives on and that we never forget the bravery, selflessness and spirit of those Brits who shaped our post-war world.’

It will be engraved with the names of those who gave their lives in the liberation. There will be a separate memorial to the estimated 20,000 French civilians who lost their lives in the liberation.

After the unveiling, there will be a series of commemorative events in the town of Bayeux – the first town to be liberated by the allied forces. The Prime Minister, Prince Charles, and the Duchess of Cornwall will join 300 British veterans at an annual Service of Remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral and a service at Bayeux War Cemetery. Mrs May, who will be accompanied by her husband Philip, will lay a wreath and give a reading.

The project has been made possible thanks to a £20million grant from the Treasury’s Libor Fund – made up of penalty fines from errant banks – plus private donations from philanthropist, Michael Spencer and thousands of Mail readers.

Every other allied country involved in the landings has long had a national memorial on French soil – except for Britain. This omission has been a source of disappointment to the veterans who are still raising funds. The centrepiece of the new memorial will be a bronze sculpture of three British soldiers charging up the beach by award-winning sculptor David Williams-Ellis.

Standing 9ft tall and weighing several tons, the three figures are not based on any individuals and deliberately carry no legible regimental markings or insignia.

The statue is the first phase of the memorial.

All donations to normandymemorialtrust.org or cheques to The Normandy Memorial Trust, c/o The Secretary, 56 Warwick Square, London, SW1V 2AJ.