This post is not directly conected with Town Twinning, however, many of our towns are twinned with communities in both France and Germany and they may wish to consider this matter.

It has been reported in the Daily Mail (and no doubt many other newspapers this morning that there will be no official recognition of the 65th Anniversary of the D.Day landings.

There will be offical assistance for the veterans and their carers for the trip, no governmental attendance and no members of the Royal family are expected to attend.

The figures for the casualties for the Battle for Normandy vary, but one source states:"425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing...........This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties........ Roughly 200,000 German troops were killed or wounded." (Source:- D.Day Museum)

These figures speak for themselves, this was a pivotal point in our history, not just for us but for the whole world.

All involved groups have been invited by the French President to commemorate the event, President Obama and a contingent of US Veterans will be in attendance, the Germans are sending a delegation, also the Canadians and of course the French themselves.

However,, there are no official plans whatsoever for a British delegation. The Normandy Veterans Association, which is due to disband this year because they have so few members left, would like to attend for the last time and have been trying to fundraise but are receiving no official suppport.

I personally feel this is a disgusting situation and would like to think that some of our members may wish to try and help in some small way, whether it is by a vocal declaration of support for the veterans, by individual donations, or maybe by helping to support a single veteran from your area to attend this very important occasion. It may be that your Twin Town also has a veteran of that conflict and through your Twining links you could help them to go and remember all their lost friends and comrades, no matter whether they were fighting for the Allies or for our past enemies who are now our friends.

The idea of Twinning is to bring our communities together in friendship and understanding both now and for the future. Let us use this opportunity work together in mutual understanding.

Alan