Commemorating 75 years since D-Day

Wood the Wren: Margaret Wood (then Cook), centre, and her fellow British Women’s Royal Naval Service colleagues – WRNS or ‘Wrens’ – clean damaged LCVP 1002, eight to ten days after D-Day in 1944. Photo: SUPPLIED

A SERVICE commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day will be held at The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Ballarat on Thursday, 6 June at 11.30am.

The Ballarat Branch of the Air Force Association invites members of the public to arrive by 11.15am for an aircraft flyover at 11.25am before the service commences.

The 1938 built World War Two Ryan SCW Torpedo Bomber will be flown by Stephen Carter, a member of the Ballarat Branch.

Air Force Association Ballarat Branch President, Noel Hutchins said D-Day isn’t normally commemorated annually in Australia, but he believes it should be every 25 years.

“This is a significant anniversary that I believe needs to be commemorated in Ballarat. The service is not only to commemorate the Australian involvement, but all who contributed to the success of the operation,” he said.

“It gives the general public the opportunity to come and hear a little bit about what D-Day was about. It was the largest military operation ever. It was a massive operation and it was planned over a couple of years.”

Over 3300 Australian service people made contributions to the operation, which saw Allied forces storm the heavily defended beaches of northern France to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation on 6 June, 1944.

Two members of the Royal Australian Navy and 11 members of the Royal Australian Air Force were killed on D-Day.

Ninety-four-year-old Ballarat resident, Margaret Wood will be a special guest at the service.

As a member of the British Women’s Royal Naval Service, she worked as a teen on top-secret D-Day preparations for two-and-a-half years.

Ms Wood assembled LCVP landing craft used throughout the operation, and Mr Hutchins said she is “over the moon” to have an opportunity to lay a wreath.

“Margaret’s is a very special story,” he said.

“It’s just pleasing to be able to allow people, such as Margaret Wood, to be acknowledged at a commemoration.”

Retired Army Major Neil Leckie will MC the event with retired RAAF Group Captain Bob Bennett as guest speaker. The Chaplain will be retired RAAF Squadron Leader Keith Lanyon.

The service will run for up to 40 minutes at The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Ballarat, Carlton Street, Lake Wendouree.