D-Day 80th Anniversary

On Thursday 6th June 2024, Witham Town Council held a parade, service and beacon lighting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The Parade, which was led by the Caledonian Pipe Band, consisted of a variety of dignitaries, uniformed organisations and members of the public. It set off from The Avenue and finished at The River Walk, by Chipping Hill Bridge.

There was a short service which included readings of testimonies of those who took part in the landings, which was led by The Mayor of Witham, Reverend Michael Child, Reverend Jonathan Pritchard, members of the Royal British Legion, 295 (Witham & Rivenhall) Sqn RAFAC and the Witham BB. The ceremonial beacon was lit at 9:15pm by the Deputy Lieutenant, Lt. Col. (Rtd) Jackie Allan QVRM TD.

The Parade and Service was also attended by 101-year-old veteran, Arthur ‘Nobby’ Clark, who served during the D-Day landings and was part of a four-man crew of landing craft operators. The crowd of over 1,000 people spontaneously applauded Nobby. The Town Council would like to thank Arthur and his family for attending.

The Town Council would also like to thank everyone who took part with a special thanks to the fifty 295 (Witham & Rivenhall) Sqn RAFAC cadets who marched as on the 5th June 1944, the night before the D-Day invasions, twenty-one aircraft from 295 Squadron stationed at Rivenhall Airfield, with aircraft from 570 Squadron dropped the first troops to lead the invasion force into Normandy.