D-Day 80th anniversary: Beacon lighting and events held in Whitehaven

The beacon was lit in St Nicholas’ Gardens on Thursday, June 6, exactly 80 years since the Allied invasion, and was one of thousands to take place across the country.

Regimental Sergeant Major Aaron Butterworth of the Royal Engineers was selected to ignite the beacon and was there to pay his own tribute to a local hero, Major General Logan Scott Bowden who hailed from Whitehaven.

Regimental Sergeant Major Aaron Butterworth of the Royal Engineers lights the beacon in Whitehaven (Image: Submitted)

Scott Bowden was part of the mini submarine crew who carried out the highly dangerous beach tests prior to D-Day.

An exhibition was also held throughout the week in St Nicholas’ Gardens given by Sergeant Major Butterworth.

On the evening of the D-Day anniversary, there were readings from Whitehaven town crier, Marc Goodwin and mayor of Whitehaven, Graham Roberts, along with a bagpiper who played a tribute to the Bagpiper of D-Day, Bill Millins.

Students from The Whitehaven Academy visited the exhibition and completed their own plan to see how the different countries tackled each beach and the operations of Utah and Omaha on the ground too.

Students from The Whitehaven Academy with the mayor of Whitehaven, Graham Roberts (Image: Submitted)

Gerard Richardson MBE, who helped organise the events, said: “D-Day was a great success with a lot of folk visiting the marquee and a great turnout in the evening to watch the readings from the town crier, the mayor and our bagpiper Shona

“We also had the armed forces recruitment team in the marquee for the day and they were visited by Cumbria’s High Sherriff.”

Marlene Jewell, Whitehaven Town Council clerk, said: “It was a really good week. There were lots of people in the exhibition and lots of people turned out in the evening. People seemed to really like and appreciate it.”