A town in Northern France that did not fly the Union Jack in its D-Day decorations has apologised.
Carentan, in Normandy, has admitted to making a “simple” and “honest” mistake over the bunting.
Celebrations in Carentan in 2004
Getty
A spokesperson from the town hall told the Daily Mail: “Although no British troops were directly involved in the fighting to liberate Carentan, we do not exclude any of our allies in our continuing effort to preserve the memory of ALL our liberators.
“When we heard the story of RAF pilot Raymond Dean, shot down by German flak on November 17, 1941, we had no hesitation in proposing and dedicating a plaque in Brévands, on our territory, to honour a great freedom fighter who fell near Carentan.
“As it was no longer possible to order plastic banners for environmental reasons, we opted for fabric banners as a matter of urgency.
“We didn’t know that the Union Jack wasn’t there. We decided to put them up anyway and ordered banners with the English flag, which have not yet arrived.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Previous years have displayed the Union Jack alongside the French tricolore
Getty
He added that Carentan will play God Save the King as well as Star Spangled Banner and other national anthems on their official ceremony on June 2.
It comes as Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has claimed that he has ordered an urgent review into why only one aircraft is available for a mass parachute drop to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Hundreds of paratroopers were supposed to jump into Normandy on June 5 to honour the actions of their predecessors in the Second World War, but the plans have been scaled back due to a shortage of aircrafts.
Shapps told GB News: “I do think it’s incredibly important to remember the past and if we don’t do that then we essentially commit ourselves to making the same mistakes again in the future.
“I have ordered a review of that immediately. It is the case, of course, that these aircraft are being used in a more difficult troubled world, including to drop aid into Gaza. They’re very heavily used for that. So I’ll have a look at the resources.”
Meanwhile Britons left GB News reporter Jeff Moody shocked by their responses to questions about D-Day.
It comes as new data from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission found that one in five young people “don’t know” what the significance of D-Day is.
It has prompted calls for better education ahead of the 80th anniversary of the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Post comments (0)