D-Day veteran unveils memorial at embarkation site
BBCA new memorial to soldiers who set off from the Hampshire coast on D-Day has been unveiled by a Normandy veteran.
The Gosport D-Day fellowship raised funds for the seafront memorial, which has been erected alongside an existing memorial to Canadian troops.
Veteran Albert Westgate, aged 100, unveiled the memorial at a ceremony at Stokes Bay in Gosport.
The site was used as an embarkation point for thousands of troops taking part in the landings on 6 June 1944 that led to the liberation of Europe and the end of World War Two the following year.
The granite memorial at Stokes Bay bears the words: "We must never forget the Bravery and Sacrifice of those who fought on D-Day."
The Gosport D-Day Fellowship was formed in 2012 by Malcolm Chapman, and Tony Belben to campaign for and raise funds for a memorial dedicated to all nationalities who took part in the landings.
Both men died before they could see the plan become a reality.
The group's Jilly Salvat said: "I hope that the brave men who left these shores, and whether they returned home or paid the ultimate price for our freedom, are now also looking down, knowing that we remember them.
"We honour them, and we commemorate their sacrifice."
Mr Westgate was attached to a unit of US soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
Speaking after the unveiling, which was attended by members of the public and local dignitaries, he said: "To see all these people here, basically, if you like, saying 'thank you' to me... well it means everything, and quite honestly I'm still trying to come to terms with it."
The beach at Stokes Bay was used as an embarkation point for men and equipment.
Concrete slabs were laid directly onto the beach, to allow lorries and armoured vehicles to embark onto landing craft without getting bogged down on the beach.
The site was also used for the construction of Phoenix caissons, which were part of the Mulberry Harbours.
The giant artificial harbours were used to unload thousands of tonnes of vehicles and goods onto the Normandy beaches each day following the invasion.
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