11-Feb-2026
THE ‘GIANTS’ RETURN TO NORMANDY
The British Normandy Memorial hosts ‘Standing with Giants’ installation for third consecutive season
Back by popular demand, the silhouettes arrive on Sunday 12 April, with the full installation in place from Saturday 25 April to Saturday 19 September 2026.
The creation of 1,475 giant silhouettes, each representing a life lost on D-Day, was originally inspired by the British Normandy Memorial’s Roll of Honour – a unique piece of historical research naming the servicemen in British units who died on 6 June 1944, as well as those who were killed throughout the Battle of Normandy.
Three years on, this ambitious and captivating project is set to return to the meadow fields of the Memorial. The installation humanises the sheer scale of loss and pays tribute to the men whose names are inscribed on the Memorial’s ‘D-Day Wall’.
Ever since its inaugural year at the Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer in 2024, hundreds of thousands of people have experienced the power and poignancy of the silhouettes with heads bowed, stood on a hillside overlooking Gold Beach.
In this third consecutive year, new figures will be unveiled among the 1,475. These additions feature Beach Masters, Dog Handlers, Royal Navy Officers, Tank Crew, Merchant Navy and Royal Engineers.
Reflecting the wider story of the Normandy Campaign, 40 silhouettes, representing British Commando Frogmen and personnel serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps, will also be included.
D-Day Veteran Ken Cooke at the Memorial for D-Day 80. Credit – Paul Reed
The project will also feature bespoke ‘giants’ to represent the only two women on the Memorial, nurses Sisters Evershed and Field, who died while saving 75 men from a sinking hospital ship; and 50 French resistance fighters, to be placed around the French Memorial.
The return of this unique installation has been made possible thanks to generous sponsorship from the Normandy Memorial Trust’s partners: Airbus UK, BAE Systems, Smurfit Westrock and Gold Beach Tourism Office. The work involved in preparing and installing the silhouettes is carried out by a committed and ever-growing team of Standing with Giants volunteers.
Four artic lorries accompanied by a Harley Davidson crew will depart from Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, on the afternoon of 10 April. Sailing from Portsmouth to Caen the same night, the installation will take place from 12 to 24 April, with assistance from British and French volunteer groups.
You can support the Memorial and the Standing with Giants charity by sponsoring a commemorative plaque for £150 in honour of a loved one who fell in any battle or conflict.
The plaques will stand in front of the Giants during their summer installation and will then remain at the Memorial for at least five years — a lasting and visible tribute to their sacrifice.
Bespoke Standing with Giants fundraising merchandise will also be available at the Memorial shop, located in the Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning which reopens on Saturday 18 April.
Normandy Veteran Henry Rice at the Memorial for D-Day 81. Credit – The Spirit of Normandy Trust
FEATURED SHOP ITEM
£5
ORDERThe Giants Book - REDUCED FROM £12.50 TO £5
An updated 2025 version of the English and French, highly illustrated souvenir brochure telling the story of the Standing with Giants installation of 1,475 silhouettes at the British Normandy Memorial which captivated the attention of so many people and brought home the scale on the British loss on D-Day.”
£11.99
ORDERBritish Normandy Memorial Unisex Navy Beanie - REDUCED FROM £15.99 TO £11.99
Just in time for winter, the new British Normandy Memorial unisex beanies will make an attractive addition to your winter wardrobe or as a gift for someone special.
