15-Sep-2026

1,000 Stories And Counting

The Trust is proud to have now published 1,000 stories of the fallen, each one linked to the digital Roll of Honour record on the Memorial website. This is a significant milestone in the important work of keeping the memory of the fallen alive for future generations and helping to tell the story of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy with the experiences of those who were there.

Historical Researcher Jane Furlong has been at the helm of the project to uncover stories and shared her reflections on this achievement:

“I have worked for the Normandy Memorial Trust since 2017. I have a relative who was killed in the Second World War and, earlier in my career, helped establish an archive at the Imperial War Museum recording war memorials across the UK.

I have seen how communities remember those lost in conflict, but helping create a memorial has shown me how important this is to families. Sharing the stories of some of the 22,540 commemorated, and putting a face to a name, has been an honour and privilege. They are no longer just names etched in stone, but husbands, sons, brothers, uncles and aunts.

The memories, letters and photographs that families have shared never cease to amaze me. As I publish each story, they become part of my ‘Normandy Memorial family’ and with each story I learn a little bit more about the personal effort and sacrifice that was made during those times.

I hope these stories remind future generations of the human cost of war, what we lose because of it, and make us ask: “Is it a price worth paying?”

I will remember them.”

One of the most recently added stories is that of Frederick Colechin (pictured above) – a Royal Navy Stoker. During the D-Day operations his landing barge was hit and he was severely injured and brought back to England. He died in a Sheffield hospital on the 26 June 1944. His story was shared by his son, John.

If you have a story of one of the 22,540 named on the Memorial, you can get in touch by email: researcher@normandymemorialtrust.org.