19-Aug-2022

Normandy Veteran Patron George Batts MBE Turns 97

The Trust wishes Veteran Patron George Batts MBE a very Happy Birthday, as he turns 97 on Sunday 21 August.

In October 2021, George finally saw his long-held dream realised when he visited the completed British Normandy Memorial for the first time.

On the occasion of his 97th birthday, the Trust shares a short video capturing George’s emotional reaction on seeing the 22,442 names of his fallen comrades engraved on the D-Day Wall and the 160 columns of the Memorial.

“It’s beyond belief and beyond my dreams. I never thought it would be like this, but I’m so delighted it is…I hope and pray that future generations will come here. I would implore everybody in the UK to make an effort to come over and see this.”

George is a champion of the Guardian Programme, designed to help the Trust maintain and preserve the Memorial for many generations to come.