03-Nov-2025
Remembrance 2025: Ken Cooke's Guardian Appeal
D-Day Veteran and Memorial Ambassador Ken Cooke’s Heartfelt Wish
In this short film, Ken shares his extraordinary personal account of D-Day, 81 years on.
This Remembrance, our Memorial Ambassador Ken Cooke is calling on us to honour the memory of his 247 comrades from the Green Howards’ 6th and 7th Battalions, who were killed on D-Day and throughout the Normandy Campaign.
Ken’s heartfelt wish is simple:
“247 of my comrades in the Green Howards were killed in Normandy. Their names are engraved on the British Normandy Memorial. By becoming a Guardian, you can help keep their memory alive — every day, every week, forever.”
With a gift of £10 per month or more, you can stand with Ken to ensure his friends are never forgotten and that their stories of sacrifice live on for generations to come.
As one of Ken’s Guardians, you will receive:
• A bespoke Guardian certificate, featuring the name of the Green Howard whose memory your support is protecting.
• A copy of Always Remembered, our stunning hardback commemorative book.
• The exclusive Normandy Memorial Trust ‘shield’ badge.
Each of the 247 men commemorated on the Memorial have a story to tell and we have been honoured to be able to share some of them.
ARTHUR BELLOT
Cathy Burley sent us this story about Arthur Bellot who got engaged to her mother in February 1944. Pte Arthur Bellot came from Jersey, Channel Islands. He managed to leave the island before the Germans invaded and promptly enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry after he arrived in the UK. He then served with the Hampshire Regimen before being posted to the 6th Battalion, Green Howards. Pte Bellot was killed in action on 6th June 1944. His company commander wrote this of him in a letter: “..we all feel his loss very much as he was always so cheerful and such a good chap. He has been buried with three of his comrades and the civilians have covered his grave with flowers.” Cathy said it was seven years before her mum found love again with my Dad, but she never forgot him and the sacrifice that he and so many other young men made, for the freedom that we enjoy today. She kept his photo in a special box until the day she died.
REGINALD REYNOLDS
Pte Reginald Reynolds was born in Wolverhampton. His story was sent to us by his daughter, Beverley Peet. He joined up before the war and served with the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). The regiment deployed to Jamaica and it was there that he met his wife-to-be, Joyce Brooks. After he was honourably discharged he worked as a plumber on the island. He and Joyce both played guitars together and one of his friends said that he loved sailing and that he had many friends on the island. His obituary in the Kingston’s daily newspaper, The Gleaner, stated that he re-enlisted in 1943, anxious to do his part in the present world conflict. He served with the Green Howards but was killed in action near Longraye.
FEATURED SHOP ITEM
£25
ORDERMiniature silhouette - Airman
Measuring 30cm in height, this metallic mini replica of an airman the ‘Standing with Giant' silhouettes at the British Normandy Memorial - will make a compelling feature in any home - marking the remembrance of the fallen of D-Day and the Normandy campaign.
(£25 plus £5 postage and packaging)
£25
ORDERMiniature silhouette - Winston Churchill
Measuring 30cm in height, this metallic mini replica of the Sir Winston Churchill's ‘Standing with Giant' silhouette at the British Normandy Memorial - will make a compelling feature in any home - marking the remembrance of a great leader that lead the nation to victory in the Second World War.
(£25 plus £5 postage and packaging)
£25
ORDERMiniature silhouette - Infantryman 2
Measuring 30cm in height, this metallic mini replica of a ‘Standing with Giant' infantryman will make a compelling feature in any home, marking the remembrance of the fallen of D-Day and the Normandy campaign.
(£25 plus £5 postage and packaging)
