Shropshire town to join hundreds around the country in lighting beacons for D-Day
A beacon will be lit on a Newport church next month as part of an international chain to honour those who played a role in D-Day.
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Newport Town Council will pay tribute to those who played a part in the D-Day landings by lighting an 80th-anniversary beacon on the tower of St. Nicholas Church.
Thursday, June 6, marks 80 years since D-Day, the start of Allied operations which would ultimately liberate Western Europe, defeat Nazi Germany and end the Second World War.
The International 80th Anniversary D-Day Beacon will be lit at 8.15pm at the British Normandy Memorial overlooking Gold Beach, with the other beacons located on Utah, Omaha, Juno, and Sword being lit at 8.30pm.
At 9.15pm, the Principal United Kingdom, Channel Island and Isle of Man beacon at Portsmouth will be lit, joined by hundreds of villages, towns and cities across the country who will mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day by lighting their beacons.
Joanne Reay, Newport Town Clerk, said: “We are honoured to be working with Bruno Peek, pageant master of the D-Day 80th Anniversary Beacons, to ensure the town forms part of the beacon chain to mark this historic occasion.
"The beacon itself will be lit at 9.15pm at the top of St Nicholas’ Church Tower so it will be visible to residents across Newport and surrounding areas.
"We will be following the national timetable for the event which starts with Newport’s Town Crier, David Stringer, undertaking the formal Proclamation to announce the Beacon lighting outside St. Nicholas Church at 8am.
"The Beacon lighting event will start around 9pm at St Nicholas Church grounds with the Beacon lighting and reading of the International Tribute at 9.15pm, which will be followed by the playing of the Last Post.”
Residents are invited to witness the beacon lighting on Thursday, June 6.
