The pandemic has barred all travel for families to visit the Second World War graves in France's Normandy, where Saturday marks the 76th anniversary of the epic D-Day battle, so they have turned to an Englishman living on D-day territory for help.
British expatriate Steven Oldrid, left, checks a list as he directs people where to lay wooden crosses with names of WWII dead and flowers during D-Day ceremonies at the local war cemetery in Benouville, Normandy, France on June 6, 2020. BENOUVILLE, FRANCE -- The essence of war remembrance is to make sure the fallen are never forgotten. All it takes is a wreath, a tiny wooden cross, a little token on a faraway grave to show that people still care about their fallen hero, parent or grandparent.
For years, Steven Oldrid, 66, had helping out with D-Day events around the beaches where British soldiers had landed -- and often left their lives behind -- be it organizing parking, getting pipers to show or getting sponsors for veterans' dinners.But in pandemic times, pandemic rules apply. Oldrid was first contacted in March.
Before he knew, it in this extraordinary year, he had become the extraordinary wreathlayer -- proof that kindness cannot be counted in pounds, euros or dollars, but in time and effort to organize a day around the wishes of others. "It makes me feel physically sick because you feel as though you're letting everybody down," she said. "I feel so strongly that it is our right and our duty to go."
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