Public ceremonies will be held this week in Dieppe and Moncton to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle Normandy.
On the morning of 6 June 1944, around 14,000 Canadians joined tens of thousands of Allied troops to storm the German-occupied beaches of Normandy. By the end of the day, known as D-Day, 359 brave Canadian soldiers had been killed.
A delegation including Second World War Veterans, their caregivers, and dignitaries will be in Dieppe on June 5 for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Place 1604 Cenotaph.
Public participants should plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m. as the event will begin promptly at 10 a.m.
A portion of Gauvin Road and some parking lots in the downtown core will be closed.
If it is raining, the event will be held inside the Dieppe Arts and Culture Centre.
A sunset ceremony will also be held at Victoria Park in Moncton at 8 pm.
On Thursday, June 6, another gathering will be held at Victoria Park at 2:30 pm.
A CH 149 Cormorant Helicopter flypast will be held during this ceremony. Residents of Dieppe, Riverview and Moncton outside of Victoria Park may also observe and hear this flypast.
The Battle of Normandy lasted for 11 weeks. More than 5,000 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 13,000 wounded before the campaign officially came to a close in late August 1944.
