VE Day 80 Normandy trip

The 80^th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe, was commemorated earlier this month on Thursday May 8, 2025. Celebrations across the UK included a military procession down The Mall, appearances by the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace, and a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. Up and down the country, people got together with neighbours and friends and held street parties or afternoon tea gatherings to mark such a special occasion. Thirty lucky students and staff from Southborough, however, were given the opportunity to visit and commemorate such an important event in the very place that played such a pivotal part in the ending of World War II – the Normandy beaches.

D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6 1944, significantly accelerated the end of World War II by opening up a new front in Europe and weakening German forces. It initiated the liberation of France and ultimately led to the defeat of Germany. In short, the Normandy invasion began to turn the tide against the Nazis. A significant psychological blow, it also prevented Hitler from sending troops from France to build up his Eastern Front against the advancing Soviets. The cost in loss of life was high, though; approximately 4,440 Allied soldiers were killed during the Normandy landings.

It was an early start -at 4 am! – that students and staff set off on Wednesday 7 May to visit Normandy and the coach journey was made all the more interesting by having WW II  Historian David Harvey on board to share interesting stories from the Allied Invasion. On their arrival, the students enjoyed an extended tour of the beaches and bunkers, stopping off at both Pegasus Bridge and The Battery of Merville, a museum set up in memory of the British Paratroopers who on the morning of June 6 1944, silenced the German gun battery  and saved lives on the invasion beaches during D-Day.  After a long day of exploring and learning so much about D-Day, the boys enjoyed a lovely evening meal at Oncle Scott’s Restaurant, followed by bowling at Mondeville Bowl.

The following day –the 80^th anniversary of V.E Day – students and staff departed early to experience a packed  itinerary which included a visit to Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Longues-sur-Mere Battery and Arromanches Musee du Debarquement where they learnt about the American and British Beach Assaults, the role of the Navy and the technical and logistical side of the invasion. Having WW II Historian David on hand throughout meant that the boys were able to ask lots of questions and gain an better understanding of everything. A visit to Bayeux CWGC (British & Commonwealth) Cemetery provided a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by so many.

On the third and final day of the trip, the boys visited the British Normandy Memorial, Ver-sur-Mere (newly opened in 2019), where they held a two-minute silence and laid flowers for the fallen. After another trip to the beach, this time Juno Beach, where the Canadian Beach Assault took place, staff and students found themselves back at Calais on their journey home.              

One student commented:
“I wouldn’t have missed this trip for anything. I’ve come away with a much greater understanding about the role that D-Day played in the eventual ending of World War II. And because we had a WW II Historian with us every day, we learnt so much more about it as we were encouraged to ask whatever questions were on our minds. It was a brilliant trip and one that I’ll remember for many years to come.”

Another student added: “We were able to get up close to old tanks, explore bunkers and even see inside old war planes. In one museum we experienced a reconstruction of an aid raid where we had to all get into a bunker and experience the noise and fear of an ‘attack’ going on around us. It really made things come alive. Visiting the war cemeteries was moving, too. We learnt that many soldiers buried at the time couldn’t be formally identified and as a result ‘A soldier of the 1939-45 war ‘was simply engraved on their headstones “

In all, this was a truly remarkable and poignant trip for our students to experience and many of the things they learnt about will –as one student commented above -  stay with them for a very long time. We’d like to say a very big thank you to Mr Edwards, Mr Iles and Mrs Clements  for organising and running such a rewarding trip -along with Interschool Travel . Many congratulations must also go to all the students, too, who conducted themselves so well throughout the three day visit.