Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council will be staging a special beacon lighting ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings as part of the National D-Day 80 commemorations.
The event will take place on Thursday June 6th near Burnham-On-Sea jetty at around 9.15pm when members of the public will be welcome to watch.
This will be preceded by Burnham and Highbridge Band playing on the seafront from around 8.10pm in the run-up to the lighting.
The event will be part of a chain of beacons being lit across the country at the same time and date as part of the nation’s tribute.
D-Day, which took place on June 6th, 1944, was a turning point in the war, with a ground force of more than 130,000 troops coming ashore on five beaches across a 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast.
There were 10,000 allied causalities by the end of D-Day and the ensuing Battle of Normandy lasted till August, leading to the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.
The lighting of the beacons will serve as a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who took part in the operation, with thousands of people never returning home, including those from the Burnham-On-Sea area.
Beacons were last lit in Burnham and Highbridge in 2022 for the late Queen’s Jubilee, as reported here:Â Jubilee beacons lit in Burnham, Highbridge, West Huntspill & Brent Knoll.
