To mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing, Central Coast Town Crier Stephen Clarke will give a special proclamation at Gosford on June 6.
D-Day was the name given to June 6, 1944 – the day Allied troops during World War II invaded the beaches at Normandy in northern France.
France at the time was occupied by the armies of Nazi Germany, and the amphibious assault—code named Operation Overlord—landed some 156,000 Allied soldiers on the beaches by the end of the day.
Despite their success, some 4,000 Allied troops were killed by German soldiers defending the beaches.
At the time, the D-Day invasion was the largest naval, air and land operation in history, and within a few days about 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed.
By August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and in spring of 1945 the Allies had defeated the Germans.
Historians often refer to D-Day as the beginning of the end of World War II.
One June 6 this year, official Town Criers from England, Wales, the USA, the Channel Islands, Bermuda, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium and Australia will be performing official D Day proclamations.
“The official proclamation has been written by Jane Smith-Bognor Regis, Town Crier and Member of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers (UK) and has been officially approved,” Clarke said.
“I will perform the proclamation (with an added Australian flavour) at the newly renovated cenotaph in Mann St, Gosford on Thursday, June 6, at 11am.”