Haslemere pulled out all the stops to mark the D-Day 80th anniversary this year with a special proclamation and exhibition.

Kicking off the commemorations was the remembrance service at the war memorial. The ringing of the bell started the proceedings, with a proclamation read out by town crier Christian Ashdown, but it was no ordinary proclamation.

Christian had written the piece himself and it was read out at D-Day services across the country and internationally.

The wreaths at the town centre war memorial
The wreaths at the town centre war memorial (Michelle Monaghan)

Staff at the train station also got involved in D-Day by selling cakes for the poppy appeal and dressing up in costumes from the period.

Staff at Haslemere Station dressed up to remember D-Day
Staff at Haslemere Station dressed up to remember D-Day (Linda Barnard)

A special touch for the anniversary was the exhibition at St Christopher’s Church, organised by Frances Reincke. The exhibition featured real WWII photos in the church windows with information to tell the story of D-Day. Including stories of people from Haslemere, poppy tributes, a Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) uniform and an operations briefing only on D-Day.

Photo boards were placed in the church windows, each one depicting a different part of the Normandy Landings and telling the story
Photo boards were placed in the church windows, each one depicting a different part of the Normandy Landings and telling the story (Michelle Monaghan)

Frances said: “Most of the design and everything was my ideas, but a wonderful guy called Sahran Abeysundara created the artwork.

“A great printing company did most of it for nothing, so that was really fantastic. All the photographs are under license from the Imperial War Museum.

“We tried to recreate a beach scene with the cobbles and the flags, when the younger schoolchildren come in. They have talk on peace and remembrance and each child puts a little cross on the the beaches. So each school gets a different beach. “

The children's crosses on the beach recreation
The children's crosses on the beach recreation (Michelle Monaghan)

Outside of the church was a display of poppies strung across a net, re-using them from 2018 when it was 100 years since the end of WWI. The day finished with a picnic event on the church green with a lighting of the beacon in celebration of the light of peace.

Lighting of the beacon at St Christopher's Church
Lighting of the beacon at St Christopher's Church (Jane Puttock )
The exhibition was made possible thanks to help from individuals and organisations
The exhibition was made possible thanks to help from individuals and organisations (Michelle Monaghan)