Parade set to remember Second World War battles

A parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of two Second World Wwar battles will take place in Heywood.

Organised by the Lancashire Veterans Association, the parade will commemorate the Battle of Arnhem and D-Day, the day of the Normandy landings.

Harry Mills, Chairman of the Lancashire Veterans Association said: “People tend to forget and we think it is important to remember the people that lost their lives.”

The Battle of Arnhem took place in Holland in September 1944 with D Day taking place on 6 June 1944.

The battle, which saw around 10,000 men go out to, saw three British brigades form a division tasked with securing and holding the Rhine
Bridge in Holland.

Known as Operation Market Garden, this was the largest airborne operation of its time.

The day of the Normandy landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord.

“We want to show the families of people lost in these battles that they are still remembered today,” added Harry.

The parade will take place on Sunday 14 September and will start and finish at The Heywood Pub.

The parade is currently in the early stages of planning but Harry is confident of a good turn out.

Harry said: “Parades are usually well attended and these days we are starting to see more and more people bring their children along, which is important. In Heywood, parades are usually jam packed.”