Page 10 • The HERALD • 11th July 2024 v F @heraldpublishing v All aspects of Plastering & General Decorating Covered Free Quotations Fully Insured Mobile 07941 255335 Phone: 023 8089 8324 parkesij@yahoo.co.uk www.ijs4plastering.co.uk HANNAH’S ELECTRICS Your Local Female Electrician NEED AN ELECTRICIAN? From simple upgrades to complete house re-wiring - and everything in-between, Hannah’s Electrics is the perfect choice. A trusted tradeswoman with sensible rates covering Southampton, New Forest & Waterside areas CONTACT HANNAH 07585 778136 W: www.hannahs-electrics.co.uk • E: hannahelectrics@gmail.com Like us on Facebook SOLENT FORMWORK LTD Est. since 2007 Insitu formwork, steel reinforcement and concrete placement. All types of reinforced concrete structures undertaken, such as slabs, ground beams, walls, columns, decks, basements etc. Call Mark and leave a message on 07913 145994 or email: solenformwork@yahoo.co.uk REFURBISHERS ALWAYS TRY TO MEET YOUR BUDGET RELIABLE! EXCELLENT REFERENCES! INSURED! Catalogue of previous works to view Plaster work • Floor & Wall Tiling • Wall removal • Bathroom Design & Fit • Laminate/Wood Flooring • Painting • Insulation • Decking • PVCu Gutter & Fascia OUR HANDYMAN SERVICES • Rubbish clearance • Gutters • Jet washing conservatories, paths and patios • Flat pack assembly • Van removals • NO JOB TOO SMALL • FIXED PRICES • WRITTEN QUOTATIONS P Strus 07414 779083 Email: p.strus7@gmail.com D-DAY 80 WEEK AT LEPE COUNTRY PARK by Patricia Hedley Goddard, D-Day Lepe Heritage Group anks to the swi combined e orts of the Cadland Estate, Lepe Country Park and Hampshire County Council (HCC), the D-Day 80 celebrations at Lepe Country Park were able to take place on Monday 3rd June at the 4/7th Royal Dragoons Memorial, as they had for many years. e extra high neap tides this year had dragged thousands of tons of gravel and soil from the beach, completely cutting o the access to the memorial. It took 7000 tons of gravel to be excavated, transported and placed in the damaged area in order to make it accessible to the public. Had this mammoth task not been done it would have been so sad for Cecil D-Day, a large crowd gathered at Lepe Country Park to watch the D-Day 80 Beacon Lighting ceremony. Fortunately it was a warm clear evening with good visibility. e lighting took place on the cli top in the park at sunset (21:15) and the beacons in distant Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight were just visible from the Lepe Country Park. Four short, excellent and informative speeches were given prior to the lighting of the Beacon, the rst by Lady Mary Montagu Scott of Beaulieu, followed by Councillor Nick King-Adams from Hampshire County Council, then Alan Alvey for Fawley Parish Council and lastly by Aldred Drummond of the Cadland Estate. None of the speakers repeated information any of the previous speakers had said! Councillor Nick King-Adams lit the Beacon. Earlier the sh and chip supper had taken place in ‘ e Lookout’, with every table booked in advance. (Fish and Chips were the only foods that Sir Winston Churchill did NOT ration during WW2). e whole evening was a truly happy and memorable event. Saturday 8th June was Family Day which was very well attended. is took place on the cli top at Lepe Country Park. ere were WW2 military vehicles on display, plus the D-Day Discovery Bus which had been visiting various venues around the New Forest throughout the week. It was teaching children (and adults) about the preparations for D-Day that took place throughout Hampshire, had short videos and fascinating oral histories recorded by local residents. Local groups had stands representing the various activities available around the Waterside area. e Jingle ladies sang ‘Hits from the Blitz’ and the New Forest Brass Band played to entertain the visitors. e Friends of Lepe kept the children entertained, with a mix of activities, some of them making paper gas masks and the D-Day Lepe Heritage Exhibition, which was open all week, located in Lepe Education Centre, was inundated with interested and very appreciative visitors. e day was a great success and our wishes for NO RAIN were granted, which made such a di erence! Later an unexpected but wonderful bonus was seen in the skies above as the Red Arrows ew over on their way back to Bournemouth airport. Sunday 9th June was the culmination of a truly memorable week. At 11:00hrs the o cial memorial service took place on the cli top at Lepe Country Park, at the memorial anchor. It commenced with an excellent banner parade from the Royal British Legion, with all the banner bearers looking very smart in their uniforms. is was followed by the Hampshire Caledonian Pipe Band looking wonderful in their kilts and the evocative sound of the bagpipes Newton, a 100-year-old veteran, who had le with the embarkation to Normandy from this beach. Every year he has returned to remember his fallen comrades in a private ceremony at the memorial, then, a er taking a cup of sand from the beach, travelled to Sword Beach in Normandy where he had landed on 6th June 1944, to pour the sand onto the French beach. is year the names were read out by Major Graeme Green (retired) of the 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and wreaths were placed round the memorial, the last post played and 2 minutes silence observed. e considerable crowd who had made the e ort to walk down to the memorial were all delighted to see Cecil, warmly wrapped up in his wheelchair, accompanied by several members of his family. He was in France for the memorial services on 6th June. Before embarkation in May/June 1944 Cecil was billeted in Fawley Wood and the Corporal tank he served in as a gunner operator was loaded from the ‘hards’ at Stanswood Bay. On Wednesday 5th June part of the overall D-Day 80 celebration was the inauguration of the beautiful new D-Day 80 commemorative bench at Langley. A er 40 years of good service, the original Langley Bench finally became unsafe and needed to be replaced. Fortuitously the replacement was due on the 80th D-Day anniversary. Parish Councillor Lauren O’Halloran found a beautiful D-Day bench as a replacement. Funding was provided by Grants from the County Councillor, 2 local New Forest District Councillors and Fawley Parish Council. On 6th June, the actual Continued on page 11
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