A beacon designed, made and erected by REIDsteel burned brightly at the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
It was the centrepiece of an event in our hometown of Christchurch in Dorset to honour and remember the troops who took part in the landings on June 6, 1944. It was a privilege to play our part in the commemorations.
The event also included live music, local food and a ‘history hub’ curated by local historians, organisations and charities, a royal proclamation read by the town crier and a torchlight vigil after the lighting of the beacon.
School pupils, scouts and many of our employees who live in the Christchurch area attended the event, which was organised by Christchurch Town Council.
They included our managing director Simon Boyd, who captured these images.
Dorset was instrumental in supporting the D-Day landings, with thousands of troops leaving from the the county’s ports and harbours for the beaches of Normandy.
Christchurch hosted the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force who were located in the town in 1944 while RAF Hurn – now Bournemouth Airport – served as a base for bombers and fighter-bombers supporting D-Day .
REIDsteel is proud to have supported this event. It also supports many other communities initiatives, including Premier League side AFC Bournemouth‘s Premier League Kicks coaching initiative for youngsters. The company is also a Platinum Business Partner at Dorset Chamber.
