A ceremony will be held to honour the liberation of a French town and the soldiers who helped secure its freedom.
Taking place in Worcester on Wednesday, August 26, the event will mark the liberation of Vernon in Normandy during the Second World War.
The service, organised by the Worcester Branch of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association (WFRA), will begin at 10.45am at the Worcestershire Regimental Stone in Gheluvelt Park.
Major (retired) Richard Fox, former president of the Worcester Branch WFRA, will open the ceremony with a welcome address.
Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Mark Jackson OBE, current branch president and chair of trustees for the Mercian Regiment in Worcestershire, will deliver an account of the Worcestershire Regiment’s actions in Vernon.
Reverend Peter Davies, county chaplain to the Royal British Legion, will lead prayers.
Wreaths and flowers will be laid in remembrance, and a number of speeches will be given during the ceremony.
The event is open to the public, with a particular invitation extended to those with family members who served in the Normandy campaign of 1944.
The Worcestershire Regiment played a key role in the liberation of Vernon as part of the 43rd Wessex Division.
Following the closure of the Falaise Gap, the division advanced rapidly to the River Seine and took part in Operation Neptune, a surprise river crossing aimed at forcing German withdrawal from France.
Each year on August 26, residents of Vernon hold their own remembrance services, laying flowers on the graves of Worcestershire Regiment soldiers buried in local cemeteries.
A memorial to the regiment also stands on the Tilly road in Vernon.
Known as the ‘Worcesters Layby,’ the memorial is made of Malvern Hills granite and was installed by the late Dave Plant of Malvern, a member of the Worcester Branch WFRA.