The picures above all show aspects of D-Day. Top Left is the Bayeux Cemetery, which is the largest WWII (CWGC) cemetery in France. It has 4648 graves including 2 Italians, 7 Russians, 1 South African and 466 Germans. It also has a VC Winner - Cpl Sidney Bates who was serving with the Norfolks and died because of his wounds a day after being hurt during action at Sourdeval.
The picture bottom left is of Gerry O'Meara, Andy McVeety and Lance Keeley at the Arromanche Museum over looking the beaches and the famous Mulberry Harbour.
The main picture on the Right is the statue called "Spirit of American Youth" and is one of the centre pieces at the American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-mer, which over looks Omaha Beach. The Cemetery is huge and covers 172 acres and 9387 Americans are buried there. 307 of them are unknown. The Size of the size is shown in the picture below. The memorial behind the "Spirit" statue has a similar idea to that of the Menin Gate and the names of 1557 Americans who have no know grave are listed there. The Cemetery is possibly famed for the way Hollywood has used it too. The Spielberg film "Saving Private Ryan" uses the Cemetery to great effect in the opening and closing credits of the film. Where "Ryan" visits the grave of Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) - the man who saved him. The film is based in parts of the Niland Brothers, although Hollywood being Hollywood changed the Niland story to suit. The Opening 25 minutes or so of Saving Private Ryan are amazing and possibly does come close to the hell and carnage on "Bloody Omaha" that day in June 1944.
A more bizarre Hollywood nod to the Cemetery is the film "The Omen". The promotional poster of the Anti-Christ "Damien" in a cemetery surrounded by crosses is (rumoured) to be Colleville. Ironically that D-Day was 6.6 (sitxh June) and Damien has 6.6.6 on his head! A copy of the poster is also below.
