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This article has been submitted by Joseph Ritson, a volunteer story-gatherer for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cumbria CSV Action Desk at the Whitehaven Maritime Festival, 24 - 26 June 2005. The Festival also incorporated the official county of Cumbria Commemoration for the 60th Anniversary of World War Two. A different article has been submitted giving a general overview of the official World War Two commemorations held at Whitehaven, Cumbria over the weekend (Article ID: 4342150).

When World War Two veterans, family and friends attend reunions or commemorative events for the war, inevitably there is much reminiscing about the war years, or things that have happened since a previous get-together. Inevitably, these memories include shared experiences of hardships, friends or family who were killed and difficult times spent together. However, balancing these sad moments are those happier times of shared comradeship, singing, dancing and victory in battle. Wartime memories are sometimes poignant, sometimes happy.

On 6 June 2005, I attended a Memorial Service commemorating the Normandy Landings of June 1944 at St Nicholas' Church Gardens, Whitehaven, Cumbria. It was organised by the West Cumbria Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. For those who attended that service and had been involved in the Normandy Landings it was important to remember those close comrades who had given their lives in the European campaign. These are obviously sad moments, but it is important to pay this solemn tribute to the Fallen.

Possibly because the World War Two veterans know how hard and difficult it was to obtain the final victory, they also appreciate it is important to enjoy the happier moments of a shared and continued friendship. This living life to the full is also a tribute to those friends who did not survive the war. This can be seen from a photograph I took of some Normandy Veterans sharing a joke while waiting for the service to begin.

Those seen in the photograph are Jim Jolly, George Smith, Jim Tweedie and Alan Aitkenhead. All four of these fine gentlemen also took part in the official Cumbria WW2 'Victory Parade' held at Whitehaven at the end of June 2005. Both these events were proud occasions for these four veterans, as well as the many other veterans who took part in them.

"Enjoy the happy moments, you have all earned them! Thank you!"

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