To mark D-Day 80 in June 2024, The Shorncliffe Trust is organising a truly unique event to commemorate the Allied forces landing in Normandy.

Operation Spirit recognises and honours the bravery and sacrifice of the Allied forces and the people of France, who suffered and fought to liberate their country.

Following in the footsteps of the Allied forces, by land, sea and air, the Shorncliffe Trust is brining the spirit and the flame of hope from the UK to shine the light onto those brave men and women to France symbolically. The heroism of these people will be created through the use of specially commissioned lanterns that will transport the "flame" or ‘spirit’ of this “Great Crusade” from the UK to the beaches of Normandy.

When in France, the Light in the Darkest Hour lanterns will tour Normandy in a rare Anglo/French Rolls Royce that belonged to a true WW2 hero of France, that has not returned in decades. 

Operation Spirit, organised by the Shorncliffe Trust, brings together the legacy of the ‘united nations’ of D-Day with this challenging and ambitious event. Its success rests on the capability of their supporters, both civilian and military to deliver the lanterns to different D-Day locations and local communities by land, sea and air during the 80th commemorative week. 

The freedom of France and Europe was achieved through unity of the Allies, this project will reflect this Spirit.

In 2014 the Shorncliffe Trust created a stunningly beautiful and moving community engagement project called “Light in the Darkest Hour”  to commemorate the start on WW1 100 at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Folkestone, Kent. The event was commended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as one of the key events in 2014 and replicated at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey to highlight community engagement projects.

In 2018, the Shorncliffe Trust expanded on LITDH project with an ambitious international event called LITDH – First & Last. This entailed the Trust creating two specialist lanterns (Tommy & Maple) to carry a flame of remembrance from Mons, Belgium to Shorncliffe, Kent to light 500+ lanterns at the cemetery on the graves of 500 WW1 soldiers buried in the military cemetery on the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1.

Then, in 2019, the Trust created the ultimate international commemoration, called LITDH – Bring Them Home.  The concept was to repatriate the spirit of the 50,000 Canadian souls that remain in the UK and the Western Front home to Canada and their families.

The journey saw the Trust’s lanterns “Tommy” and “Maple” lit again in Mons, travel to Shorncliffe and then flown by Air Canada, to Calgary and then onto their final destination Edmonton. All the while, their flames were kept alight. That Easter, in Canada, the spirit of those brave men and women returned to their families after 100 years.

Light in the Darkest Hour – OPERATION SPIRIT 2024 follows on from these projects to commemorate the men and women of the Allied forces and the people of France to mark D-Day 80, the Normandy Campaign, and the liberation of France.

The lanterns that will be carrying the fames to Normandy are:

Tommy (British Army), Roger (Royal Airforce), Jack (Royal Navy), Bleuet (France), Poppy (Allied Forces), George (RAF Battle of Britain), Maple (Canada) and Mary (Commonwealth Troops) - other lanterns are being commissioned by sponsors.

The lanterns will travel around Normandy in a rare military vehicle that belonged to one of Frances greatest heroes. The cars chassis is a Rolls Royce and the body work was built in France by Frannay. The Rolls Royce (GPR33) was owned in WW2 by General Marie-Pierre Koenig, son of Caen and leader of the Free French soldiers. The Rolls was once owned by a Jewish businessman who escaped the Nazis and hid this beautiful car. Once it was rediscovered by partisans it was given to the Allies. Eisenhower then gave it to General Koenig to use as his staff car.

A private collector now owns the car and the Shorncliffe Trust is helping him restore it in time for June 2024 so it can carry the lanterns to the beaches, towns and memorials in Normandy as a pilgrimage to the fallen and to honour the French communities. The Shorncliffe Trust is creating a once in a lifetime event, with the Lanterns and GRP33. This remarkable and unique project will tell the story through the lanterns and GPR33's journey and highlight D-Day 80, the battle for Normandy and the liberation of France and the unity of the nations involved in 1944.

Operation Spirit through is use of the lanterns and their flames, with this rare Anglo/French Rolls Royce, with a truly remarkable story and its once ownership by a hero of a great nation, tells the story of the challenge the Allies faced, the bravery and heroism of the combatants and civilians.

Their spirit shines bright in the lanterns, like the angel that sits proudly on the front of Koenig’s Rolls Royce – GRP33.

Chris Shaw, Chairman, The Shorncliffe Trust

chris.shaw@shorncliffe-trust.org.uk

Operation Spirit is the ultimate Entente Cordiale expression of unity between the people of the UK and the people of France. 

This project is led from a community charity based on the south coast of England 22 miles across from Boulogne, whose links to France date back hundreds of years.

With the centuries of history linked between these two countries and their cultures, it was in the 20th century that saw their people unite with other European countries to fight and die side by side for the freedom of Europe.

Operation Spirit tells the story of D-Day through strong community engagement, beautifully symbolised and which positively looks forward with renewed appreciation for those people of Europe who worked together to rid Europe of tyranny and towards a better future 80 years ago.