The Normandy Stone in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset.

In a secluded corner of Vivary Park in the centre of Taunton stands the Normandy Stone.  It commemorates those who took part in the campaign which began with the Normandy Landings on 6th June 1944 and ended on the 20th August when German efforts to thwart the invasion finally collapsed into a rout.

The Normandy Stone in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset.

The Normandy Stone stands in a secluded corner of Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset.  The three trees represent the D-Day landing beaches of Sword, Juno and Gold.

As the keep of Jellalabad Barracks, once the depot of the Somerset Light Infantry, still towers over Vivary Park I think it is appropriate to remember the role played by the SLI in the Normandy Campaign.  Two battalions of the regiment, the 4th and 7th, were part of the 43rd Wessex Division which, although not involved in the D-Day landings, had completed its assembly in Normandy by June 24th and entered combat the next day.

As well as those from the SLI, the Division included battalions from the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, the Glosters, the Royal Hampshires, the Dorsets, the Wiltshires, the Worcesters and the Middlesex Regiment.

During the entire north-west Europe campaign, which ended on May 5th 1945, the 43rd Wessex Division fought with great courage and distinction from Normandy to Bremerhaven.  Sadly, this victorious crusade cost the Division 12,484 casualties, of which 1,587 were killed.  The Somerset Light Infantry suffered 2,493 casualties, of which 468 were killed.