Remembering the courage of 1944
This year marks the 80th anniversaries of momentous battles and turning points of the Second World War.
The D-Day landings of 6th June – the largest seaborne invasion in history – marked the beginning of the liberation of western Europe.
Elsewhere on the globe exceptionally hard-fought battles were also turning the tide of the war. The Battle of Monte Cassino was the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign and in India Outnumbered British and Indian forces withstood weeks of siege and brutal fighting at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal.
The Royal British Legion remembers the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth armed forces in these and other battles. The vital contribution of men and women from South Asia is also explored in our pages for South Asian Heritage Month.
Remembrance in 2024
Key dates in 2024
- 18 May 2024: 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino
- 5 June 2024: RBL is hosting a D-Day 80 Bayeux War Cemetery Commemorative Event in France
- 6 June 2024: 80th anniversary of D-Day and the start of the Battle of Normandy
- 6 June 2024: British National D-Day 80 Remembrance Event at the British Normandy Memorial, France
- 6 June 2024: Marking D-Day 80 with a Remembrance Service at the National Memorial Arboretum
- 22 June 2024: 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Kohima
- 18 July 2024: 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Imphal
- 25 September 2024: 80th anniversary of the end of Operation Market Garden
- 8 November 2024: 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Scheld
What is Remembrance?
Remembrance honours those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life.
We unite across faiths, cultures and backgrounds to remember the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community from Britain and the Commonwealth.