Crockham Hill September 2023 Newsletter - Flipbook - Page 5
No institution except the monarchy bears the stamp of the Queen’s
personality so much as her leadership of that sprawling collection of former
colonies called the Commonwealth. A sanctuary for democracy, it now
comprises a quarter of the world’s population, and is the Queen’s proudest
accomplishment. She attended Commonwealth summits as chairwoman
and has been the catalyst for helping unravel many problems like
Zimbabwean leadership and South African apartheid.
She has made Britain feel like one nation. All strands of the nation flow
from the Monarchy – parliament, the law, the church, the army, navy and
air force, the whole social structure of the country. With her selfless
standard of duty and service, of impartiality and wisdom, her
understanding of the mood of the nation, she has set the bar high for her
successors.
If doubts should arise over the worth of her successors, let it be
remembered how valuable the institution of the monarchy is as part of the
structure of the nation, how it produces political stability, the best
pageantry in the world, and most valuable tourism. It works – when things
go wrong, we get rid of the government; when things go well, we cheer the
Queen. Long may she reign – happy and glorious!
Crockham Hill Remembered D-DAY in June 1994
D-Day 50th Anniversary Anna Milford Goldstein
Operation Overlord, the Normandy Landings and
Operation Neptune, the greatest Armada in
history, were the best kept military secrets of all
time. The complexity and scale of D-Day was
astounding: 6,939 vessels - including 1,213
warships and 4,126 landing craft, 23,000
airborne troops and 130,000 soldiers. 75,000
British, Canadian and 177 French troops landed
on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches, and 57,000
Americans on Utah and Omaha.
'Bring a wartime souvenir' on the WI tickets for
the 50th anniversary lunch resulted in a
formidable and nostalgic wartime display - a tin hat, gasmasks,
newspapers, censored air letters, field dressings, Home Front
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