David James

Former print and wire journalist in UK, Qatar and Paris, now chasing history in Normandy. Banjo picker, likes trains.

[David James @DJNormandy65]

@MichelleDewbs Here in France, it's customary to either leap the barrier or shoulder-surf a pass holder in front. 😄

[David James @DJNormandy65]

15,000 red flags on Omaha Beach in tribute to the dead of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, regardless of country. Happy to have played a small part in setting them out #DDay

[David James @DJNormandy65]

On a visité aujourd'hui le cimetière américain de Coleville-sur-Mer et avons entendu un guide touristique dire à son groupe que la question la plus fréquemment posée était : « Où se trouve la tombe du capitaine Miller ? ».

[Le Temps @LeTemps]

La critique n’est pas nouvelle. Mais elle prend une tournure différente lorsque certains professionnels regrettent que le surtourisme en Normandie se fasse au détriment de l’enjeu mémoriel et ne concerne plus que les plages...
➡️ https://t.co/Pt9eWp8svl

[David James @DJNormandy65]

Apologies if still behind paywall but this raises questions over dangers of 'over-tourism' of #DDay beaches, the potential pitfalls of winning UNESCO World Heritage status and modern trend of 'fast fashion' visits.

https://t.co/3fcXpP1CIJ

[David James @DJNormandy65]

Always enjoy this when in Bayeux. A quote from Chaucer.

[Andrew Fox @Mr_Andrew_Fox]

The family memorial inscriptions on Commonwealth War Graves are always so profoundly moving.

Private Cyster: “He gave the dearest thing in the world, his beautiful unfinished life.”

Lt Brotheridge: “Out of the bitterness of war he found the perfect peace.”

Private Corteil: “Had you known our boy you would have loved him too, ‘Glen’ his paratroop dog was killed with him.” [note the dog toys left on the grave]

Private Harbert: “How can the memory fade of one who gave up his young life so unselfishly?”

[David James @DJNormandy65]

@GBNEWS There was a hint of woke during the D-Day commemoration at the British War Cemetery in Bayeux today when a US singer performed a version of Billy Eilish's 'What Was I Made For'! Looks like there's no way back for Elgar's 'Nimrod'.

[GB News @GBNEWS]

‘If you are not supporting veterans, you should not be in the country.’

‘Woke virtue signalling is taking back the cause of gay rights.’

Will Kingston believes Pride Month should be ‘ditched’ and replaced with a month to celebrate veterans, helping to unite the country.

[David James @DJNormandy65]

A moving ceremony today at the British cemetery at Bayeux but many of us were scratching our heads over the inclusion of Billy Eilish's 'What was I made for?' in the ceremony. Give me Elgar's 'Nimrod' any day.

[GB News @GBNEWS]

'If you have a relative, or if you know a story, tell us more. So that the rest of us can learn.'

GB News National Reporter @CDP1882 speaks to Director General at The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Claire Horton CBE, about the significance of D-Day on its 82nd anniversary.

[David James @DJNormandy65]

Major faux pas by organisers of the D-Day memorial service at Bayeux War Cemetery today when they forgot/misplaced the wreath which was to be laid by one of the handful of veterans attending. One was rustled up later in the service. #DDAY82

[ABMC @usabmc]

On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Waves of men battled their way inland at Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches.

More than 2,000 Americans lost their lives in the D-Day landings alone, with thousands more perishing in ensuing operations.

Today and every day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

[alex kershaw @kershaw_alex]

Goodbye to England. Many of the 73,000 US troops who will see action on D-Day, just 48 hours away, are now being ferried to troopships. Photo by the great Robert Capa. @WWIIMemorial

[David James @DJNormandy65]

Normandy summer greets memorial service at Sainte Mere Eglise for US and British airborne forces who fought on D-Day. #DDay82

[David James @DJNormandy65]

Les drapeaux rouges at Carentan. 14,201 in total, representing the number of American airborne troops who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day 1944. #DDay82 #France
#USA

[Toby Young @toadmeister]

Today's Daily Sceptic update is here. The Henry Nowak case is a devastating example of two-tier policing, says Paul Birch; Sam Lowry writes Sir Keir Starmer's political obituary; and ITV's answer to BBC Verify is just as biased, says Paul Homewood. https://t.co/P8mKXn4jWu

[David James @DJNormandy65]

@RidgeandFrost @SophyRidgeSky @LabourSJ Is it possible to issue a mild electric shock if she uses the phrase 'lessons must be learnt'?

[Ridge & Frost @RidgeandFrost]

Coming up on Mornings with Ridge & Frost...

@SophyRidgeSky will be speaking to Minister of State for Policing and Crime @LabourSJ from 7:15am ⏰

Watch live: https://t.co/gFfpGarKl7
Email: [email protected]

[Neil York @johncopse]

Advice for early battlefield visitors to the Western Front. Be careful or your accommodation may be an old dugout! The Daily News, 28th June 1919. #WW1 #Somme #Ypres

[Aquila Polonica @polandww2]

#OnThisDay 78 years ago the Russian-appointed authorities in Poland executed Captain Witold Pilecki, a freedom fighter known for voluntarily entering Auschwitz in #WW2 to gather evidence of the Holocaust. #Poland🇵🇱 would struggle under communism for 50 more years.

Pilecki's report on his imprisonment in Auschwitz was a principle source of intelligence on the Holocaust for the Allies during the war. We are proud to continue publishing his report in English as the book "The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery," available here:
https://t.co/p61yCCAcUG

[Auschwitz Memorial @AuschwitzMuseum]

25 May 1948 | Witold Pilecki was executed in Warsaw. A Polish soldier, a volunteer prisoner of the German #Auschwitz camp, a co-founder of the camp resistance. He escaped in April 1943 & wrote a report about the crimes in the camp.

Our podcast: https://t.co/P41nrgT0tR

[Institute of National Remembrance @ipngovpl_eng]

On 24 May 2026, on the eve of the International Day of Heroes of the Fight against Totalitarianism, a ceremony dedicated to the memory of Captain Witold Pilecki, one of the greatest heroes in twentieth -century Polish history, was held in Głubczyce (southern Poland). Karol Polejowski, the Deputy President of the IPN, attended the event.

🗨“Poland’s national memory is what shapes us. We are the children of Polish history, a difficult history, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is for this very reason, fully aware of our history, we, the citizens of the Polish state, approach the task of safeguarding remembrance with the utmost care. We fulfil his mission, so that the memory of the past does not perish, but instead, is cultivated and passed down from generation to generation,” said Karol Polejowski.

🔍Read about the event on our website: https://t.co/x3w8uN1jfW