Bayeux War Cemetery, Bayeux

The memorial is a stunning and very moving tribute to those brave men who paid a terrible price for the freedom we can enjoy in the western world. To see a D day veteran on our visit was an unexpected privilege. As a memorial it merits 5 stars + The one star is because in the huge parking area it is necessary to phone in and pay 3€ to park a car. What a nightmare when the bank then want to send an OTC that does not come through to validate a tiny payment. We gave up after wasting 15 minutes in trying to make the payment. It says the money goes towards the memorial costs. Fine and admirable. On the walk back to the car park from the memorial there is a discrete contactless card reader for making a 6€ donation for the same purpose....very easy. Get rid of the phone in parking service and install a simple cash/card machine. In the meantime we await the argument about the parking charge and any fine that may follow.

So eye opening but so sad at the loss of so many young brave men. I had the honour of taking Len Cox from the Glorious Gloucesters who landed D-Day 2nd wave Gold Beach. Amazing experience but when Len would stop at a grave every so often and describe his friends, what they looked like, their personality and age that was hard to see as you could see Len return there back to D-Day and see the loss. Len Cox passed away 23.02.2021, hope he's having a good sing song and knees up with his friends again and wife Barbara. Rest in peace Len, a great man. Very clean quiet cemetery. Lest we forget.