80th anniversary of D-Day commemorated at base of Holy Roller tank

Soldiers past and present, even some on horseback, marched through London's Victoria Park to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and ultimately, the end of World War II.

"It's important to the nation. It's important to the people of London. And it's very important to the 1st Hussars Regiment because they were the first ones who landed with the leading infantry units," said Retired Lieutenant Colonel Ian Haley, former Commanding Officer of the First Hussars and organizer of London's D-Day ceremonies.

"They had tanks, some of which waited and some of which came ashore, and from there they advanced inland. So, as they say, today marks the beginning of the end in northwest Europe," 

D-Day, which saw Allied forces storm Normandy beach, was on June 6th, 1944. A Sherman tank, known as The Holy Roller, was actually part of the Allied liberation assault, and now sits proudly as the centerpiece of anniversary celebrations in London, 80 years later.

"The Holy Roller landed in the second wave on D-Day so early in the morning. And it is the only tank of the 1st Hussars to have survived from D-Day to the end of the war. And in fact, it's only one of two in Canada that are still in existence," said Haley.

"From our research, we think it is the only tank left in the world that actually participated in the beach assault first thing in the morning."

A crowd of more than 250 soldiers and civilians braved Sunday's rain to pay their respects to those that lost their lives on D-Day. Among them, retired soldier Conrad Heegsma.

"This is 80 years. That's a long time now. I mean, there's not many vets left from World War II. My grandfather served in World War II, and unfortunately, he never got to see me wear the uniform. I think he would've been very proud. It's one thing I regret that never got to happen," said Heegsma.

Past and present soldiers march through London’s Victoria Park on Jun. 2, 2024, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

It wasn't just people from London and area paying their respects in Victoria Park on Sunday. Dignitaries from Europe were in attendance as well.

Poland's Military Attache, Captain Pavel Podgorny, brought a message of cooperation and thanks from Eastern Europe.

"The day is extremely important from one reason. Polish and Canadian forces, they were involved in D-Day. And they were fighting as true brothers in arms. So today, as we are attending that ceremony, we will commemorate the brotherhood. And I do believe that brotherhood will survive for ages," said Captain Podgorny.

"Seeing the current situation in Europe, we know that alliances are very important. So that alliance from the Second World War, it's proof that alliances still matter. And in my opinion, this is extremely important to be aware of that," he continued.

D-Day ceremonies took place in London’s Victoria Park on Jun. 2, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Marking D-Day becomes more important with each passing year, Haley added, because the number of men who liberated Europe so many decades ago but are still alive today is dwindling.

"We lost the last member of the D-Day crew a couple of years ago, and we still have a few veterans, but there aren't many left and it's important, I think, that we continue to remember what they did. They weren't supermen, but they decided that something needed to be done, and they went and did it well," said Haley.