D-Day ceremony held in Victoria Park Sunday
The 1st Hussars paid tribute to those lost during D-Day in 1944 on June 5, 2022 during a ceremony to commemorate D-Day and celebrate the return of the Holy Roller. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
Almost to the day of the 78th anniversary of D-Day, a commemoration was held for the Holy Roller at Victoria Park.
A military parade from downtown to the Holy Roller in Victoria Park lead the celebrations Sunday morning.
With the restored Holy Roller as the backdrop — and veterans from Parkwood Hospital in attendance — the 1st Hussars paid tribute to those lost in Normandy, France in 1944.
Also planned for Sunday morning were flyovers from Harvard aircraft and remarks from dignitaries.
Saturday was the first day of celebrations, and the Windsor Regiment Band played and recognized all the work that went into the restoration of the D-Day tank.
Exhibits were also on display Saturday and showcased London’s military history ahead of Sunday’s rededication ceremony.
The Sherman tank — which served in World War II from D-Day to the end of the war — has stood guard in Victoria Park since 1956.
Years of wear and tear on the tank however took their toll, and it was removed in June 2021 for repairs and refurbishing.
The newly refurbished Holy Roller was unveiled by Fanshawe College’s Centre for Applied Transportation Technologies School on Monday and was permanently brought back to Victoria Park on Tuesday, to a large crowd of excited Londoners.
The 78th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy is June 6.
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