The World Wars and Memory

A beach thou art and a beach thou shalt remain — me

History and memory often diverge, I have covered this in previous posts. But, consideration of memory involves both “memory” meaning how a participant in an event remembers their experience, or how individuals are taught history and then “remember” what they learned and considerate that to be historical ”truth.” And, it includes, commemoration, that is the physical manifestation of how a society remembers its past.

It’s June, so I have WWII on my mind: how do we commemorate Normandy.

On June 6th, 1944, the Allies launched the largest amphibious invasion in history, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. Operation Overlord. The beaches of Normandy became synonymous with sacrifice, courage, and democratic valor. Yet today, if you visit those beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword- you’ll notice something peculiar. The past lingers differently in the sand, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re from.

The Americans, and the British Commonwealth commemorate the Normandy landings differently. It is interesting how the American beaches of Utah and Omaha seem to be made up for the war’s commemoration more than anything else. You go there, and you are impressed by the valor and the deeds accomplished by the men and who fought and won the day. Those who died and those who lived to tell the story. The beaches are empty and you wander around, looking at cliffs and German bunkers and you understand the trial, the travail of D-Day.

Whereas at Gold, Sword, and Juno, the British and Canadian beaches, you see them and they are beaches. Places of frolicking and leisure and enjoyment. To the British Commonwealth, they fought and died so that you could enjoy the beach; so go enjoy the beach. This is not about which way of commemoration is better, only that they are different And the difference is worthy of being remarked upon.

There are indeed monuments to the valor of the British warriors, but they are along the perimeter of the beaches, friendly sentries, welcoming you to proceed in safety. Indeed I find myself sympathetic to the British perspective: that their victory denied the Nazis the right to turn the beach into a place of fear and terror. Fortress, Europe was really, prison Europe. The soldiers of the British Empire and their allies, the exiles from Europe, fought to keep those beaches free, so that 80 years after their sacrifice, people would bring their children to play in the sand without any shadow of a swastika.

And the beaches work together. Differences in commemoration are helpful for us to see both ways of looking at the conflict. What did it mean to win? It is fortunate that we have five beaches each a bit different than the others enabling us to reflect in a multitude of ways. And yet still, I think it is important to remember that when walking along the shore and taking in the tide:

A beach thou art and a beach thou shalt remain.