Veterans pay their respects during a tour of the battlefields of Normandy
Veterans from the Lisburn branch of the Royal Irish Regimental Association and local Ulster Defence Regiment Association, together with friends and family members, recently returned from a pilgrimage to Normandy battlefields of World War Two.
Raymond Corbett, who led the tour, explained: “Over the course of our journey, we visited numerous cemeteries, memorials and historic sites across France, before continuing to Belgium.
"The group paid their respects to the fallen at many significant locations, including Ranville War Cemetery, where many members of the Royal Ulster Rifles who fell on D-Day are laid to rest, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, the Ulster Memorial Tower, and finally, the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing.
"At the Menin Gate, the Associations took part in the daily Last Post Ceremony, and paraded in full regimental dress, both to and from the Menin Gate, with great dignity, pride and composure.”
The group was joined by Mr Roy Walker, formerly of the Royal Ulster Rifles and former curator of the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum in Waring Street, Belfast.
"We are extremely grateful to Roy for sharing his extensive knowledge and personal experiences with us throughout the trip,” Raymond continued.
Branch Padre, Rt Rev D McCartney held a remembrance service at Ranville War Cemetery.
"Standing at the graves of these young men was one of the most moving moments of our visit to Normandy,” Raymond said.
"As I stood there, looking at the names on the headstones, it was difficult not to think about the lives they had left behind.
"These were not simply names carved into stone. They were young men from our own community sons, brothers, friends and neighbours who had left their homes in the Lisburn area, answered the call to serve and never had the opportunity to return home.
"For me, it was particularly important that we remembered the three men from the Lisburn area who lie in this cemetery. Their tributes were read by William Leatham, Debbie Kinloch and James Tinsley: Corporal Norman Jefferson, Rifleman Samuel Topping, and Rifleman Patrick James Mullins.
“As their names were read aloud, I couldn't help but wonder about the families waiting for them back home in Lisburn.
"I wondered what their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters must have gone through when they realised that their loved ones were never coming home.
"Decades later, we had the privilege of travelling from Lisburn to stand at their graves and say their names once again. That is why remembrance matters.
"They may have been gone for more than 80 years, but they have not been forgotten.
"We will continue to remember them, tell their stories and ensure that future generations know that three young men from our own community made the ultimate sacrifice.”
A short service was also held at the memorial to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles.
During the tour, the group had the opportunity to pay respects at the graves of relatives of members of the group.
“Visiting these battlefields is always an emotional and humbling experience,” Raymond concluded. “It is only by walking the fields and lanes, standing in the cemeteries and visiting the memorials that the true scale of the sacrifice made by those who fell during the Normandy D-Day landings really begins to hit home.”