OVER 4,400 Allied soldiers were killed on Tuesday, June 6th, 1944, D-Day in World War II. The Allied landings in Normandy were not for the faint-hearted as they came under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, with a shore that was mined and covered with wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire.

Commanding the floating tanks on this day was Colonel Errol Prior-Palmer. He went on to become a Major General, and was awarded a Legion of Honour, a Croix de Guerre and a DSO for bravery and service. His natural modesty meant that few in the eventing world ever knew of his military life, but as many know, his daughter Lucinda was for a time the most famous event rider in the world, with six wins at Badminton and seven championship gold medals in the 1970s and 1980s. She is pictured above flying high on Be Fair at the notorious fence 2 at the Kiev European Championships in 1973.