Skelton Court care home residents watch special D-Day reconstruction

Residents from Skelton Court care home in Skelton-in-Cleveland were among those in attendance for a special reconstruction of the Normandy landings. 

On Thursday 6 June, the British Legion and veterans, in partnership with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, hosted a reconstruction of the D-Day landings on Redcar beach, on a much smaller scale.  

Among the crowds watching on were both residents and care team colleagues from Skelton Court care home. 

Catherine Rhodes, Team Leader at Skelton Court, said:

We took some residents to the reconstruction, with some able to remember where they were when the D-Day landings took place. It was important to us as staff to be able to take them on this trip to see the reconstruction. 

There were salutes and rounds of applause from the residents and care team colleagues as the parade went past. To see the look on the residents’ faces was very poignant.

A parade, led by Standard Bearers and veterans, set off from Redcar beach. The reconstruction saw fishing boats and military vehicles used to create a ‘war scene’ with flares and pyrotechnics also incorporated. 

Resident at Skelton Court Clive Curnow said:

It was great to see and I enjoyed the moment when they marched past us. I was only a boy when the D-Day landings happened so it was nice to see.

Fellow resident Dorothy Fairhurst added:

I was only a girl when the D-Day landings happened, but I remember my dad being drafted in the Durham Light Infantry and going off to war. I was happy to be a part of the trip out and it was nice to see them march.

For more information on Skelton Court care home, please click here.