Patron & Trustees
Patron:
George Batts
MBE, Leg d’Hon.
It has been my dream for many years that a Memorial be built in Normandy to record the names of all the British servicemen and women and those from the civilian services who lost their lives in the D-Day landings and the Normandy Campaign.
The Americans have a memorial at Omaha and the Canadians a memorial on Juno. It is not right that the Brits do not have a similar memorial.
When the Normandy Veterans Association disbanded in 2014 and I stepped down as National Secretary I was determined to raise the money to build a memorial to all the mates we left behind.
The British government has given us a fantastic start in funding terms – but to deliver the complete memorial project to match those of other nations we will need to go further.
It is my greatest wish and that of other Veterans to see this project completed in our lifetimes. If the remembrance of what was done on the D-Day beaches matters to you we would be so grateful for your support. In the name of the Normandy Veterans, thank you.
Chairman of Trustees:
The Lord Ricketts
GCMG, GCVO
Lord Peter Ricketts was a British diplomat for 40 years. His final posting was as Ambassador to France, where he was heavily involved in the annual D-Day commemorations in Normandy, particularly the 70th anniversary attended by Her Majesty The Queen. Before that he was the UK’s National Security Adviser. Lord Ricketts was appointed to the House of Lords in 2016. He is Chairman of the
Normandy Memorial Trust.
Trustees:
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Janvrin
GCB, GCVO, QSO
Robin Janvrin is an independent Crossbench member of the House of Lords, Senior Adviser to HSBC Private Bank (UK), Board member of the British Library and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Turkey. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford and Visiting Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Corporate Reputation, Said Business School.
Robin served in the Royal Navy between 1964 and 1975 and subsequently joined the Diplomatic Service with postings abroad at NATO Brussels and New Delhi. In 1987 he was seconded to Buckingham Palace as Press Secretary to The Queen, becoming Assistant Private Secretary, then Deputy Private Secretary to The Queen from 1990. In 1999 he took over as Private Secretary to The Queen, effectively her closest adviser and chief of staff with responsibilities for advising on all aspects of The Queen’s public life.
General The Lord Dannatt
GCB, CBE, MC, DL
Richard Dannatt was a soldier for forty years concluding his military career as Chief of the General Staff – the professional head of the British Army. In 2011 he became an independent member of the House of Lords. He is a frequent commentator on defence and security issues in the media. He divides his time between London and his family home in Norfolk. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for both Greater London and Norfolk.
General Sir Peter Wall
GCB, CBE, DL, FR Eng
Peter Wall retired as head of the British Army in 2015. He is co-founder of Amicus, a specialist leadership consultancy, advising businesses on getting the best from their people.
Peter is a director of the General Dynamics Corporation and an adviser to Cyrus Investment Management, a group of engineering companies. He is Chairman of the Policy Exchange, the UK’s leading policy think tank, and President of Combat Stress, UK’s military mental health charity.
David McDonough
OBE
David runs a strategic communications consultancy, advising clients in the UK and internationally.
He is the founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Samaritans; an Ambassador for The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust; a member of the First World War Centenary Advisory Group; and Life President of The October Club.
Sir Michael Rake
KBE
Mike Rake has held a variety of senior executive roles in British business and the City. Among his former roles he’s been Chairman of BT Group plc., Easyjet, KPMG and President of the Confederation of British Industry. He’s now Chairman of the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Phoenix Global Resources. He was knighted in 2007.
Andrew Whitmarsh
Andrew Whitmarsh is the Curator and Development Officer at the D-Day Museum, Portsmouth. He’s spent more than 20 years researching D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. He’s written and broadcast on the subject and is the trust’s principal historical adviser.
Nicholas Witchell
It was a conversation with Normandy veteran George Batts in July 2015 which led Nicholas Witchell to set up the Normandy Memorial Trust and to seek government support for the idea of the British Normandy Memorial. The appointment of architect Liam O’Connor, the discovery of the site at Ver-sur-Mer followed and, as the British government confirmed its funding in the spring of 2017, a distinguished board of trustees was assembled to lead the project.
Nicholas Witchell has been a BBC journalist and broadcaster for more than 40 years. He’s been a news correspondent, studio presenter and the commentator, for BBC radio, at major state occasions including the annual Ceremony of Remembrance at the Cenotaph.