TWO Knutsford men who died on D-Day will be remembered on the 75th anniversary of one of the major turning points in the Second World War.

Knutsford historian Sylvia Chaplin contacted the Guardian to make our readers aware of the role played by two local men on D-Day.

“On June 6 it will be 75 years since almost 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy,” said Sylvia.

“These amphibious landings were preceded, in the earliest minutes of the day, by an airborne assault of over 18,000 Allied paratroopers who were dropped into the invasion area to destroy gun batteries, road and river bridges and then to hold tactical positions on routes to the beaches.

“Among the Knutsfordians commemorated on the Second World War sections of the Knutsford Centennial War Memorial readers will find the names of Lieutenant George Frederick Peters and Private Sydney Stringer Walton.

“Both men died on D-Day, serving with the Parachute Regiment Air Army Corps.

“Lt Peters was with the 9 Parachute Battalion (6th Airborne Division) whose objective was to destroy the Merville Gun battery which posed a severe threat to troops who were to land on Sword Beach.

“Private Walton was with the 8 Parachute Battalion (6th Airborne Division) who ‘dropped’ into the invasion area south of the village of Ranville with the objective of providing protection to an engineer corps who were responsible for destroying road and railway bridges in that location.

“D-Day 75 will be marked by a series of events in the UK and France. One such event will take place on June 5 when at 3pm (local time) members of the British Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade will drop over Sannerville, Normandy from RAF Hercules aircraft and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s C-47 Dakota.

“They will jump along with French Army paratroopers to recreate the famous airborne landings. Shortly after, the organisation ‘Daks over Normandy’ will drop veterans and reenactors from over 30 Dakotas.”