Military News Today

People of Swindon have taken to social media in outrage after Jim Robbins, leader of the Labour led Swindon Borough Council and Kevin Small, also a Labour Councillor took a jolly down to Portsmouth instead of organising a Beacon Ceremony in Swindon at the Cenotaph.

Towns and villages up and down the country joined in at 9:15PM on Thursday June 6th lighting a beacon to remember those who took part in D-Day on 6th June 1944.

Wiltshire’s largest town Swindon steeped in military connections and history did not organise a Beacon Lighting ceremony. When asked why the Labour leadership of the Swindon Borough Council did not organise a Beacon Lighting, there was silence and a refusal to answer questions put to Jim Robbins and other members of the Labour Council. Members of the public also demanded a public response to why the Swindon Borough Council showed such dereliction to veterans now over the age of 95, many over the age of 100 and those who died on the beaches of Normandy and still silence from the Labour led council.

Swindon Borough Council’s Facebook page further added fuel to the disgust of the people of Swindon posting proudly that they had raised the D-Day 80th Anniversary flag along with the Pride flag at the council offices.

Simon West commented “Pitty you can’t find time to do an Armed Forces Day” and Torin Clements commented “Has the council organised a beacon ceremony for this evening? I can’t find anything. Only Highworth, Royal Wootton Bassett and Ramsbury”.

Towns across Wiltshire took part in the Beacon lighting including Highworth, Royal Wootton Bassett, Ramsbury, Pewsey, Marlborough, Cricklade, Lugashaw and Chippenham putting the Swindon Borough Council to shame. In Chippenham, the town welcomed 9 Regiment RLC along with the local Royal British Legion, Cricklade had music put on by a brass band and Highworth pulled out all stops with military vehicles from WW2 in the towns market square, making the town look like an old french town liberated after the D-Day landings.

Jim Robbins further added to the fury of the people of Swindon by posting on X (formerly known as Twitter) by saying “Sad to see Swindon is having to host the Prime Minister whilst he issues his apology for his shocking dereliction of duty yesterday”

The Military News Today team were at Highworth’s D-Day evening event organised by the towns council which saw hundreds of Highworthian’s come out to support the towns lighting of its beacon to remember those who took part in the D-Day landings which saw thousands die on the beaches and the veterans who survived, now averaging an age over 100.

Walking around some of the Boroughs cenotaphs a couple days after the D-Day events up and down the country, we found many in very much a need of a clean up, Swindon Borough Council had not cleaned any of its Cenotaphs across the Borough prior to 6th June which also infuriated many commenting about this on social media.

Images across Wiltshire remembering those who took part in the D-Day Landings of June 6th 1944.