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| Peace
for Pegasus
World War Two veterans welcomed the news that
the site of one of their most famous battles has been preserved as the centre
piece of a new museum.
Pegasus Bridge in Normandy was the scene of the first
Allied action of D-Day.
The bridge was dismantled in 1993 and its rusting
remains have been in a lorry park ever since.
Now it is resurrected after British veterans
associations pushed for it to be given a fitting memorial.
The bridge, which had become a popular tourist
attraction, was removed and replaced with a replica designed to withstand the
stress of modern-day traffic.
Now the 130 foot long structure has been towed half a
mile back to its home on the original site.
The new museum there is dedicated to the Airborne
Division and was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in June 2000.
By holding this bridge over the Orne Canal, the
Allies were able to protect the Normandy beaches from possible German
counter-attacks.
British and Canadian men from the Sixth Airborne Division
swooped down in gliders and seized the strategically important structure.
Museum curator Marc Jacquinot said, "All the veterans
from Sixth Airborne are heroes in this small village."
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