Inconceivable, Opaque Motivation

"We didn't need to fill in a load of paperwork last time I landed in Normandy. In fact, I didn't even need my passport. The French have never done anything on this scale before so it's been quite a shock. Most of the veterans are in wheelchairs or need walking frames -- so it's not as if they present any kind of security threat at all."
Ken Smith, 89, D-Day, Normandy veteran

The National D-Day Memorial

Britain and France have always viewed one another as competitors, sourly regarding one the other as inferior, and the citizens of each country excel in making nasty aspersions casting the other in a dim light. Traditionally, British cooking has been a matter of great hilarity to the food-fastidious French, and language is another touchy issue, with English being the lingua franca of a great swath of the globe even as a second language, leaving French to languish in second place.

Each had imperialist designs on the rest of the world, seeking hegemony and trade and leaving behind them a legacy of language and customs and bureaucracy that still tie their former colonies to the mother-country that dominated them for centuries. But when France has been in trouble, invaded by  hostile forces, Britain has usually gone to its rescue. As it did, distinguishing itself by its sacrifices during both World Wars.

Veterans of the First World War are long gone, but many still cling to their memories in their old age in Britain and look forward to yearly commemorating D-Day in France where they fought so bravely. Nine hundred members of the British Normandy Veterans' Association had planned to accompany thousands of others returning to the Normandy battleground for the June remembrance of the Normandy landings.

The National D-Day Memorial

Most of the veterans are in their 90s, reminiscing among others with their common experience is a legacy heritage they value. But this year, French authorities have given warning anyone without an official pass will be barred from entering the Carentan peninsula. The barricades will be manned, and an "anti-congestion" cordon will be erected around Calvados, Manche and Orne for traffic control and to meet security requirements.

Security requirements, against hordes of 90-year-old veterans whose country came to the aid of France? This year's is scheduled to be the last anniversary gathering that the Veterans' Association will recognize; it plans to disband in November. As secretary of the York branch of the Association, Mr. Smith, 89,  had to fill in 40 forms for those making the trip, given warning if the forms were not returned on time, no one would be permitted entry.