One man lays hundreds of wreaths for people who couldn’t visit Normandy graves

For years, people have made an annual pilgrimage to the beaches of Normandy, France, to remember the thousands of lives lost on D-Day when allied forces invaded Germany at a turning point to World War II.

Except this year. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of flights and travel restrictions prevented people from visiting the graves of their loved ones and fellow service members.

For years, Steven Oldrid, 66, had helping out with D-Day events around the beaches where British soldiers had landed — and often left their lives behind — be it organizing parking, getting pipers to show or getting sponsors for veterans’ dinners, Global News reported.

Anguished families turned to Oldrid and asked him to lay a memorial at the grave on their behalf. He got his first request in March.

“They asked, `Steven, can you lay our wreath? Well, they sent me five, and then another one said, `Can you lay one for my granddad?’ `Can you lay one for my dad’?,” Oldrid explained.

As June 6 approached, the boxes of wreaths and grave markers piled up in his garage. And to soothe the nerves of families, he has also been filming live for Facebook several ceremonies and wreathlayings.

The full story can be found at Global News.