Memorial bench honours Warwickshire D-Day soldiers

A memorial bench honouring 154 soldiers killed or injured has been set-up in Lebisey Wood

A memorial bench has been unveiled to honour 154 men killed or injured during a battle in France, the day after D-Day.

The engraved bench in Lebisey Wood, Normandy, has been set up to honour soldiers from the Royal Warwickshire regiment who took part in the campaign on 7 June 1944.

Jason Woods, from the Royal Warwickshire reenactment group, described the event as a "tremendous battle" which the soldiers had been ill-prepared for.

"Various catastrophes along the way, mainly with communication, the guys had no idea what was waiting for them in this wooded area. It was a horrific battle with horrific losses."

The day after D-Day, the battalion was called into action to clear the remaining suburbs of Benouville before attacking south, capturing Lebisey Wood and the accompanying village which sat on a hill overlooking the city of Caen.

Mr Woods, whose relative George Brueton part in the battle, said he felt the Royal Warwickshire regiment who were involved should be remembered.

"We wanted to do it for the whole of the Warwickshire regiment in Normandy," Mr Woods said.

"It just looks brilliant in the memorial, it just adds to it where people can sit and reflect," he said.