A statue dedicated to the Royal Regina Rifles Regiment has been officially unveiled in France just ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne attended the ceremony in her capacity as the colonel-in-chief of the regiment. The Regina Rifles were instrumental in the landings at Juno Beach, one of five beachheads stormed by Allied forces on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Overlord. D-Day, as its known, is considered the largest combined land, sea and air invasion in history and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Many family members of the Regina Rifles travelled to Normandy to witness the unveiling. The eight foot tall bronze statue was created by Cochrane, Alta. based sculptor Don Begg and his wife Shirley. The memorial had a first look viewing in Regina in April and was the subject of a special ceremony on Peepeekisis Cree Nation as well before being flown to France.
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