Successful peal attempt for Cathedral Bell Ringers to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day

The Derby Cathedral bell ringers were pleased to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D Day with a full peal on Thursday 6 June, rung to mark Operation Overlord, the codeword for the Battle of Normandy.

The successful peal was the 386th peal in the tower, since the first in 1763 and 3 hours and 21 minutes long.

Anthony Cotton, Ringing Master said:

“We rang a new method that we named Overlord. Each method (there are thousands!) has a different order that the ringers follow and is committed to memory for the 3 hours 21 minutes of ringing. There were over 1,300 bell ringing events around the world for D Day and there was a risk that someone would name a different method Overlord before us. 27 other Cathedral rang out, however ours was the only peal.”

The peal attempt took place after the Cathedral’s Special Service of Commemoration, which gave thanks for those who gave their lives in sacrifice for the freedom we have today.

Find out more about the Derby Cathedral Bell Ringers here