Description:A group of soldiers at Alton Towers in May 1944.
During the Second World War Alton Towers was used as a centre for training officers of different regiments for specific tasks.
Most of these men would find themselves on either Sword or Gold beaches in Normandy just a month later as part of "Operation Overlord", the invasion of Europe against Nazi forces.
This image is featured by kind permission of the Churnet Valley Railway.