Frenchman honours grandfather with tattoo of D-Day across whole back 

A French man has had his entire back tattooed with images from D-Day, ahead of its 80th anniversary, in honour of both his grandfather and the soldiers who landed in Normandy, 

Renovation artisan Anthony Renaud, 44, has always had a passion for D-Day and tattoos. When he decided he wanted a full back tattoo, he felt the theme was decided for him: “It was the opportunity for me to combine both my passions and tie knots between the two.”

He spent around 55 hours under the needle over the course of a year, but a lot more work went into the tattoo. “The 55 hours do not take into account all the research done, finding the photos, putting them together and constructing the tattoo,” Mr Renaud said. 

Read more: D-Day commemorations: What events are happening around France?

The tattoo is inspired by various photos and representations of June 6, 1944, including the front page of Le Figaro on the 50th anniversary of D-Day. 

“It has become mediatised now, but that was not the goal at the start. It was really something personal for me, to commemorate D-Day,” he said, adding that he does not want to flash around his tattoo but that he had it done to honour the soldiers. 

“I am not a fan of the military especially but I really am a fan of June 6 and the Débarquement,” he said. 

Mr Renaud’s paternal grandfather was a German prisoner of war for three years during World War Two. He was forced to build the Atlantic Wall, intended to stop an invasion of France by the Allied Forces.

His grandfather had his prisoner number tattooed on his arm but his memories of the war were never discussed in the family, as it was a “taboo topic” that his grandfather did not want to talk about.

However, Mr Renaud was always interested in it and has taken part in many D-Day commemorations, including getting dressed up for them.

Read more: Thanks! Volunteers found to help D-Day knitted soldiers reach France

As he spoke to The Connexion, Mr Renaud was driving next to the Omaha beach. He has no plans for June 6 this year, as he thinks the beaches are going to be busy enough with visits from various heads of states. 

“I am very happy with the result. My tattooist, who is of course a great artist, managed to exceed my expectations and my imagination,” he said.

Lan Bao, the artist behind the tattoo, said that he was “of course proud of the result, but the most important was that his client was happy with it.”