 Burney and Halliday, who died in the war, were friends of Peter Pears and Britten, respectively.According to the Britten–Pears Foundation's "War Requiem" website, Dunkerley, one of Britten's closest friends, took part in the 1944 Normandy landings.Unlike the other dedicatees, he survived the war but committed suicide in June 1959, two months before his wedding.