Members of the public queued up to thank D-Day veterans for their service during the Second World War. Some 300 plus D-Day veterans gathered in the town of Arromanches for a series of events, including a Red Arrows flypast and a firework display. The ceremony concluded with a piped lament from Trooper Kurtis Rankin of The Royal Dragoon Guards, and Mrs May and Mr Macron then spoke to the veterans. Paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, she said: "They laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world." "If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was June 6, 1944." She added: "Standing here as the waves wash quietly onto the shore below us, it is almost impossible to grasp the raw courage it must have taken that day to leap from the landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle. "This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines." He added: "This is where, 75 years ago, on June 6, 1944, almost 25,000 British soldiers landed in France to free the country from Nazi control. "The British people have long dreamt of this memorial." Seven British D-Day veterans were accompanied by four children, including Sir Winston Churchill's great-great grandson John Churchill, to lay flowers in front of the sculpture.Īddressing the audience, French President Emmanuel Macron said: "I am honoured to stand alongside Theresa May today to launch construction work for the British memorial at Ver-sur-Mer. Mrs May and Mr Macron laid wreaths at the foundation stone of the monument. The British Normandy Memorial, funded by the Normandy Memorial Trust, is being built on a hillside in Ver-sur-Mer, overlooking Gold Beach, one of the key sites for British troops during the Normandy Landings.Ī sculpture created by David Williams-Ellis was unveiled marking the beginning of construction for the memorial depicting three British soldiers storming the beaches.Įxpected to be completed within a year, it will record the names of 22,442 members of the British armed forces who died in the D-Day landings and Battle of Normandy. The piper began the lament at 7.25am local time (6.26am BST) on the remaining Mulberry Harbour in the town called Port Winston, signalling the minute the invasion began and the moment the first British soldier landed on Gold beach in Nazi-occupied France.īefore the cathedral service, Mrs May and French President Emmanuel Macron attended an inauguration ceremony for a memorial to commemorate more than 20,000 members of the British armed forces who died in Normandy in summer 1944. Pipe Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Scottish Gunners), performed Highland Laddie as crowds gathered on the beach below him and lined the promenade, applauding his performance. ![]() Prime Minister Theresa May, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon are among those attending the service.Įarlier in the day, a lone piper played an emotional lament at the exact moment British troops landed on Gold Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944. That is my most abiding memory and I can't forget it." ![]() Prince Harry meets Chelsea Pensioners who stormed Normandy beaches on D-Day Mr Hay's reading began: "Come and stand in memory of men who fought and died. The 1,000-strong congregation declared in unison: "We shall remember them", before a two-minute silence as emotional tributes were held in France and the UK.Īt the start of the service, Cardinal Marc Ouellet read a message on behalf of Pope Francis, who said D-Day was "decisive in the fight against Nazi barbarism" and paid tribute to those who "joined the Army and gave their lives for freedom and peace".ĭ-Day veteran Kenneth Hay, who was just 18 when he joined the operation, read from the poem Normandy, by Cyril Crain, who also took part in the Allied invasion. ![]() The cathedral service was held in Bayeux, the first major place to be liberated after the Allied forces invasion which was the largest amphibious invasion in military history and the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Prince Charles, Theresa May and other leaders paid tribute to D-Day troops at a moving Royal British Legion remembrance ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the invasion.
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