D-Day 70th Anniversary: Events Held to Commemorate Normandy Landing

Commemorative events in both the UK and France are taking place to mark the 70<sup>th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

More than 150,000 troops stormed the coast of northern France on 6 June 1944 in what was the largest amphibious invasion ever launched.

Just 11 months after Operation Overhaul was complete giving Allies a foothold in Europe, Nazi Germany was defeated and WW2 was over.

Special events have already been held to commemorate the 70<sup>th Anniversary of D-Day, including a Drumhead at Southsea Common in Portsmouth attended by both veterans and serving members of the armed forces with a wreath-laying procession at the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Memorial in Normandy.

Here IBTimes UK has listed some more events taking place to mark the 70<sup>th anniversary of the historic day.

5 June

France

1:00-3.00pm

The Prince of Wales and the The Duchess of Cornwall will be among those attending a Veterans' lunch hosted by Maire of Ranville, along with senior defence and staff and veterans of the Parachute Regiment with their families. Ranville was the first village to be liberated on D-Day.

There will also be a simple memorial service held in front of the RA Memorial at La Brèche (Sword Beach) attended by veterans of the Normandy Campaign and serving members of the Royal Artillery.

3:45pm

Prince Charles and Camilla will then attend a commemorative parachute jump by hundreds of British, Canadian and American troops into the village of Ranville. Among those recreating the D-Day jump will be 89-year-old veteran Jock Hutton, who will be dropping out the plane just like he did 70 years ago.

This will be followed by a flypast comprising two Spitfires and a Lancaster aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

5:45pm-6:15pm

The Prince of Wales and other guests will join veterans for a reception at the Salle de Fete, Breville Les Monts, after a short memorial service in the town for members of the 12th Parachute Battalion, a company that suffered heavy losses in an attack between 12 and 13 June 1944.

11:00pm to midnight

Troops from 1st Battalion The Rifles and the Army Air Corps will hold a vigil to mark the moment the Pegasus Bridge was captured, followed by a firework display.

UK

2:00pm

A 22-minute display by the RAF's Red Arrows will take place over Southsea Common on the Portsmouth coast. This will be followed by a flotilla of Royal Navy and Allied nations' ships from Portsmouth to the Normandy coast, led by HMS Bulwark.

7:30pm

A concert produced by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will perform on the Southsea Common. The events will also be attended by Veterans and their families, with moments of commemoration throughout.

6 June

France

09:15am – 11:00pm

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance, Bayeux Cathedral. The service will also be attended by UK, Australian, New Zealand, French and European allied political representatives.

11:30am - 12:15pm

The Queen and Prince Philip will join Charles and Camilla to attend Service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Bayeux.

The service will include a procession of Royal British Legion and Normandy Veterans Association Standards and a short parade of veterans and a reading from Prince Charles.

3:00pm- 4:00pm

The Queen and President Hollande of France will be among those attending a special commemoration of the Normandy landing organised by the French government at Sword Beach (Ouistreham). All Allied heads of state are also expected to attend, along with 2,000 Allied veterans and their families, many of whom will have travelled from earlier ceremonies in Bayeux.

6:00pm-7:00pm

The Surrey Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association will perform a parade on the sea front Arromanches on Gold beach, where nearly 25,000 British troops landed in 1944.

There will also be a drumhead service and wreaths laid down at memorials adjacent to the D-Day Museum in the town. The service will be attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who will be representing the Queen.

Following the service, French schoolchildren will head to the village of Hermanville, accompanied by a marching band and place a rose at the foot of every headstone in the British cemetery.

UK

10:50am

A remembrance service will be held at the D-Day Stone in Southsea, Portsmouth, followed a parade towards Southsea Common.

8:00pm

A special production telling the story of D-Day will take place at the Royal Albert Hall and screened in cinemas across the UK.

Featuring narration from starts such as Jeremy Vine and Dermot O'Leary alongside performances from the BBC Concert Orchestra and a military band featuring musicians from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Artillery Band and Her Majesty's Royal Marine, the show will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2. Tickets at selected screens available here.

Elsewhere, The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the UK's Centre of Remembrance, will be holding a day of commemorations throughout 6 June.

The free event will include a Service of Remembrance at the Arboretum's Millennium Chapel, a wreath-laying at the Normandy Veteran's Memorial and a performance by the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir.