Veterans and world leaders took part in a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Theresa May gave speeches, and there were performances from singers and dancers. Speaking to crowds along Portsmouth seafront, the Queen said that 'the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten'. The emotional ceremony finished with a sea and air display featuring a second world war Spitfire plane, the RAF red arrows and a warship
Continue reading...Category Archives: D-Day
D-day veterans and world leaders take part in emotional ceremony
Queen and Donald Trump among those marking 75 years since Normandy landings
- Live coverage of the D-day commemorations
- D-day: key facts on the largest military operation ever attempted
D-day veterans and world leaders have taken part in an emotional ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, with a vast security operation safeguarding dignitaries including the Queen, Donald Trump and Theresa May.
Miles of fencing, roadblocks and checkpoints were in place and residents of nearby flats were told not to aim long-lens cameras at the national commemoration event on Southsea Common, or fly drones over the site.
Continue reading...British soldier taking part in Normandy D-day commemorations drowns
Darren Jones pulled from canal that was first site liberated by second world war allies in 1944
A British soldier taking part in commemorations of the 75th anniversary of D-day has drowned at a historic second world war battle site in Normandy.
L/Cpl Darren Jones, 30, of the Royal Engineers was declared dead after firefighters pulled him from a canal at Bénouville near Pegasus Bridge, the first site liberated by the allies on 6 June 1944.
Continue reading...D-day remembered: a series of interviews on the 75th anniversary
The stories of those who were there on 6 June 1944 and others involved in this week’s commemorations
Thousands of people are preparing to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings at commemoration events in the UK and France this week. Senior politicians and members of the royal family as well as hundreds of veterans will attend ceremonies to mark one of the main turning points of the second world war and the biggest amphibious invasion in military history.
More than 200 veterans have boarded a cruise ship, MV Boudicca, charted by the Royal British Legion, to attend the events, while others are descending en masse on Portsmouth and Normandy. Here we hear the stories of those who were there on 6 June 1944 and others involved in this week’s commemorations.
Continue reading...Four D-day veterans awarded France’s top honour 75 years on
Official commemorations of the battle on 6 June to honour the ‘enormous sacrifice’
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, has urged veterans to continue to pass their stories on to future generations, as the 100-day countdown to the 75th anniversary of D-day begins.
Related: Parachutists to fill skies over Normandy on 75th anniversary of D-day
Continue reading...Parachutists to fill skies over Normandy on 75th anniversary of D-day
Wartime aircraft will fly in 6 June event commemorating day that turned tide of war
The skies over the UK and Normandy will be filled with wartime Dakota aircraft as hundreds of parachutists take part in a mass airdrop to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings in June.
The plans, unveiled by Imperial War Museums (IWM), are part of a programme on an “unprecedented scale” for the commemoration of the greatest seaborne invasion in history, to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation, on 6 June 1944.
Continue reading...Man denies attempted murder of Taunton war veteran Jim Booth
TRIAL: Jim Booth, 96, of Gipsy Lane, was viciously attacked with a claw hammer at his home on November 25. A 39-YEAR-OLD man has pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder a D-Day veteran in his home. Joseph Isaacs appeared at Taunton Crown Court by video link to deny the charge, relating to an attack on Jim Booth, 96, in Gipsy Lane, Taunton, on November 22. Royal Navy veteran Mr Booth was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition following an incident, which is alleged to have involved a hammer.
Jim Booth dancing with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2015
Day veteran seriously injured in a claw hammer attack has left hospital to continue his rehabilitation at home, his family said. Jim Booth, 96, described as an "exceptional person", was left in a life-threatening condition following the incident on November 22. He suffered serious injuries to his head and body after being attacked at his home on Gipsy Lane in Taunton, Somerset.