Military to lead commemorations for D-Day heroes at 80th anniversary events
Thousands of members of the public will join D-Day veterans, Armed Forces personnel and special guests at major commemorative events to pay tribute to the "greatest-ever generation".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will help lead tributes for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings at events in Portsmouth and Normandy on 5 and 6 June 2024.
Forces News has taken a look at what the national commemorations will include and where they are being held.
The commemorations will include:
- An event in Portsmouth featuring powerful testimonies from military personnel and D-Day veterans as well as a military orchestra
- Hundreds of Armed Forces personnel parachuting into a historic D-Day drop zone to recreate the airborne operations in Normandy
- A solemn vigil around the Bayeux War Cemetery's stone of remembrance as the 25,000 names of the fallen are read aloud
3-4 June: Tributes to veterans
On 3 June, D-Day veterans will gather in Portsmouth to meet modern-day Royal Marines personnel and local schoolchildren to pass on their wisdom to a new generation.
They will then gather at Southwick House – the Allied headquarters on D-Day – to watch a tribute flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Early on the morning of 4 June, the veterans will set sail from Portsmouth across the English Channel, recreating their epic journey of 80 years ago.
As the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flies overhead, Royal Navy vessels in Portsmouth harbour will sail past in formation, sounding their sirens.
6 June: Commemorations continue
On 6 June, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion will host the UK's national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.
The event will conclude with a traditional act of remembrance, including the Last Post, a two-minute silence, and a special tribute from the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Following the ceremony, The Normandy Memorial Trust's Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning at the British Normandy Memorial will be officially opened.
Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans will be anchored off the beaches of Normandy to provide a backdrop to the commemorations, reminding veterans that their legacy lives on in today's Armed Forces personnel.
On 6 June 1944, Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France.
By nightfall, the Allies had established a foothold along the Normandy coast to begin their costly advance to liberate northwest Europe, leading to victory over Nazi Germany a year later.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's torch of commemoration.
This will travel to cities up and down the country, including Manchester and Plymouth, before joining veterans on a ferry to Normandy as the commemorations begin.
Mr Sunak said: "This June the nation will come together to honour our greatest-ever generation.
"The country will pay tribute to the heroes who fought against the odds to liberate Europe 80 years ago.
"We can never forget those who sacrificed so much to defend the freedom of the UK and our closest allies."
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: "The 80th anniversary of D-Day serves as a reminder never to forget those who fought and died so we might live in freedom and at peace.
"Their testimony serves as a timeless symbol of the importance of unity, the value of peace and the pursuit of freedom in the face of tyranny.
"The eyes of the world will rightfully once again be on these men and women, and I am proud of the work being done by the Armed Forces to pay tribute to the heroes of D-Day at the commemorative events in June."
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