Veteran, 99, starts poignant D-Day torch relay ahead of 80th anniversary
A 99-year-old D-Day veteran has kicked off a torch relay marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings which turned the tide for the Allies in the Second World War.
Royal Navy veteran Peter Kent was handed the commemorative torch by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Horse Guards Parade in central London.
The torch was passed from Mr Kent to a serving soldier and then to an Army Cadet, symbolising the passing down of the legacy of D-Day to a new generation.
The torch, which was organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) will now travel to capital cities, key cemeteries and memorial sites around the UK before crossing the Channel with veterans for the official commemorations in June.
"The soldiers landing on Normandy's beaches in June 1944 were beacons of hope for a continent shrouded in darkness," said Mr Sunak.
"It was a privilege to light the torch of remembrance this morning ahead of D-Day 80.
"The service of these brave veterans will not be forgotten."
British soldiers, Household Division horses, cadets and CWGC volunteers also attended the ceremony, as well as Veterans Affairs Minister Jonny Mercer.
"A wet but special morning on Horseguards as we started the @CWGC torch relay with D-Day veteran Peter Kent and the Prime Minister, marking the start of 80th Anniversary commemorations of that supreme endeavour, this year," he wrote on X.
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