The 80th anniversary of D-Day

Events are taking place in France and the UK to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France.

On 6 June 1944, tens of thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches in Normandy, northern France.

The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare played a crucial role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of Europe.

The sixth of June is a date etched in the memories of generations as D-Day, when mainly US, British and Canadian forces combined to break Germany’s hold.

At Gold Beach in Arromanches, Normandy, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, piper with the Scottish gunners, enacted a time-honoured tradition of playing a Scottish lament on the bagpipes.

The tradition recreates the exact moment thousands of British troops disembarked onto French beaches.

People gathered early to attend the event at Gold Beach.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke at the UK commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

“80 years ago, the weather broke,” he said, beginning his address, “and the greatest invasion force in history left the shores of Britain to liberate Europe.”

Mr Sunak went on to say we “pledge never to forget” what people sacrificed in the D-Day landings, adding that veterans have dedicated their lives to telling others what happened.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were welcomed by British cadets and French primary schoolchildren as they arrived for the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event.

They joined a number of Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The King addressed veterans at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, saying allies had faced the “supreme test” 80 years ago and we are fortunate the D-Day generation did not flinch when “the moment came to face that test”.

It is the first time the memorial, which contains the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944, has been used for major anniversary commemorations, having been opened in 2021.

King Charles III laid a wreath at the British Normandy Memorial, with a note attached touching on the sacrifices made on D-Day.

French President Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak followed, laying wreaths at the event to mark the anniversary.

The Red Arrows, alongside a Eurofighter EF-200 Typhoon, conducted a flypast.

President Macron awarded 104-year-old British World War II veteran, Christian Lamb, the insignia of Knight in the Legion of Honour.

Wren officer Christian Lamb, a veteran officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, helped plan the D-Day landings from Winston Churchill’s secret war rooms in London.

The Prince of Wales attended the Canadian commemorative ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at the Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer.

Prince William was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, before speaking to veterans including Richard Rohmer, 100, one of the most decorated Canadian veterans.

The Prince thanked Canadian veterans for their “extraordinary acts of bravery and sacrifice”.

“We continue to honour every Canadian, who gave so much, every Canadian family who lost a loved one,” he said.

He ended his speech by saying in French: “Thank you for our freedom, and thank you for your service.”

Canadian veteran Jim Spenst spoke to other veterans before the commemorative ceremony at the Canadian cemetery, which included a descent by Canadian paratroopers near the village of Courseulles-sur-Mer.

The US President and First Lady Jill Biden met World War Two veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer.

They were greeted by a military fly-past as they arrived for the D-Day memorial ceremony at Omaha Beach, with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

They handed the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest medal of honour, to surviving veterans, ahead of President Biden’s speech.

Following an address from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, President Biden spoke of the climate in the lead-up to D-Day, and remembered the millions of Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust, and the millions of others killed in “bloody warfare”.

He said: “On behalf of the the American people, it is the highest honour to salute you in Normandy once more. God love you.”

Mr Biden thanked the forces who “did their duty” on D-Day – and asked the audience whether we would do the same in our “hour of trial”.

He ended by saying modern nations must be “worthy of their sacrifice” in order to honour those who fought and died.

Hundreds of people attended a service at the American D-Day memorial in Victoria Gardens, on the Isle of Portland, in Dorset.

John Gillespie (centre left), 104, and Simeon Mayou (centre right) were two of the Normandy veterans at the annual service at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Stafford.