Veterans attend services in Normandy to mark 81 years since D-Day
Second World War Veterans have gathered in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, ITV News Reporter Chloe Keedy is there
Veterans and officials have attended memorial services in Normandy to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings.
A remembrance service was held at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, which was attended by the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older, remembering the thousands who died that day.
D-Day veteran and ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial, Ken Hay, 99, and Royal Navy D-Day veteran Henry Rice, 99, laid wreaths at the memorial. Mervyn Kersh, 100, a D-Day veteran. / Credit: ITV News
Mervyn Kersh was 19 on D-Day. Eight decades on, now 100 years old, his memories of being sent ashore on Gold Beach and towards German gunfire are as vivid as ever.
'In the early hours of the morning, I could see the coastline coming – it suddenly dawned on me what was happening,' he told ITV News.
In Bayeux cemetery, among nearly 5,000 graves, there were just a handful of surviving Normandy veterans at Friday's remembrance service. Switchboard operator in the Women's Naval Service during World War Two, Marie Scott. / Credit: ITV News
Among them was Marie Scott, who worked as a switchboard operator in the Women's Naval Service.
Aged 17, she was posted to Fort Southwick in Hampshire, where she suddenly found herself sending and receiving messages from soldiers on the beaches.
'I could hear everything. Incessant machine gun fire, bombs dropping,' she said. 'I shall never forget the day they stormed the beaches because it's imprinted on my memory.' D-Day veterans Ken Hay, 99 (second left) and Henry Rice, 99 (far right) lay wreaths at the British Normany Memorial in France. / Credit: PA
Hundreds of onlookers attended the commemorations across the region, which included parachute jumps, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical re-enactments.
British veterans also attended a service on Thursday in Coleville-Montgomery and visited nearby Sword Beach, where thousands of soldiers landed eight decades ago.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for a service commemorating American troops. A memorial service was held at Bayeux Cathedral on Thursday. / Credit: PA
On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France and breached Hitler's defences in Western Europe by sending the largest ever fleet of ships, troops, planes and vehicles across the English Channel.
A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself.
In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. An estimated 20,000 French civilians also died.
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South Wales Guardian
7 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Veterans attend Normandy commemorations on 81st anniversary of D-Day
Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical re-enactments. Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All remembered the thousands who died. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth commemorated the anniversary of the D-Day landings, in which American soldiers played a leading role, with veterans at the American cemetery overlooking the shore in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. The June 6 1944 invasion of Nazi-occupied France used the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitler's defences in western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle – and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities – killed around 20,000 French civilians between June and August 1944. The exact German casualties are unknown but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. 'The heroism, honour and sacrifice of the Allied forces on D-Day will always resonate with the US armed forces and our allies and partners across Europe,' said Lieutenant General Jason T Hinds, deputy commander of US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. 'Let us remember those who flew and fell. Let us honour those who survived and came home to build a better world. 'Let us ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain by meeting today's challenges with the same resolve, the same clarity of purpose and the same commitment to freedom.' Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. More than two million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries were involved in the overall Operation Overlord, the battle to wrest western France from Nazi control that started on D-Day.
South Wales Guardian
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- South Wales Guardian
D-Day veterans mark anniversary to ‘remember our friends who never came home'
The Rev Simon d'Albertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a 'seminal moment in history'. He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and 'troubled times that we live in'. The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when Allied forces opened a Second Front by invading Nazi-occupied France. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. 'There's a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. 'As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. 'We're called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but that's the last resort. 'We want to be peacemakers.' Two of the chaplain's own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on a number of ships including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'It's an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. 'This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. 'Being here brings it to life. 'It makes you realise what you're involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today – and as chaplains we go with them.' One veteran in attendance, Ken Hay MBE, 99, was just 18 when he landed at Courseulles-sur-Mer on D-Day +5. He was captured on the night of July 7-8 and was taken to Zabrze in Poland where he worked as a prisoner of war in a coal mine. As the Russians approached, the prisoners were taken to a new location, approximately 1,000 miles away, during which many of them died. Eventually they were liberated by American troops and Mr Hay returned to the UK via Reims, arriving on May 4. He laid a wreath at the memorial service in Ver-sur-Mer alongside other veterans. Mr Hay said: 'Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. 'We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave it all. 'Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. 'We are the age of their great-grandparents – we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again.' Defence Secretary John Healey also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. He said: 'We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. 'As we reset the nation's contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.' Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in France on D-Day. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces.
The Herald Scotland
12 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Historic photos show D-Day landings, turning point of WWII
The plan for the attack across the English Channel was put in motion at the Tehran Conference in 1943, where Allied leaders chose American general Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander for the operation. Omaha Beach, the second to the west of the five landing beaches, saw the bloodiest fighting of the battle, with American forces seeing 2,400 casualties - according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. The invasion marked the turning point in the European theater, as Paris would be liberated by the end of August, 1944 and Nazi Germany would surrender less than a year later, according to Here are historic photos from D-Day. See D-Day in historic photos From the USA TODAY Network: 'Welcome home': Iowan killed on D-Day to be buried on 81st anniversary of his death
