D-Day 80th anniversary: Veterans fight back tears in Auld Lang Syne singalong (2024)

Thank you for following our live updates of events to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Here are some key moments:

• Joe Biden cried as he watched a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, as he used a speech to compare the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s.
• Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted with applause and cheers as he arrived at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach.
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told D-Day veterans “we owe you everything” as he addressed the audience at the UK’s national commemoration event in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
• The Prince of Wales paid tribute to the “bravery and sacrifice” of Canadian troops who “gave so much” 80 years ago.
• The King paid tribute to those who “did not flinch when the moment came” on D-Day, facing the “supreme test” with courage to secure a free world.
• Emmanuel Macron awarded France’s highest distinction to ChristianLamb, a 104-year-old British D-Day veteran.
• The French President’s wife Brigitte Macron appeared to have breached protocol as she laid a wreath alongside Queen Camilla then reached out to her hand.
• A military piper, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, played at the exact moment the Normandy landings began on June 6 1944.

A 98-year-old D-Day veteran was the guest of honour at a military care home party in Renfrewshire, Scotland, to mark the 80th anniversary of the event.

Albert Lamond joined dozens of veterans in a 1940s-themed party at the Erskine Home, run by Erskine Veterans Charity, in Bishopton.

Mr Lamond, who is widowed and has no children, was 18 when he served in the Navy on HMS Rowley during Operation Overlord in France on June 6, 1944. He is the sole remaining D-Day veteran to live at the home.

Residents of the home along with relatives attended a tea party with a 16-piece swing band performing Glenn Miller songs while staff dressed up in 1940s-era outfits and danced.

Earlier this week, he said: “It’s vital we teach future generations the true cost of freedom and ensure they never forget the horrors we faced.”

“It’s our duty to keep the past alive, so history does not repeat its darkest days,” he added.

A Normandy veteran who ended a poignant ceremony overlooking Gold Beach with a song and a dance said it’s “difficult to stop a few tears” when revisiting France.

Henry Rice, 98, from Surrey, joined singer Emma Brown before forming a line with other veterans and guests and swaying to Auld Lang Syne.

More than a dozen veterans were honoured with a standing ovation as they arrived at the ceremony in Arromanches, a service held every year in the liberated coastal town since June 6 1944.

Crowds cheered while watching the town parade and service, some watching from shop windows and a cafe rooftop overlooking the square.

He added: “It’s difficult to stop a few tears. It’s like coming back to France every time, I get very emotional. I then pretend no, I’m not emotional, I am happy, but in reality I’ve come to remember comrades, to say sorry.

“But at the same time I look up there at that gentleman, merci beaucoup.”

Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the bravery of those who served in the Second World War and to the courage of Ukrainian President Zelensky at the D-Day commemoration ceremony.

Addressing veterans and world leaders present at the event, the French President said: “When we look at war coming back to our continent, when we look at people questioning the values for which we fought, when we look at those who want to change borders by force by rewriting history - let us stand with dignity and look at those who landed here.

“Let us have their courage. Here, the president of Ukraine - your presence here today shows us this in a very forceful way.”

As his speech ended, a flyby trailing red, white and blue smoke flew over the event at Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer in Normandy.

The end of Emmanuel Macron’s speech is drowned out by a flypast, starting with jets trailing the blue, white and red colours of France.

He smiles, clearly enjoying himself, and pauses for the jets to depart. Then three French Mirage fighters pass over, followed by a US tanker with F-35s trailing and finally three Dakotas, the work horse of the Second World War aviation fleet.

“Vive le république,” Mr Macron says, “and vive La France!”

The crowd explodes and the whole place bursts into La Marseillaise led by Mr Macron, hand on heart.

Veteran Ed Berthold of the 445th Bomb Group of the US Air Force, reads the letter he sent home 80 years ago after a bombing mission on D Day.

“Everything is swell,” he says, “we’ve got American candy!” He finishes, salutes and smiles.

The applause nearly takes the roof off.

Lieutenant Penelope Dix, 29, group navigating officer for 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marine - the Royal Navy’s experts in amphibious warfare, providing landing craft, amphibious assault and training group - said she was proud to follow precisely in the footsteps of her forebears.

“It’s really moving, especially just to be able to follow that original route on such a lovely day and with such pleasant conditions,” she said.

“It’s easy to get complacent, but you can really get a sense of what it might have been like back in the day.

“We embarked on our landing craft just before midnight last night... and then this morning, we repeated the original event, so landed on the beach at 09.15. We embarked from the landing craft with approximately 50 commandos. And now we’re recreating the original yomp from Gold Beach back to port-en-Bessin.”

It may have been done with the best of intentions, but Brigitte Macron appeared to have breached protocol as she laid a wreath alongside Queen Camilla to those who sacrificed all on D-Day, Patrick Sawer writes.

Steadying herself after laying the wreath at the BritishNormandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, Emmanuel Macron’s wife reached out to hold the Queen’s hand, only for Camilla to appear to subtly move away.

The two women have previously been quite tactile, but perhaps in the Queen’s eyes the formality of this particular moment required more composure.

Whatever the reason Mrs Macron appeared to get the subtle message and dropped her hand before the pair stood side by side in quiet contemplation.

President Biden arrives with his wife, Jill. They make their way down the reception line as the crowd stands and claps.

He has only a few seconds with each national leader - and the Prince of Wales.

If he wanted to repeat any of his powerful earlier words about Ukraine to that country’s leader, he must be planning to do so in private, as he moves on swiftly.

Mr Biden could be seen shedding tears as he watched the proceedings.

US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden have become the last to arrive at the final major commemorative event of the 80th anniversary of D-Day

He quickly greeted some of the world leaders in the front row of the main stand and shared a few words with William before taking his seat for the event, which is running an hour late.

The event began with contemporary black-and-white footage shown of D-Day and the following days, with bodies lying on the beaches and the wounded being tended.

At Caen-Carpiquet airport, where I am waiting for a small group of veterans to arrive for their private return flight to BAE’s Warton Aerodrome near Preston, Lancashire, the staggering logistical and security challenge of hosting these events is plain to see.

The entire airport is sealed by gun-toting police and military personnel, while inside sit the waiting, bristling security details of many of the world’s most important people.

With precision timing, motorcade after motorcade is arriving to whisk the heads of state away. Queen Mathilde of Belgium has just strode through security with a modest entourage. Then a Greek-flagged delegation.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, fresh from opening the Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning, are next. Unusually, their motorcade includes an ambulance. They bypass departures and head straight for the busy airfield without pause.

On one side of the the tarmac, looming over all other aircraft, is Air Force One and its twin. On the other is the Ukrainian-flagged plane for Volodymyr Zelensky. A UK RAF Voyager looks particularly handsome in the afternoon sun.

“This is like Eurovision, but less fun,” a British bystander says, watching from the café. Beside her, a gendarme puffs his cheeks out and sighs. It is a long, edgy day for them, and remarkable feat of planning.”

The portraits of 14 veterans who served in Normandy on the D-Day are displayed on giant screens of a building in central London.

The special awareness campaign is organised by Blind Veterans UK charity to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire was a mixture of solemnity, gratitude and a slightly unexpected sense of celebration, merriment even, thanks to the first-hand testimony of several D-Day veterans.

The service was hosted by actress Lelsey Sharp after the arrival of the Duke and duch*ess of Edinburgh, who both greeted veterans on their arrival. An RAF Hercules flew overhead, from which point followed the first of several emotionally charged films of memories and actual D-Day footage.

“The legacy of the D-Day transcends borders, ideology and beliefs,” said Sharp. That was the dominant theme of the afternoon.

Extracts of first-hand testimony were read by cadets from the RAF, Royal Navy, Army and Marines, shaking and hesitating as they respectfully recited the words first uttered by the heroes today commemorated.

There were hymns and prayers - there was a requiem - but nothing could match the power and truth of the word’s the men spoke themselves.

Harry Garthwaite, an RAF pilot I had interviewed earlier in the day, had his film broadcast to the crowd. There was a moment of collective shock when he said, of his memories of D-Day and of liberating Belsen. “It makes you wonder what would have happened [if we hadn’t fought on].”

Alfred Brooker, as sailor on HMS Ramillies, explained: “War is not nice. Not nice. But we had to do it. And we did do it.” Somehow, his comic timing on either side of his most heartfelt sentiments made the watching crowd laugh out loud. He is, like so many of his comrades, indomitable.

Edward and Sophie laid their wreaths and the attendees respectfully shuffled off, no doubt wondering what had been preserved in this moment and what might so easily be lost.

To rapturous applause, President Zelensky has just arrived at the D Day 80 international ceremony taking place on Omaha Beach.

President Macron greets him warmly and he and Mrs Zelensky enter the event space to huge applause and cheering from the crowd.

Mr Zelensky is welcomed by Britain’s defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, and Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and tipped to be the next Nato Secretary General.

Prince William, who was at a Canadian D-Day commemoration this morning, has now travelled to Omaha Beach.

He has joined more than 25 heads of state and veterans from around the world at the official international ceremony.

A British veteran told a crowd at a D-Day event in Normandy how his friend saved his life

Speaking in Ver-sur-Mer, Arthur Oborne, 100, recalled being shot in the lung three days after arriving on Gold Beach.

His life was saved by his friend Walter Gummerson, who was killed the next day alongside the rest of his unit.

Mr Oborne, from Portishead, Somerset, told the crowd: “I wish I could tell him that I have never taken his sacrifice for granted and will always remember him and our friends.

“So Gummy, thank you my old friend.”

Afterwards he said: “I had no problems talking but it was a bit emotional, I was a bit upset and teary.

“I think everyone did well at the service, I was a bit apprehensive at the start but I wanted to speak.”

It was a proud but solemn moment.

French mayor Daniel Cattelain unveiled a brand new street sign in his village of Tracy-sur-mer: Rue du 47 Royal Marine Commando.

British commandos and local French applauded in unison.

Arriving at Gold Beach, 47 Commando were assigned the task of force-marching nine miles west of Arromanches to seize the small harbour of Port-en-Bessin, later the main port for fuel deliveries to Normandy until Cherbourg had been liberated.

After a terrible start, they were down from 427 men to 350 and met stiff resistance at La Rosière, farm, losing one marine to sniper fire. The village had itself mourned the death of a young girl in Allied bombing.

Speaking to the Telegraph in his tricolour sash, Mr Cattelain said: “Every year, commandos come to walk 22km from Asnelle to Port-en-Bessin but this year is special.

“For me, there was a particular mentality on the other side of the Channel. Before the First World War, there was no conscription, but you crossed the Channel by the hundreds of thousands and got killed in the Somme.”

“You came again on June 6 1944 of their own volition because England, in my opinion, is the country of habeas corpus.

“It wasn’t about being a great patriot and liberating the free world, etc. The British came because they had to.”

“We mustn’t forget them. We mustn’t forget them.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Normandy to join the official international ceremony at Omaha Beach.

The Ukrainian president arrived at Caen airport where he was greeted by officials.

Earlier today, President Biden compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s.

The royal visitors were shown around the Sir Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning by Nicholas Witchell, founding trustee of the Normandy Memorial Trust and the BBC’s Royal Correspondent.

Philippa Rawlinson, director of remembrance at the Royal British Legion, said the King and Queen had been particularly interested in the exhibition, which displays photographs of veterans with their descendants.

It is intended to show their legacies and how they built their lives from D-Day, with a particular focus on family.

One, Don Sheppard, a sapper from the 51st Highland Division, Royal Engineers, is photographed surrounded by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The new building is made up of two exhibition spaces, one classroom and a cafe, along with a gift shop where veterans were today plied with souvenirs paid for by kind strangers as a gesture of thanks.

It was built as a lasting educational centre to help teach a new generation about D-Day.

The King and Queen have officially opened the new Sir Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning, thanking those who made it happen for doing a “brilliant job”.

The couple jointly lifted a curtain to unveil a plaque at the centre, which is a short walk from the British Normandy Memorial.

At an event attended by around a dozen veterans, they were shown around a Royal British Legion exhibition about the “legacy” of a selection of those who served on D-Day, and met with donors and trustees.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty were at the event, with Lord Cameron also receiving a tour.

The King was heard to congratulate the team behind the centre of their “brilliant job”, and the couple signed their names in the visitors book.

The building has been finished so recently that the ground outside is still seeded. Lord Dannatt, hosting the King and Queen, joked that three days had not been long enough for the grass to grow.

The King told a D-Day veteran he is “doing well” as he and the Queen met with heroes who stormed the beaches.

After attending the UK’s commemoration event in Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy on Thursday, Charles and Camilla visited a marquee where veterans were having tea and cakes.

On one table, the King sat beside Ronald Hendrey, 98, of Clacton-on-Sea, who asked about his health.

Mr Hendrey said: “He was very nice, he listened to what I was saying and took it in.

“I asked him how he was doing, he told me he is doing well.”

His Majesty also appeared to wipe a tear from his eye at the commemoration.

President Biden has said democracy is “more at risk across the world” now than at any point since the Second World War.

Speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery, he said: “Make no mistake autocrats in the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine to see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked. We cannot let that to happen, to surrender to bullies. Bowing down to dictators is simply unthinkable.

“We will not forget. Let me end with this, History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy, go to the other cemeteries in Europe. Where our fallen heroes rest.

“We’re living at a time when democracy is more at risk across the world than any point since the end of World War Two

“We must remember the fact that they were heroes that day does not absolve us from all we have to do today. Democracy is not guaranteed. Every generation must preserve, defend it and fight for the success of the ages. memory of those who fought here, die here literally saved the world here.

“Let us be the generation when history is written about our time. Ten, 20, 30, 50, 80 years from now, it will be said when the call came, we met the moment. We stood strong, our allies made stronger. We saved democracy in our times. Well, thank you very much. May God bless you all. May God protect our troops.”

Joe Biden has declared that “isolation was not the answer 80 years ago, and is not the answer today,” as he used his D-Day commemoration speech to make implied criticisms of Donald Trump.

Speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery, situated on a bluff above Omaha beach, Mr Biden said that “the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine,” drawing an explicit comparison with the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s.

“The men who fought here became heroes, not because they were the strongest, toughest or fiercest, although they were, but because they were given an audacious mission,” he said.

“They knew that things are worth fighting and dying for…here we proved the forces of liberty are stronger than the forces of conquest.”

The US president used much of his speech to make coded criticisms of his political rivals, including Donald Trump, who have called for American support for Ukraine to be reduced.

“Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, and is not the answer today,” he said.

“We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago – they never go away.”

Back to Normandy, and President Macron is speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

In President Macron’s speech he mentioned veterans by name, including Eduard Berthold an airman, and John Kenyon, who was in the first wave into Paris.

He turned to thank them for their service, adding “you are here, back home, if I may say”.

“You teach us how to be great, how to fight for peace”

He then presented the legion d’honneur, France’s highest declaration to a number of veterans.

Harry Garthwaite from Birmingham is the oldest veteran here at 104 and spent before, during and after D-Day travelling back and forth from the beaches, transporting senior military personnel to France on improvised landing strips built by the Royal Engineers and then taking casualties home.

“I saw landing craft and troops along the south coast of England for months in the build up,” he says. “On the day it was a wonderful feeling to think we were back in Europe and a bridgehead had been established. We were overjoyed that the landing had taken place and we were making progress.”

Later in the War he was present on the day of the liberation of the Belsen-Bergen concentration camp in northern Germany and described the horrors of what he witnessed in the muted, melancholy tone only someone who has lived his incredible life could. “It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.”

In the course of the War, the RAF pilot flew Spitfires, Hurricanes and 23 other types of aircraft in a number of - sometimes covert - roles.

“I feel very lucky and thankful to have survived the War. All my sympathies are with those who didn’t. It’s important they’re not forgotten.”

Les Brown, 100, from Manchester has that uncanny knack that many veterans have of speaking about the extraordinary in the most matter-of-fact way.

A veteran of the Marines and Special Boat Service, Les landed on Sword Beach before the main invasion force arrived, “I was stationed under canvas near Southampton in the build up and every road and street had a tank or vehicle in it to take across the Channel,” he says in the build up to the service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

“I met a lot of Yanks there. I was in the Home Guard at 15 and had a rifle and ammunition at 15. I volunteered for the Marines and was signed as HO - hostilities only - in 1942.”

“On D-Day we arrived in what they call a ‘duck’ landing craft - a very low boat - just minutes before the invasion. We had to map out the way for the main landings - the echelons of the troops - to guide them on the beach. Unfortunately we encountered the enemy and I saw two of my mates fall. On the beach the shells from our cruisers were hitting - what they call a ‘creeping barrage’ - and it was just in front of us all the time. It was too close sometimes.

“After I’d got through it I was taken off the beach and sent home to an army camp in England. I was treated like a hero and I couldn’t understand it. I was sent home with three week’s survivor’s leave. After D-Day I was retained in jungle warfare training but the war ended so I didn’t go to fight the Japanese.”

After the War Les went back to Manchester and joined the police. “I can’t figure out why people are so nice to me on days like today. But we need to revisit these memories.”

Across the Channel from the events in Normandy, thousands of people have gathered at a memorial site in Staffordshire to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

George Chesterton reports from the National Memorial Arboretum.

In welcome June sunshine thousands have been gathering in Staffordshire as the National Memorial Arboretum takes its place alongside the other sites on this day of commemoration for the D-Day landings in Britain and France.

Along with families, well wishers and servicemen and women of all ages, 26 veterans of the Normandy invasion are here, almost overwhelmed by those wishing to say thankyou for their bravery and sacrifice.

It’s a fitting location at the heart of the nation, with sentiment from the hearts of the nation.

There are veterans of Army, Royal Navy, RAF, Marines and Merchant Navy - the youngest 96 and the oldest 104 - and, in the presence of the Duke and duch*ess of Edinburgh, this pantheon of remembrance will this afternoon host the Royal British Legion’s service of thanksgiving with hymns, readings and the stories of the men who took part, culminating in the wreath-laying.

Several veterans broke into tears earlier as the King paid tribute to the “remarkable generation” who fought on D-Day.

One of them handed the Queen a white rose in a touching mark of respect.

Joe Biden could be seen muttering the words of the US national anthem as an instrumental was played by an American military band.

Both the French and American national anthems were played to mark the collaboration between the US and France on this memorial.

Mr Biden and Mr Macron are seated in front of the 22ft bronze statue: “The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves”.

Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron have just arrived at the American Cemetery, Omaha beach.

They are greeted by veterans and a flypast of military planes.

Traffic came to a standstill around Paris today as Joe Biden’s Normandy-bound presidential convoy caused 250-miles of jams, writes Peter Allen from the French capital.

The entire western side of the city’s ring road was shut during the morning rush hour on Thursday, along with sections of three motorways, including the A13.

This was all so President Biden could reach commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, along with his multiple car entourage.

‘This caused 400km (250miles) of traffic jams,’ said a traffic control official in Paris. ‘There were plenty of angry motorists about.’

Joe and Jill Biden have arrived at the American cemetery with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.

As they reached the stage, a flyover of four C130 aircraft reached the cemetery, with one pulling away from the formation as a mark of respect to the fallen.

Mr Biden is wearing a black suit and his trademark aviator sunglasses.

He and Mr Macron briefly gripped the elbow of one of the veterans as they walked past.

After the Canadian ceremony on Juno Beach, Prince William briefly chatted to some of the veterans.

He asked one elderly servicemen “memories bringing it all back?” and, with the area now a picturesque stretch of sand with beach homes beyond the dunes, he added “there’s been a lot of changes.”

The Prince moved on to talk to another Canadian veteran, and when the conversation turned toward the ages of the men who fought on D-Day, he said “a lot of people were lying about their ages”.

Dozens of veterans have taken their places for the commemoration service at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.

Most are wrapped warm in blankets and scarves, only a few walked unaided to their seats. All waved and saluted as the crowd applauded.

Back at Omaha beach, Joe Biden has been meeting the veterans just before they come onto the stage.

The brief moments with dozens of elderly men (and the odd woman) have already produced some humorous moments.

“Don’t get old,” one remarked to him as he settled back down in his wheelchair from standing up to meet the president.

Mr Biden, 81, is almost certain to be the last US president who was alive at the time D-Day took place in 1944.

To mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, four of the surviving heroes involved in the Normandy landings shared their remarkable tales of bravery, courage - and victory - with the Telegraph.

You can read the accounts of Geoffrey Weaving, James Belcher, Richard Brock and Christian Lamb (see post at 11.33am) here.

First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething is at the UK commemorative D-Day event just a day after losing a no confidence vote in the Welsh Senedd.

Emmanuel Macron has awarded France’s highest distinction to a 104-year-old British D-Day veteran.

France’s President handed the legion d’honeur, which was established in 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte, to ChristianLamb, who helped to plan the D-Day landings in Normandy.

Lamb was a third officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service and worked in Whitehall plotting the maps of the Normandy landings.

Addressing an audience including Justin Trudeau, Prince William said: “I am honoured to join you to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of the Canadian troops, who gave so much 80 years ago.

“On June 6 1944, as part of the one hundred and fifty thousand Allied Troops that landed or parachuted into Normandy, fourteen thousand were from Canada.

“Far from home they stormed these very sand dunes behind me, shoulder to shoulder with thousands of British troops.”

He continued: “The assault on D-Day remains the most ambitious military operation in history. “The events of that windy, grey day, ultimately led to the liberation of Europe, but it came at heavy cost.

“We continue to honour every Canadian, who gave so much. Every Canadian family who lost a loved one. Every Canadian who lived with the scars of battle, both physical and mental.

“I want to thank you, our veterans, for your extraordinary acts of bravery and sacrifice, on Juno Beach, and the liberation of Europe. All of you demonstrated heroism, and determination, that ensured fascism was conquered.

“The commitment to service displayed by Canadian troops, is a great testament to the strength of the people of Canada.

“Canada and the UK continue to stand, side by side as we did in 1944. Just as strong together, 80 years later.”

The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the “bravery and sacrifice” of Canadian troops who “gave so much” 80 years ago.

The Prince, speaking at Juno Beach for the Canadian ceremony for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, said their forces stood “shoulder to shoulder” with thousands of British troops.

“Standing here today in peaceful silence, it is almost impossible to grasp the courage it would have taken to run into the fury of battle that day,” he said.

Speaking in English with a few words of French, he said: “Ensuring the memory of those who fought for freedom lives on is why we’ve come together again today – to say thank you.

“Thank you for our freedom, and thank you for your service. Merci pour notre liberté, et merci pour votre service.”

The Prince is attending the Juno Beach and Omaha Beach ceremonies in Normandy today. His father the King is at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver Sur Mer.

Joe Biden has been greeting US veterans at a commemorative event at Omaha Beach

The US president shook hands with eteran Robert “Bob” Gibson (pictured) at the event.

Serving soldiers, veterans and family members are seated at the D Day 80th anniversary commemoration in the Normandy American Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach.

President Biden will speak at the event, after French president Emmanuel Macron has conferred the Legion of Honour medal to US veterans.

Two Dakota aircraft, from which thousands of allied soldiers parachuted into action in the Second World War have been flying circuits over the beaches, the low drone of their engines briefly blocking the sombre music being piped to the hundreds of visitors. A flight of modern F-35 stealth jets are expected later.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, director and Oscar-nominated actor of Saving Private Ryan, the Hollywood epic that opened with the US assault on Omaha Beach, are seated close to the front of the stage, alongside diplomatic delegations from France, the US and Britain.

The American ceremony was briefly interrupted just now by an impromptu RAF flypast by nine Red Arrows and one Typhoon.

There are so many events happening at the same time across the Normandy coastline this morning, it must be very difficult to keep track of all the aircraft in flight.

For this ceremony, we are expecting a flyover of C130 Hercules transport aircraft and a squadron of F-35 stealth jets.

A US commemorative event is now starting at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach

Nearly two dozen US veterans, all but one in wheelchairs, have been brought on stage at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach.

To the theme tune of “Band of Brothers”, an HBO World War II drama, the veterans were welcomed by Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary.

They are described by the ceremony’s compere as the “VIPs” of today’s event. These men — some of whom will know each other from previous ceremonies — smiled and waved at the crowds.

One veteran saluted the crowd as he walked unaided to the stage — drawing a swell of applause from the audience, all of whom are on their feet.

The veterans are wearing a mixture of service uniforms from US Army, Navy and Air Force regiments.

After dozens of men in wheelchairs, we have just seen the first female veteran of this ceremony. She drew whoops and cheers from the crowd as she made her way to the stage.

Here’s some more from the King’s speech at the UK commemorative event today.

Speaking to veterans and leaders in in Ver-sur-Mer, the King said: “Eighty years ago on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, our nation and those which stood alongside it faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.

“How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women in the United Kingdom and other Allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face that test.

“On the beaches of Normandy, on the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our armed forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination, qualities so characteristic of that remarkable war-time generation.

“Very many of them never came home, they lost their lives on the D-Day landing grounds or in the many battles that followed.

“It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all those who served at that critical time.

“We recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades - free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny.”

Charles added: “Our ability to learn from their stories at first hand diminishes, but our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all can never diminish.”

Overheard in the VIP section at Omaha for the D-Day 80th:

“And what do you do?”

“I’m the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. You?”

Earlier, Sir Tom Jones performed his song ‘I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall’ at the D-Day event.

The singer stood in front of a wall bearing the names of personnel serving under British command who died while taking part in the invasion and Battle of Normandy.

The King has paid tribute to those who “did not flinch when the moment came” on D-Day, facing the “supreme test” with courage to secure a free world.

”Our gratitude is unfailing, and our admiration eternal,” he said.

”They carried out their duty with humility, sense of resolve and determination - qualities so characteristic of that remarkable generation.”

He quoted George Batts, the veteran who suggested the British Normandy Memorial but is “no longer with us”, who upon seeing the completed monument said: “We left a lot of mates behind, and now I know they will never be forgotten.”

He added: “It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all who
served at that critical time.”

It is not the words of the Prime Minister that set the first tears flowing. It is the account of Joe Mines, who landed at Ver-sur-Mer at the age of 19 and has not been back since.

”I was a boy,” he said, in words read by actor Martin Freeman. “ I knew nothing of war, or killing.”

He cleared mines on the beaches, seeing one man’s “whole leg blown off”. A new friend he had made on the train to the British coastline died within an hour of landing on D-Day.

”Why would I come back?” he wondered.

”This is the last and only opportunity for me, the last there will ever be.

”And its because of the lads. I want to pay my respects to those who did not make it. May they rest in peace.”

Mr Mines, 99, raised his hands in acknowledgement at the crowd applauded.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy

They were welcomed by British cadets and French primary schoolchildren at the UK national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told D-Day veterans “we owe you everything” as he addressed the audience at the UK’s national commemoration event in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The Prime Minister said: “Each of you who contributed that day - sailor, soldier, aviator, civilian - whether you fought on the beaches, or parachuted from the skies, or flew fighters or gliders, whether you were an engineer or a radio operator or an intelligence officer, your actions freed a continent and built a better world.

“You risked everything and we owe you everything.

“We cannot possibly hope to repay that debt but we can and we must pledge never to forget.

He said veterans had “taught generations of young people about the horrors of war”, adding: “Yet with each passing year, it falls now to those of us who listened in awe to your stories to pass them on to our own children and grandchildren.

“Because only by remembering can we make certain that the cause you fought for, that so many of your friends and colleagues died for, that great cause of freedom, peace and democracy, will never be taken for granted.”

Rishi Sunak is here at Ver Sur Mer speaking to those gathered to commemorate D Day.

In attendance are Sir Keir Starmer, as well as the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord and General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Head of the Army.

The first noise at the British Normandy Memorial service is a light applause, which grows as the crown noticed the first veterans being wheeled in.

As each nonegenarian or centenarian appears on the large screens, a fresh burst of applause begins.

Around 40 British veterans are expected, but their attendance necessarily depends on their health this morning after a tiring trip.

As we wait for the service to begin, the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment marches, leading a guard of honour of Royal Navy (42 Commando), Army (1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) and RAF (The King’s Colour Squadron).

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have arrived in France this morning.

They stepped off Air Force One at Caen Carpiquet Airport ahead of travelling to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

At just 18, Richard Brock arrived on the beaches of Normandy the day after D-Day.

Now 100 years old, he reflects on what he described as “hell on earth”

The first operation of D-Day saw British troops capture two bridges, a key moment of the Normandy landings. Eighty years on, The Telegraph’s Henry Samuel visited one of the bridges.

Even before Allied troops commenced the beach invasion, a key moment of the Normandy landings had already taken place.

In the first operation of D-Day, six British gliders landed in occupied France shortly after midnight and successfully captured two bridges - one now famously known as Pegasus bridge after the emblem of the British 6th Airborne Division behind the daring raid.

Staff Sergeant Geoff Barkway was in one of three gliders that landed near Pegasus bridge over the Orne canal at Bénouville as part of Operation Deadstick.

He lost an arm in the assault but survived and went on to live a full life but like all but 12 of the 181 men of D Company, 2nd Ox and Bucks Light Infantry involved, he is no longer with us.

As every year, his daughter Jane Barkway-Harney was present at 00h18 to mark with a glass of champagne the moment her dad’s Horsa glider hit the ground. A stumpy concrete monument marks the spot.

The piper who began the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy said he was “totally humbled” by the experience.

At Gold Beach in Arromanches, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie played a lament at sea at the exact moment of the beach invasion in 1944

He said he felt “totally humbled and privileged to be coming off the landing craft that docks onto the beaches, the same as those guys, those young soldiers many, many years ago - 80 years ago today.

“Totally outstanding - wouldn’t have missed it for the world. The memories of all those guys here.”

Maj Macey-Lillie added it was important “to represent them and obviously to keep the memory alive for all those past soldiers and the ones that are still with us today”.

Asked how it felt to be back five years after having played for the 75th anniversary, he said: “Outstanding, you know what I mean, that Mulberry Harbour right behind me here, number 449, was the one I played on on the 75th.

“To be back here on the same beach, doing the same style of work again is amazing.”

The ceremonial artillery is preparing to fire over Omaha beach when the event begins.

It’s a perfect morning here - the cemetery immaculate, the marble graves spotless, and everywhere the smell of freshly cut grass.

En route to the British Normandy Memorial at Ver sur Mer, it is already clear that this is no ordinary day.

The roads are lined with police at intervals, as buses and convoys transport veterans, dignitaries and the media into position for a day of commemoration.

Each village has the flags of the UK, US and Canada flying alongside the French, with a few locals already turning out to wave at the passing traffic.

Under blue skies, the farmland and fields are dotted with wild red poppies.

It does not take too much imagination to picture the scene 80 years ago; the calm before the storm of the D-Day landings.

As we get closer to the coast, the number and size of flags increases, bunting hung across doors and on top of walls.
In this part of the world, remembrance is taken seriously.

The D-Day operation took place 80 years ago this morning.

It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, during the Second World War.

Here is how D-Day unfolded on June 6, 1944:

Midnight: British RAF bombs German coastal batteries north of Caen.

Midnight to 2 a.m: The Ox & Bucks Light Infantry land by gliders east of Sword Beach and seize two bridges across the Caen Canal.

6:30 a.m: Troops begin landing on Utah and Omaha beaches.

7:26 a.m: Troops begin landing at Sword Beach.

7:30 a.m: 2nd Ranger Battalion scales 100-foot cliff at Pointe-du-Hoc and later captures German 155mm cannons.

7:35 a.m: Troops begin landing at Gold Beach.

8 a.m: Troops begin landing at Juno Beach.

9:50 a.m: U.S. destroyers move in close to Omaha Beach and begin shelling German targets.

10:15 a.m: Allied naval shells destroy vital German artillery at Colleville-sur-Mer and Pointe de la Percee..

11:10 a.m: 101st Airborne and 4th Infantry troops link up at Pouppeville.

12:03 p.m: British paratroopers and commandos from Sword Beach link up at Orne bridges.

12:30 p.m: Allied forces move inland. More than 18,000 U.S. soldiers have landed.

1 p.m: U.S. soldiers capture Vierville.

10:30 p.m: British troops liberate town of Arromanches-les-Bains.

Midnight: All five beaches at Normandy are declared secure.

The German Ambassador to the UK says the German view of D-Day “has shifted and evolved” over time.

On how the D-Day anniversary is seen in Germany, Miguel Berger told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:“The view of D-Day has shifted and evolved over the years. Today is seen as the beginning of the end of the Nazi regime.

“It opened the western front. It was the beginning of the liberation of western Europe. That is the way it is mainly seen.

“There are many who commemorate their loved ones who died in Normandy and the battles that followed, but that doesn’t take away the historical significance of what happened on D-Day.”

As the sun’s rays flooded Gold Beach in Arromanches 80 years to the day since the Allies landed in Normandy, a military piper played at the exact moment the Normandy landings began on June 6 1944.

As he came ashore shortly after dawn on a crisp but bright morning, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie continuously played Highland Laddie both in a landing craft utility before being driven up the beach in a DUKW amphibious vehicle.

The strains marked one of the most legendary moments of the start of D-Day, when William “Bill” Millin of the Cameron Highlanders left his boat jumped into the cold waters off nearby Sword Beach under heavy German fire and started playing.

Millin was the personal bagpiper of Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, commander of the crack 2,500-strong British 1st Special Service Brigade.

As Lovat led his men off the landing craft under heavy fire, he famously shouted at Piper Millin, “Give us ‘Highland Laddie,’ man!”

Waist deep in the water now as the bodies of fallen soldiers drifted around him, Millin started playing as he struggled through the surf.

When he reached the water’s edge, Lovat asked him if he would mind piping the rest of the Commandos ashore with “The Road to the Isles”.

Amid the thump of mortars, shouts, and the whine of machine-gun fire, Millin then strode coolly back and forth along the beach, skirling while men streamed past him.

Astonished soldiers on the beach cheered and waved when they heard the pipes.

Rishi Sunak will skip today’s largest gathering of world leaders for D-Day on Omaha Beach this afternoon, sending Grant Shapps and David Cameron in his place.

The Prime Minister will attend a Franco-British ceremony this morning, but travel back to the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to appear at Omaha, where US troops landed on June 6, 1944.

A Conservative spokesman told Politico Mr Sunak was “honoured” to be involved in the commemorations.

Philippa Rawlinson, director of remembrance at the Royal British Legion, says that Gold Beach looks “serene” on the morning of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing.

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I’m looking out over Gold Beach and thinking how serene it looks this morning and what the scenes would have been as they came ashore 80 years ago.

“I feel very privileged today. We’re thinking about our 40 veterans who are arriving very shortly.”

Nigel Farage said he went to Arromanches this morning “in a private capacity with friends” and would be making TikTok videos throughout the day to educate young people about D-Day.

The Reform Party leader told The Telegraph he felt the impact of D-Day “very personally” and had travelled to the beaches “many times” to pay his respects.

“I’m also outputting a lot of coverage on TikTok, because the fact that a Royal British Legion poll showed that 52 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds have never heard of D-Day, I think is appalling and a complete failure of the educational system,” he said.

“So I’m putting out a lot of educational promotional stuff on TikTok to tell young people, ‘hey, look, this really matters’.

“This, sadly, is the last time we will have a gathering of veterans for a big occasion like this. Nothing would have stopped me being here.”

Last night, D-Day veteran Sergeant Richard Brock (pictured) gave a reading during a special vigil.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Great Vigil saw 4,600 graves illuminated at the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy, France.

UK and international personnel then held a vigil at at the Stone of Remembrance as the names of the fallen were read out.

Joe Biden has issued a proclamation warning that “freedom is not free” as he paid tribute to 2,500 US servicemen who lost their lives on D-Day in advance of today’s commemorations.

The US president released the proclamation overnight as he prepared to attend ceremonies in Normandy today. He will deliver a speech on the importance of protecting freedom and democracy on Friday from Pointe du Hoc, a former German defensive position next to Omaha Beach.

“As we reflect on the sacrifices made on D-Day, we are reminded that freedom is not free and it has never been guaranteed,” Mr Biden said.

“Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, and defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy -- between the greed of a few and the rights of many.

“Eighty years after our Nation’s brave Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines embarked on D-Day -- and as Americans everywhere answered the call to prayer and filled their hearts and homes with hope -- may we honour the faith they kept in our Nation and their legacy by upholding the future that they died for -- one grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality for all.”

The area around the cemeteries and memorial sites in Normandy this morning is filled with French police and military staff, and many of the roads have been closed to normal traffic.

The White House press corps travelled here from Paris on coaches that were stopped periodically by police to check they were allowed to travel.

The high security is partly due to the presence of Joe Biden, whose visit demands a lockdown and checks of all attendees of the events where he will appear.

Joe Biden will attend a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery this morning in his first engagement of D-Day 80 and his state visit to France.

The US president, who stayed overnight in Paris, will fly to Caen airport later this morning before transferring to Marine One, his helicopter, to make the final hop to the cemetery.

The American ceremony is one of the biggest events of the day, with a speech by Mr Biden and appearances from Emmanuel Macron and Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary.

There will be two flyovers, both by modern aircraft. The first will be from C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, before a squadron of F-35 fast jets in “missing man formation”, used at military memorials.

The number of British, American, Canadian and French veterans still alive is dwindling fast. This will be one of the last major ceremonies on Normandy’s beaches to honour a significant number of survivors.

As war continues to rage in Ukraine, this year’s commemoration of the major turning point in the Second World War - when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers arrived in France to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany - will carry special resonance.

As the clock struck 7:25am, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie played Highland Laddie as he came ashore at Gold Beach, paying tribute to fallen comrades and veterans who led the biggest seaborne invasion in military history.

It also remembers a lone piper who played in the D-Day Normandy landings 80 years ago and was never shot at.

Major Macey-Lillie began in a landing craft utility before being driven up the beach in a DUKW amphibious vehicle.

Around 4,500 people are expected to attend events today to mark the anniversary, including about 200 veterans, mostly from the US, UK, Canada and France.

King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William will be among the attendees, along with Rishi Sunak, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Joe Biden will be there while on a state visit to France.

Russia will not be represented, with Vladimir Putin not invited due to the invasion of Ukraine.

France had initially invited Russia’s ambassador in recognition of his country’s massive sacrifices during the Second World War, before rescinding the invitation.

• 7:25am: Amilitary piper will land on the beach of Arromanches-les-Bains in a Royal Marines landing craft at 7:25am local time (6:25am GMT) - the exact time the invasion began in 1944.
• 8:30am: Ceremonies will kick off at around 8:30am GMT at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer. Canada will hold its own ceremony at 9am, attended by Prince William.
• 10am: US President Joe Biden will lead a USceremony in the presence ofD-Dayveterans at 10am GMT.
• 1pm: French President Emmanuel Macron will preside over an international ceremony at Omaha Beach at 1pm GMT, where US forces suffered their greatest casualties in the assault against heavily-fortified German defences.
• 4pm: World leaders are expected to gather in Caen for diplomatic talks at around 4pm GMT.

Good morning.

World leaders and veterans are gathering in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings.

Our reporters will be bringing you the latest news from the commemorative events today.