D-Day Landings: Anniversaries

(asked on 25th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to mark the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.


This question was answered on 2nd May 2019

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will support commemorative events in the United Kingdom and France. The MOD is working closely with a range of stakeholders including the Normandy Memorial Trust, The Royal British Legion, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Portsmouth City Council and the French authorities in order to ensure that all commemorative events are a success. Our Armed Forces are proud to support these important commemorations as the nation pays tribute to the D-Day veterans who took part in the Normandy Landings 75 years ago.

Over 4,000 Armed Forces personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will be mobilised to offer ceremonial and logistical support to events on both sides of the English Channel. At least 11 Royal Navy vessels and multiple aircraft from the Red Arrows to the iconic Spitfire will be involved in events.

On 5 June, the UK will host a national commemorative event on Southsea Common, Portsmouth attended by D-Day veterans, representatives of the nations involved in D-Day and current serving personnel. An RAF flypast of 26 aircraft including the Red Arrows and a Spitfire will then take to the skies. In the evening, a flotilla of Royal Navy ships will salute up to 300 Normandy veterans on board The Royal British Legion’s specially chartered ship as they depart for Normandy, escorted by HMS St Albans, a Type-23 Royal Navy frigate. In France, members of the Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade will drop over Normandy from RAF aircraft to recreate the famous airborne landings. In the evening, the Army will support events taking place at Pegasus Bridge.

On 6 June in Normandy, the Army will be at Arromanches to mark the moment the first British soldier landed on Normandy’s beaches. Military musicians and personnel will support the inauguration of The Normandy Memorial Trust’s statue at Ver-Sur-Mer, in the presence of senior leaders. In Bayeux, The Royal British Legion will hold events commencing with a service at Bayeux Cathedral and a cemetery service at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Bayeux where they will be supported with a tri-service Guard of Honour and military musicians. In the afternoon, British veterans, escorted by Army personnel will move to Arromanches for informal events including a flypast by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Any veterans who would like to attend events in the UK or Normandy are encouraged to contact The Royal British Legion at the following website: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/community/d-day-75/. Information on how the public can attend events in Portsmouth is available at the following website: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/D-Day-events.

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