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3 months ago
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A lone military piper has played on Gold Beach to mark the moment the first British troops stormed the Normandy coast on D-Day 80 years ago today.
The soldier played a lament as he was carried to the beach at Arromanches on a Royal Marines amphibious landing craft flanked by service members.
It took place at the exact moment the first troops waded ashore as part of the Normandy landings in the battle to retake Europe from the Nazis all those years ago.
Crowds gathered at the beach to view the reenactment, which took place in a picturesque sunrise - a far cry from the cloudy and rough seas that welcomed 25,000 soldiers who landed on the same stretch of coast in 1944.
Among those present at Arromanches this morning is Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who joined others in paying tribute to those who lost their lives during what was the biggest seaborne invasion in military history.
A military piper plays a lament as he is driven ashore on Gold Beach in an amphibious vehicle this morning
A giant poppy is displayed on the beach at Arromanches as people walk along the sand before today's commemorations
People line up as the sun rises over Gold Beach this morning on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings
Military reenactors travel along the beach at Arromanches in an amphibious landing craft this morning
A military reenactor looks out to sea as the sun rises on Gold Beach this morning ahead of a day of events to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was among those present at Gold Beach in Arromanche this morning
A military reenactor kneels in the sand as they pay tribute to those who lost their lives on Gold Beach during the Normandy landings
Following the poignant remembrance on the beach, there will be commemorations in the French town including a veterans parade, as well as an air and firework display.
Later today there will be further events commemorating the events of 80 years ago, with King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, all taking part.
They will be present at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, which pays tribute to 22,442 service personnel under British command who died on D-day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944.
It will be the first major anniversary at the site, which opened in 2021, with Charles and Camilla officially opening the Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning following the commemorations today.
Meanwhile, Prince William will attend the Canadian commemorative event at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer, before joining more than 25 heads of state and veterans for the official international ceremony on Omaha Beach, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
More to follow...
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