Queen says ‘thank you’ to veterans as world leaders mark D-Day anniversary
Written by News on 06/06/2019
The Queen has paid tribute to the “heroism” of D-Day troops, marking 75 years since the Normandy landings that changed the course of the Second World War.
Special events took place throughout the day to commemorate the historic military offensive.
The Red Arrows, an RAF Voyager and Typhoons flew over Portsmouth as the Queen and world leaders looked on.
They were joined by about 300 veterans and thousands members of the public, who turned out to remember those who sacrificed their lives on 6 June 1944.
Later, around 250 veterans boarded MV Boudicca, a cruise ship chartered by the Royal British Legion, retracing the journey made 75 years ago.
They were followed by a flotilla of Royal Navy vessels, while a Spitfire flypast ended the day’s aerial display.
The D-Day landings saw allied troops launch a massive air, naval and land assault on northern France.
It was the start of a long, bloody campaign to liberate northwestern Europe from the Nazis.
Minutes before the flypast, the Queen, who served as a truck mechanic during the Second World War, gave an address in which she praised the “heroism, courage and sacrifice” of those who took part in the Normandy landings.
She told world leaders, veterans and members of the public: “When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, some thought it might be the last such event.
“But the wartime generation, my generation, is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today.
“75 years ago, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers, sailors and airmen left these shores in the cause of freedom.”
She added: “Many of them would never return, and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten.
“It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country – indeed the whole free world – that I say to you all, thank you.”
The Queen’s address came after the leaders of Second World War allies read first-hand testimonies from those who fought in the conflict.
Prime Minister Theresa May read a letter Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps wrote to his wife Gladys on 3 June 1944.
Captain Skinner was killed on 7 June that year, the day after D-Day.
In his letter he wrote: “Although I would give anything to be back with you, I have not yet had any wish at all to back down from the job we have to do.”
US President Donald Trump read a prayer that wartime president Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on D-Day itself.
President Roosevelt gave his message as US and allied forces were crossing the English Channel to land on the beaches.
Reading from the prayer, Mr Trump said: “Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavour, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilisation and to set free a suffering humanity.”
French President Emmanuel Macron read from a letter sent by Henri Fertet, a young resistance fighter, before he was executed at the age of 16.
The letter read: “I am going to die for my country. I want France to be free and the French to be happy.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau read from the Victoria Cross citation of Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Merritt, the first Canadian to be awarded the medal for gallantry for his leadership during the raid on Dieppe in 1942.
Silence descended as the commemoration events began this morning.
Mr Trump and the other dignitaries stood and applauded as a small group of veterans took the stage.
D-Day veteran Les Hammond, 94, said he was thrilled to be taking part.
He said he was not bothered that the presence of President Trump and the other leaders might be taking some of the focus away from veterans.
Mr Hammond said: “What happened to me is not important. I’m not a hero. I served with men who were. I’m very lucky I’m a survivor.”
Veteran Jock Hutton also performed a tandem jump in Normandy to mark the anniversary.
On D-Day, Mr Hutton, now 94, was a 19-year-old in 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion.
Events also took place in Normandy, France, where the D-Day landings in 1944 took place.
(c) Sky News 2019: Queen says ‘thank you’ to veterans as world leaders mark D-Day anniversary
