Queen says ‘thank-you’ as world leaders read letters to mark D-Day
Written by News on 05/06/2019
A flypast has marked 75 years since the D-Day landings that changed the course of the Second World War – with the Queen paying tribute to those who took part and world leaders reading letters of testimony from the time.
The RAF voyager, the Red Arrows and typhoons soared over the skies of Portsmouth as the Queen and world leaders watched on.
They were joined by some 300 veterans and thousands members of the public, who turned out to remember those who sacrificed their lives on 6 June 1944.
The D-Day landings saw allied forces launch an air, naval and land assault on Nazi-occupied France and were the start of a long, bloody campaign to liberate northwest Europe.
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.
Her Majesty 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 leader Donald Trump read a prayer that wartime president Frank Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on D-Day itself.
Mr Roosevelt gave the prayer as US and allied forces were crossing the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France.
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 cadre of elderly veterans took the centre of the stage.
D-Day veteran Les Hammond, 94, said he was thrilled to be taking part in Wednesday’s remembrance events.
He added he was not bothered in the slightest that the presence of President Trump and the other world leaders might be taking some of the focus away from veterans like him.
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.”
The ceremony kicked off with the recollections of those who took part in the landings, broadcast from a giant screen, setting the tone for a ceremony meant to focus on veterans’ sacrifices.
Events are also taking place in Normandy, France, where the D-Day landings in 1944 took place.
(c) Sky News 2019: Queen says ‘thank-you’ as world leaders read letters to mark D-Day
