Part 1 D-Day 70

for coverage of the rest of the day 's events in Normandy. World

70 years ago today on the 6th June 1944.

On a gloriously sunny day from the French Port of Arromanches.

This was liberated by British troops who fought their way ashore on D-Day

The significance of today's ceremony is to honour those who took part in

the landings and it is underlined by the presence of the Queen.

that Operation Overlord had finally arrived.

Or the fighting in the weeks and months that followed.

Today is about the Normandy veterans.

It is true there are fewer of them with us.

We expect to see more than 650 of them at today's events.

We will have live coverage of the main ceremonies.

Let's put Arromanches in a D-Day context for you.

There you have it in the centre of this long stretch of Normandy

There you have Utah and owe Omaha. That's putting Arromanches and our

studio in Arromanches in a geographic context for you.

In a ceremony, the Standard of the Normandy Veterans' Association was

raised for the last time in the square because the Association is to

Former servicemen find it difficult to travel.

In October they will lay up the National Standard at a service at

Westminster. There are just 11 remaining Dutch veterans and they

are taking centre stage at a special ceremony.

We will be seeing a lot of this square today.

The square is in the possession of the Dutch.

The king and Queen of the Netherlands are here and they are

enjoying a lovely sight on this warm morning in Normandy.

There were over 50 ten years ago and it is a reflection of the march of

time. Later this afternoon, right here in the same square the British

veterans will be in Arromanches for their main event of the day and the

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be here to see them march into the

square. We would love you to be involved at home.

We would like you to send in comments and questions.

I will do my best to use as many of them as the day goes on.

Send in photos relating to D-Day too because we know you have many

thousands of photos, families have kept valuable photos.

There is the Facebook address for you there.

At the top we have the BBC website for you.

Please get in touch and we'll try to use them as we go through the day.

I'm going to start today's commemoration in Bayeux.

It is the location of the largest War Graves Cemetery.

Huw, I feel like I have got the most privileged job.

I am my job today is to meet the veterans and hear their stories and

talk to them about their role 70 years ago and they are really at the

I've met veterans who are here for a special reason.

There is people looking at the graves of their fallen comrades and

remembering. So through the morning, I will be talking to veterans and

hopefully bringing you some of their stories.

This afternoon, the focus moves to Ouistreham.

That's where the big international event is being held.

Her Majesty, the Queen will be attending along with President Obama

and President Putin and there will be 19 nations represented and

veterans from all of the nations took part in the landings and Anita

Rani is there to he will us -- to tell us more.

I'm on Sword Beach, right here, just under 29,000 troops landed.

Most of whom belonged to the British Third Infantry Division.

The same beach is hosting the international event.

That's a map of Europe and later on there will be a performance

re-enacting the end of the Second World War.

Just over 1,000 veterans and who I will be going off to spend sometime

with. That's the broad shape of the day.

It will be memorable and it will be moving.

The last time we will see the Normandy Veterans' Association

gathered here. The programme of events started yesterday.

There were ceremonies yesterday to remember the airborne landings.

We will be seeing some of that later on.

Earlier this morning The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

joined veterans at a service at Bayeux Cathedral.

# Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice

# Him serve with fear His praise forth tell

Your Royal Highness which name do you want to give?

This morning's service at Bayeux Cathedral on the dedication of a new

bell there at the cathedral to mark #.

We saw members of the Royal Family taking part and the Bishop of

Manchester there representing the Church of England.

The Normandy Landings, we are under lining the significance of what

Throughout the day we will be talking to a range of people.

We will be talking to experts about the detail and significance of what

Talking of experts, with me now are Antony Beevor whose books include

the Second World War and D-Day and James Holland.

Antony, can you underline to viewers straightaway, what's the

Well, the significance is huge from the point of view that one sees more

and more people showing a greater and interest even though it is 70

We are living in a post military society and health and safety

environment and people appreciate and are fascinated by a period when

the soldiers involved had little control over fates.

There is a sense this is a generation that's slipping away.

I have been around here for the last couple of days and talking to a

number of veterans and it is amazing they come back here to see their

fallen comrades in the cemeteries around Normandy and you know, you

look down, if you are a veteran and you are in your early 90s now and

you look at a grave of a friend of yours who was cut down when he was

20 and you think I've had # 70 years longer.

It is a useful moment to remind everyone

We will be joining lots of the events later and the veterans.

That's Ed Miliband, the Labour leader who arrived in Normandy to

take part in the service that we will be seeing later on.

There will be lots of people keen to chat to the elderly gentlemen with

lots of stories to tell about what happened 70 years ago.

Just a good moment to talk about what happened after many months of

planning. Sophisticated deception and the immense courage of those who

The weather conditions not favourable on 5th June.

After a 24 hour delay, D-Day was enacted and the first gliders and

paratroopers landed near Pegasus Bridge.

The bombardment started of the French Coast started.

23,000 US troops coming ashore at 6.30am.

1,000 men for every soldier you see on this map.

Highest number of casualties thereafter Omaha.

Just north of Pegasus over 28,000 troops landing there.

On D-Day, more than 132,000 men landing on the beaches.

23,000 coming in by glider or by parachute.

When you put it like that, really it is the scale and the ambition and

the vision of what happened that still strikes you 70 years on,

Antony? The planning for Operation Overlord was significant.

The Canadians joked that it should be called Operation Overboard.

When you think of the 6,000 ships and the screen of mine sweepers

That was one of the miracles that the marina had not put to sea

because they thought it was too rough for an invasion.

Are we really at a stage today where we can say what the cost was in

There is interesting new research which has come out of the United

States where they think they've worked out how many were killed on

People go -- there is debate about it.

People go missing and did they die on D-Day or two days later?

The casualties weren't as high as they feared.

Why was it not as bad as they thought?

Partly because the ships weren't sunk by the German Navy as they

expected, but at the same time one must remember the French civilians.

Over 3,000 French civilians were killed on D-Day and another 15,000

were killed beforehand and we should remember their sacrifice, not a

deliberate one, but still their sacrifice as well as remembering the

I want to say to viewers, if you want to find out more about what was

happening 70 years ago, we have a live blog and there is coverage of

all of today's events on the Red Button.

The Red Button you're familiar with on the zapper!

That's for those events if we are off air later and there are things

going on, press the Red Button and the blog, there we have it, the

address I gave you a short while ago:

We will be hearing more from Antony and James shortly.

The veterans from Britain and around the world have been gathering in

I was talking to lots of them yesterday and the day before.

For a few, it will be their first visit to the D-Day beaches since the

Some returned year after year, but they come with the common purpose

which is to give thanks and to remember those who didn't survive

One group prepared for this anniversary by gathering at

Southwark House in Portsmouth for a dinner on the eve of their crossing.

We have been doing this for six years bringing the veterans over to

At the same time some new people, it is great to hear the stories that

It is different for different veterans.

Some have been back many, many times.

So they're feeling apprehensive, feeling nervous.

They don't know how they will feel when they get over there.

The 70th anniversary has come up on top of us.

I haven't been there before apart from the original, of course.

1944 was the last time I was in Normandy.

There was a house piled up with clothing and the belongings and

there was' dead horse in the tracks and the family around were dead.

I'll never forget that. APPLAUSE

It has been one of them, more than the average year for me.

The comradeship among the veterans, it has been wonderful.

Just mingling and chatting to each other.

Some of us are lucky and some of us are not.

It is only ten minutes or quarter of an hour we were singing and dancing

and enjoying life and then the sad sounds.

We shall not grow old as we that are left grow old.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

There will be a lot of reflecting today and the passage of time, well

70 years very much on people's minds.

Not just the veterans, but their families too, the nice thing about

this event, especially on a special anniversary like this, lots of

family and friends come out to support veterans and that's one of

We were wandering around earlier chatting to groups f families who

There are lots of French families here to come along and enjoy the

experience. The time in France is now just about 10.3am.

The service -- 10.37am, the service at Bayeux War Cemetery is about to

begin. Some made their way up the hill from the cathedral.

Her Majesty, the Queen, is about to join them.

Let's say good morning to Sian Williams to find out more.

Indeed, the veterans who left the service at the cathedral have been

walking through the streets of Bayeux lined with local people who

have been showing their gratitude and respect to those they call their

They're come to go the cemetery for the service of remembrance acht

place beautifully -- a place beautifully maintained.

There are over 4 ,100 Commonwealth troops buried here.

Those veterans who chose not to go to the cathedral service have been

It is like meeting old friends and swapping stories and some are

already at the cemetery and have been chatting through about times

One veteran told me he has been back to the cemetery every year for the

past 30 years, but for many, it will be the first time.

The Royal British Legion organised the service with the help of the

Normandy Veterans' Association and they say it is important for the

veterans to be here for the service and to meet members of the Royal

Her Majesty, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and politicians will

arrive at the memorial which honours the land forces with no known grave.

Those who fought for the freedom will be the focus today.

Men now in their 90s who 70 years ago stormed the beaches of Normandy.

The Veterans' Association include those who fought in the difficult

Ken, what time did you land on D-Day?

Quarter to eight on the Tuesday morning.

And can you give us a sense of what the scene that greeted you when you

I never heard a noise like it before.

There was flashes, gun flashes, battleships, guns firing, rockets,

smoke. You could hardly see a thing for smoke.

You didn't know where you were half the time.

And did you lose many comrades when you landed on the beach or had the

The first wave definitely did its work because I think as far as I can

remember we never lost any men on the beach itself.

There was more fighting to come, yes.

On a day like this, who are you remembering here today?

I have been over here three or four times and I always try to look for

Have you met up with any old friends?

I have been looking for people from my battalions for 70 years and I

have been to different functions and I never found anyone.

Yesterday, I went on to Sword Beach and I was stood near the statue and

this chap came up to me and said, "My dad's in the same regiment."

It turned out he was in the same battalion and company and I was and

That was the first one in # 70 years.

His son told me he worked out there was three Green House Howards left,

his father, myself and another chap who he contacted.

Throughout the day we will be hearing lots more.

That was a very, very nice experience to share.

That was Dan Snow and we will be back with Dan shortly.

Bill Martin is a young man of 20 and he was sent to defend the vital

bridge later to be known as Pegasus in honour of the airborne troops

I served as a private in the 7th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment.

Our job was to go out there and hold a bridge at whatever cost.

If it meant shooting people, that was it.

the Horsa, which crossed the River Orne, and Pegasus,

As far as jumping out of an aeroplane,

It's when you hit the floor, that's when you can get

just tell yourself that you're dead already anyway.

Don't worry about it, just get on and do what you're told.

I think lots of our soldiers did the same.

Don't want to think about your family, your brothers

The people you rely on now are the people who are

in front of you and behind you, who are jumping with you.

We weren't scared of the Germans, we was up for the fight.

It is just that we were dropped in the wrong bloody position

We were one platoon with thousands of Germans around.

I found out later on that we were dropped 21 miles wrong.

So we were at a big disadvantage trying to make our way back.

I got taken prisoner, others got killed.

You don't feel emotional during the actions, but in later life...

I never used to think about it a lot.

I thought when I first went back to Normandy and I saw the grave

and the realisation of what you are about to do is very adult.

It's not a movie. You know that death can be odds or evens.

It's only now, looking back from this old age,

that I see people 20 years of age and they just seem like children.

And I realise that we were just children, in many ways.

That was Bill Martin's remarkable story. He attended events yesterday,

when they returned to Pegasus Bridge.

It is deeply humbling to do this. It is hard to explain. I'm highly

privileged to be here on my two feet, 70 years later. Did you land

on this area on D-Day? Yes, indeed. Close to the Pegasus Bridge. Did you

have any nerves this afternoon? Nerves, what's that? !

It's just an amazing sight, to think how low they are as well.

What made you want to come back for this very special anniversary? It's

a special anniversary but this is a bit glamorous at the moment. The

really motion I had was visiting the cemetery, seeing my friends' grades.

I can understand that. But seeing the planes come over just now, it

must bring back memories as well. It does, it gives me a buzz. It gives

me a feeling I'd like to do it again. I've got my grandchildren

around me. How many of your family have you got with you? 24. It sounds

like you had a full life afterwards. It's a good job I turned up

otherwise they wouldn't be here. I'm really proud of him. I can't tell

you how amazing the atmosphere is here. There's hordes of people and

almost to the minute, this precise moment here on Pegasus Bridge, this

is where Britain's D-Day began, 70 years ago. I am absolutely delighted

to have so many veterans with me because you have with you, in front

of you, the ones who are the heroes of the time. I want to thank you

all. My father said to the British soldiers as they dug their trenches

in the garden, dig it up, it's all for you and I want to invite you to

a glass of champagne to commemorate that occasion.

How does it feel to have everyone around here today, it must be so

special? It is very special because, as you can see, it just shows you

that from the military of the time, it continues to be militarily. And I

think it is very moving and touching.

Have you had any champagne this evening? I'm still half cut! So you

are enjoying the festivities? Everyone has been so kind, it's very

nice. They are so thrilled to see you over here. Yes, they are. Their

parents so as here and they still remember very strongly.

There you have it, in just a few minutes, the spirit of this 70th

anniversary. Because it is all about paying tribute to those who made the

ultimate sacrifice, really. But it is also about French gratitude. No

matter where you go, in local cafes here, people just wanting to say

thank you for what was achieved 70 years ago. James, I'm envious

because you clearly had a lovely time at that event last night. What

was it like? Terrific. There were hordes of people. What is so

fabulous is all the veterans were treated like kings, which is exactly

as it should be. I spoke to a number of them and a lot of them didn't

make the cut in that little film. There was one fellow who was moving,

he had been in the Durham Light Infantry. I saw his medals. He

fought in North Africa, Italy and Normandy as well. He had really been

around the park. He was terribly self-effacing, self-deprecating and

dignified. The kind of person that the Prime Minister will be meeting

today. David Cameron has just arrived at the Bayeux war cemetery

for the service taking place in a short while. The Queen will be there

too. Antony Beevor is still with us too. I'm reflecting on the Prime

Minister there coming to pay his tribute. We are here talking

specifically given the gentleman we have just seen about the airborne

troops and what they achieved in the lead-up to and overnight into D-Day.

How lead-up to and overnight into D-Day.

important was that? It was terribly important. With the sixth airborne

securing the eastern flank and the Americans. What was extraordinary,

of course, was that the disastrous scattering of many of the

paratroopers dropping all over the place, some of them 20 miles away

from their drop zones, confused the Germans, they didn't know where the

real focus of the attack was coming, it is the law of unintended

consequences in war. Let's look at what is going on in Bayeux. There we

have the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, who was also attending this

event today and of course, lots of them, we will see in Arromanches

when we have the main British event in this part of Normandy when the

Normandy Veterans' Association will be parading through the square here.

I suppose before we get be parading through the square here.

I suppose before we to that service a little later, it's worth

reflecting as well on the enormous exercise that went on, not just in

the few weeks before D-Day, but for many months before it happened. A

sense of that, James, first? Well, D-Day is not the start, it's two

years into the planning. Now, the concentrated planning only began in

January of 1944, the chief Chief-of-Staff, the first initial

planning and the logistics, the Mulberry's was further back than

that. The Canadians were training for this since 1940. It is a huge,

huge effort. It is not just about getting troops and trucks and tanks

over to here, it is about rations and fuel and there is so many things

to think about and you though, they do pull it off. Another thought

before we go to the service where we will hear lots of themes of

gratitude and reconciliation later on. One thought, Antony, it is

really to do with not just sacrifice, not just French

gratitude, because that's a strong theme today, but also to do with

what D-Day achievement. People talk about it being a turning

what D-Day achievement. People talk are right to talk of it in that way?

It was definitely a turning point in the war in the West. The

psychological turning point of statin grad had taken place, if

D-Day failed, the map of Western Europe might have looked very

different. The Prince of Wales Europe might have looked very

the Duchess of Cornwall arriving in lovely sunshine at Bayeux for the

service at the Bayeux war cemetery. We'll join Sian Williams who is

keeping an eye on things for us there. The Prince of Wales is here

today as Admiral of there. The Prince of Wales is here

was greeted by the Honour Guard from there. The Prince of Wales is here

all three Services and took a Royal Salute as well. They are going to

look forward, I know, to speaking to veterans. Yesterday, they met

veterans of the Glider Regiment and laid a wreath at the Glider

veterans of the Glider Regiment and with a note saying in gratitude of

your service and sacrifice. He is talking to a man who looks after

Bayeux and the surrounding area. This is a big part in planning it

with the Royal British Legion and also consulting the Normandy

Veterans' Association. There you can see the French Honour Guard and the

British as well from the three Services and that is the memorial

representing those who have no grave.

The troops from the royal Royal Yeomanry from Nottingham. A lot of

them are here for the first time. They say when they saw the scale of

the cemetery, it was humbling. Staff Sergeant Graham Mudd.

Alongside two guards. The veterans have been here with their families

all morning really. They have been here for the past couple of hours.

The Royal British Legion was expecting to fewer than 650

veterans. They are allowed to bring a spouse or a career and they get

funding, Lottery funding to do that, to come here today, but they said

they wouldn't be surprised if others turn up. The number of veterans from

the UK, also veterans from other Commonwealth countries. And the

veterans saying that sometimes it's quite hard to think about coming

back. There is always a great feeling of sadness. One veteran told

me from the Royal Marines that however many times you come back, it

is always a very sad occasion. He is often reminded when he landed on

Juno Beach with the Canadians. His best friend didn't make it off that

beach. The Band of the Royal Yeomanry. This is the voice of the

guards. The land is led by the Director of

Music. They are a verve band of 32 musicians. Almost have former

service with the Household Division and other bands. The standards you

see come from many branches of the Royal British Legion who are

represented here today and the British Legion told me they didn't

know how many were going to turn up, but there are French standards there

as well and from the Normandy Veterans' Association who we heard

earlier are going to be officially disbanded later this year.

The band of The Standards marching past. This is where the service of

remembrance is going to take place. There is a Union Flag which is

carried by Norman Espy from Northern Ireland. Carried at the front by

Steve Barrage. As they take their places between

the choir from Cambridge and the Band of the Royal Yeomanry waiting

for the Service of Remembrance. Waiting for The Prince of Wales as

well and the Queen, Her Majesty, the Queen, will be arriving shortly by

helicopter. The cemetery is kept by the Commonwealth War Graves

Commission. I think if you haven't been here before, you are really

struck by the dignity. The headstones are the same and they are

mant to be uniform -- meant to be uniform. You can't distinguish

between rank. It cares for the graves and memorials of over nearly

500,000 servicemen and women who died in the Commonwealth Wars. The

cross is meant to represent the faith of the majority in the

cemetery. And the broad sword facing down to signify that it is a

military cemetery. When the Commonwealth qar graves commission

was -- War Graves Commission was designing the cemeteries, they were

advised by Sir Frederick Kennon that there was no reason why the

cemeteries should be places of gloom. That's the chairman of the

War Graves Commission. Samantha Cameron, Theon Hague and William

Hague and Nick Clegg talking to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister

has spoken about his deep respect for the veterans many times. His

grandfather was badly wounded shortly after landing on the

Normandy beaches in 1944 and he said, "I cannot possibly imagine

what it was like to land on those beaches."

That's what thousands of young men did.

Tony Abbott, seven Australian air men. They were

veterans in the Normandy seven Australian air men. They were

It was be their first return to Normandy. There are 17 Australians

buried in Bayeux war cemetery. Most of them aircrew. Among them Flying

Officer Duncan McFadden who was 28 years of age. You can just see

there, on the left-hand side of your screen, the Governor General of New

Zealand. Just behind the man screen, the Governor General of New

the glasses. He has brought nine New Zealand veterans with him.

A lot of the politicians, of course, going to the international event at

Ouistreham later on with the other heads of State including President

Obama and President Putin. The Queen's helicopter is arriving. She

is going to be greeted by the French Prime Minister who we saw at the

service at the cathedral earlier talking to politicians and talking

to David Cameron. The Queen will be lay ago wreath --

laying a wreath during the service of remembrance.

And the veterans have a special place in their heart for the Queen.

A lot of them have been to the services before. Veteran Bloomfield.

He is 92 years of age. He served in the Royal Marines. During D-Day he

was a gunner. Ed Miliband talking to members of the military. General Sir

Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff and that's the Chief of the

Defence Staff. A lot of French people have come to

pay their respects today and as the politicians and the veterans were

making their way to the cemetery, they were clapping and shouting

merci. It was very moving. They do feel a huge debt of gratitude to the

veterans. There was an enormous cost to French civilian life. Tens of

thousands of them died at Normandy. They are reflecting on that

liberation today and the cost that was paid. By France and by other

nations too. We see there the flags of British

Legion and the Normandy Veterans' Association to the left-hand side

and the Normandy Veterans' Association which will be disbanding

later this year is disbanding because there aren't members. There

are only 600 members now. There used to be 16,000 members. And it was

founded in Grimsby in 1981 and one of its founding members talked about

why it had been set-up. He said afterwards for a lot of us, the

experience of battles on the Normandy front stayed behind. An

ex-serviceman, " Where is that comradeship? Can we possibly regain

some of that feeling?" Members of the clergy who are

gathering for the service. Military chaplains. That's Mandy Reynolds. A

veterans chaplain and that's the Royal British Legion chaplain to

Normandy who will begin the service by welcoming veterans today and will

also begin by reading a prayer today. In the centre, the Royal

British Legion chaplain. I was speaking to him yesterday. He said

it was an enormous honour to be here and again, he used that word very

humbly. The French Prime Minister arriving at the entrance to the

cemetery. The Commanding Officer of the Honour

Guard. And the men include 32 Regiment Royal Artillery, the RAF

and many different troops as well from naval ships. Some of them were

this week attending the State Opening of Parliament.

Just to let you know that that flag was actually in Bayeux on the day of

liberation, the day after D-Day. As the Queen is arriving and walks

to take her place in the Service of Remembrance, there will be a Battle

of Britain Memorial Flight. The RAF's tribute to the aviators of

World War II. You can see painted with black and white D-Day invasion

stripes to avoid friendly fire. Her Majesty, the Queen arriving with

the Duke of Edinburgh. They seemed to enjoy that. The Queen

makes her way to the front of the cemetery. Now she is stepping on to

Commonwealth soil because this land is a gift from the French

Government. She is met by Sir Joe French, the vice-chairman of the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the president of the Royal

British Legion which, could have course, the Queen is patron d which,

of course, the Queen is patron. This is her fourth visit to Bayeux

Cemetery. Lots of people say no matter how many times you have been

here, it is always very moving. She will be walking past a lot of

headstones. The youngest in the cemetery is only 17 years old. A man

called William Scott. Peter Wilkinson telling me this morning,

that he was hoping to talk to the Queen

that he was hoping to talk to the when she would have been a teenager.

Walking past the Stone of Remembrance. It was chosen by Sir

Rudiard Kipling. There are small crosses from local schools. And

veterans prayer. The Duke of Edinburgh, the High Lord Admiral of

the Fleet is wearing his uniform. You can just make out that broach.

That was a favourite broach of her mother's. It is called the Waterfall

Broach. A representative of

Veterans' Association. Although the Normandy Veterans' Association will

be disbanded later this year, they have been telling me that they will

still come back year after year even as their numbers diminish.

There is a huge amount of respect for the Queen from the veterans and

the Royal British Legion was telling me yesterday that it really is the

icing on the cake that she should be here today. Peter Wilkinson has met

the Queen on many occasions. He has spoken of his deep pride at his

involvement in today's events. He hopes as well that this year's

commemorations will help future generations understand the

importance of remembrance. The Royal party and the French Prime

Minister preparing for when the service starts in a few minutes

time. Your Majesty, your Royal Highnesses,

ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Royal British Legion, it is an

honour for me to welcome you to this cemetery this morning. Here in this

cemetery we are reminded of the true cost of D-Day. Whose 70 anniversary

we mark today. We pay tribute to the dead and welcome enthusiastically

the veterans for whose courage and devotion we are most grateful. This

is a British ceremony and most of the graves in this place are

British. But D-Day involved many nations and many nations are

represented here. Beside the British graves lie Commonwealth servicemen

from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. As well as Czechs,

Frenchmen, Poles, and Russians. There are also German and Italian

servicemen buried here. Elsewhere in Normandy lies servicemen from

Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States. Here in this

cemetery men from many nations lie together united in death. And

together, united in gratitude, sorrow and respect we honour their

memory. May they rest in peace. We sing the hymn Praise My Soul The

King Of Heaven. # Praise my soul the king of heaven.

# Praise the everlasting King. Hallelujah Lear! Hallelujah!

# Hallelujah! Hallelujah! us.

# What lay lieuia. Let us remember before God and

commend to his keeping those who have died for their country in war.

Those whom we knew and whose memory we treasure and today, especially

those who gave their lives in June 1944 and subsequent months during

the liberation of France. They shall not grow old as we that

are left grow old. At the going down of the sun and in morning, we will

remember them. We will remember them.

getting ready for the laying of the wreath. HRH The Prince of Wales is

showing his respect to the people here. The Queen is being led by the

Vice Admiral, Sir Wilkinson from the Royal British Legion. The wreath has

the inscription, "In memory of the glorious dead." The wreaths made in

the poppy factory in South London. They were made by ex-service

personnel. HRH The Prince of Wales and the French Prime Minister.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister of

Australia and the Governor General of New Zealand.

MUSIC: The Day Thou Gavest Lord Is Ended

Brigadier David Banes from the Normandy Veterans' Association in

the middle with Sir Joe French from the Commonwealth War Graves

Commission, the vice-chairman. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal

God from who we can't be parted either by death or life. Hear our

prayers and thanksgivingings for all whom we remember this day. Fulfil in

them the purpose of your love and bring us all with them to your

eternal joy through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

#Ovaliant hearts who to your glory came.

# Through dust of conflict and through battle flame.

# Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved.

# Your memory hallowed in the land you loved.

# Deep your contentment in that blest abode

# Who wait the last clear trumpet call of God

# O risen Lord O Shepherd of our dead

# Whose cross has bought them and whose staff has led

# In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land

# Commits her children to thy gracious hand. #

How shall he not with him freely give us all things. Who shall lay

anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who

is he that condemn this. It is Christ that died, rather is risen

again. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,

As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long,

we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,

nor things present, nor things to come,

nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lord, welcome into your calm and peaceful kingdom

those who have departed out of this present life to be with you.

Grant them rest and a place with the spirits of the just,

and give them the life that knows no age,

the reward that passes not away. ALL: Amen.

Almighty God, stretch forth your mighty arm

to strengthen and protect the armed forces:

grant that meeting danger with courage and all occasions

they may truly serve the cause of justice and peace -

to the honour of your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of peace proceed:

kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all,

and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom

those who take counsel for the nations of the earth,

that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward,

till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love -

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

Teach us good Lord to serve thee as thou deservest -

to fight and not to heed the wounds -

to labour and not to ask for any reward,

save that of knowing that we do Thy will,

ALL: O Eternal Lord God, who has united together

all Veterans of the Normandy Campaign.

Grant, we beseech you, your blessing, and give strength

to carry on our work to aid and bring comradeship

and joy and common purpose throughout our Association.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ whose courage never failed.

hallowed be thy name - thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

the power and the glory, for ever and ever:

we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humanity,

in the cause of peace, for the relief of want and suffering,

give us wisdom - give us courage - give us hope -

and keep us faithful now and always. Amen.

to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth,

and to us and all his servants, life everlasting.

And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

come down upon you and remain with you always.

And as the Service of Remembrance ends, the Queen is being led by Sir

Joe French. Sir Joe French the vice-chairman of the War Graves

Commission. There she is greeting the gardening team from the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission. That's William Moody she is speaking

to there. He worked with the organisation for 46 years and his

father and brother worked there before him. The senior head gardener

since 2003. And they have been replacing a lot of the headstones in

the cemetery over the last few months. The head gardener from

Brittany because they wanted it to look particularly special today. And

the sorts of flowers they have are very, very important, the texture,

the height and the timing of the flower display. That's Myles Hunt,

the gardener from Durham. They spend an awful lot of time and care

the gardener from Durham. They spend they're doing the garden. It is one

of the largest health st horticultural gardens in the world,

Commission. The aim was to have the general appearance of a British

cemetery and to make sure general appearance of a British

seasons the flowers are in bloom. But some flowers will be blooming at

any time of the year when people choose to come to the cemetery. The

Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are trying to find out more about how

the cemetery here is run. She is going to meet some veterans who have

been here many times. Peter Wilkinson from the Royal British

Legion will be introducing her to the Prime Minister and the Prime

Minister will be introducing the Queen to veterans from all over the

UK. They have spoken of their pride at being here today. And to meet the

Queen and to talk to her. Some of them have seen her before at the

Cenotaph Service of Remembrance. We saw a couple of the veterans during

the service. Veteran Eddie Slater, the chairman of the Normandy

Veterans' Association who said that the ceremony was about honouring

those that did not come home and to honour those who did and these men

don't think they are heroes. One said to me, "The heroes are in the

cemeteries. We just did what we had to do that day."

And those who are wearing the blue blazers from the Normandy Veterans'

Association say the reason the veterans come together is to have a

drink, to exchange memories and to renew old friendships. To do all the

things to further the friendships welded on the beaches and the

battlefields of Normandy. To remember those who did not return.

Who returned disabled, blinded, sick in mind. That's what Arthur Floodman

said, one of the founding members of the Normandy Veterans' Association.

Even though it will be disbanded later this year, in October, they

say they will all still meet and a lot of them will still come here

every year. The Queen has a very strong

relationship with the veterans and she paid tribute to them at the 60th

commemoration of the D-Day. She said, "It is one of the proudest

moments in our long, national history." When she thanked them, she

thanked them with these words, I take it upon myself to express the

debt of grad tud we owe to you all. I thank you and I salute you on

behalf of our whole nation. Antony Beevor, the historian, said Her

Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh want to show their

solidarity with the veterans because they are aware this maybe the last

time a reasonable number of them will be able to attend. So it is

very important for both of them to be here.

This is a chance for people once again to mingle and share stories.

The men from the Normandy Veterans' Association, it is said that one of

the flags is going to be entrusted to the Mayor of Arromanches as

custodian so the mayor and the people will raise it and lower it in

homage to that. The French Prime Minister is introducing Her Majesty

to French veterans. The Duke of Edinburgh meeting Second

World War veterans and he was, of the course, in the Second World War.

That's George Batts from the Normandy Veterans' Association.

National secretary, he landed on Gold Beach and of course, took part

in the Service of Remembrance. The Duke of Edinburgh when he meets

people, always puts them at their ease and I have seen this close up.

He has a very easy relationship with people he meets. And they have a

deep respect for him and his service too.

George Batts was saying on the Normandy Veterans' Association, a

lot are in nursing homes and a lot are in their 90s, the Duke is now

meeting the Australian veterans. The Australian Prime Minister, Tony

Abbott. There are 17 Australian graves in Bayeux Cemetery. And a lot

of aircrew have come over with the Australian

of aircrew have come over with the specifically for this event. Many

of aircrew have come over with the them haven't been back to Normandy

since the 1940s. The Queen is taking her time with

the veterans. It is a very, very important moment for her. She is

meeting and chatting to the Australian veterans, Phil Elgar,

meeting and chatting to the Bill Evans and Bill Houghton and

Bill Purdy. Most of them in the Royal Australian Air Force. One of

them deflected German Royal Australian Air Force. One of

landing sites. Bill Evans is going to tell the Queen about how he was

shot down in the middle of the night in his 20th operation in July 1944.

Ron on completion of Bomber Command operationstions post to Fighter

Command. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for

operations against the enemy. That's the New Zealand governor

general. He is introducing the Queen to the New Zealand veterans that he

brought with him. There are seven veterans here today.

LLOW He is talking now to Fred Reilly, one of the New Zealand

veterans. In Bayeux Cemetery, there are the

graves of eight New Zealand men. One of them was a seaman. The rest were

aircrew. The New Zealand Air Force providing vital support in the 1944

invasion. One of the veterans the Queen is being introduced to is a

lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves.

The New Zealand aircrew, which are buried in Bayeux, were three men in

two separate planes. They were shot down the day after one another. I

passed their graves yesterday. They died on 11th and 12th June 1944.

Brigadier David Baines, the Normandy Veterans' Association president. He

laid a wreath during the Service of Remembrance.

Among the veterans the Queen is being introduced to is a member of

the Yorkshire Regiment and a member of the younger generation there. It

is always lovely to see children at these services. There have been a

lot. I met a school party from Guildford who were looking around

the graves yesterday and one about ten said, "We really appreciate what

these men did because without them, we wouldn't be here." They had met

veterans and said they told us shocking stories and I was heart

broken. At the 65th commemorations here, there was a school party and

they held aloft signs that said, "The young do care and we do

remember." The Standards Honour Guard as the Queen leaves the

cemetery. Since the service finished HRH The Prince of Wales and the

Duchess of Cornwall have been meeting veterans. A great

opportunity for them to circulate among them and they've left a lot of

time to do that today which the veterans will really appreciate. I'm

sure seeing HRH The Prince of Wales when he is saluted showing his

respect to those who thought fought and those who died in the Normandy,

how much he will appreciate talking to them too. He is saluted showing

his respect to those who The Duke of Edinburgh is now

departing. The cemetery and they have many engagements for the rest

of the day. They will be going to a lunch at a nearby chateau and then

after that to the International event at Ouistreham which will have

a very different feel to what they have experienced today at Bayeux

Cemetery. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess

of Cornwall spending time chat to go veterans. The -- chatting to

veterans. The Queen veterans. The -- chatting to

lunch before that event at Ouistreham. This morning, a real

moment to pause and reflecting in this most beautiful

moment to pause and reflecting in settings. The service acknowledging

who gave their settings. The service acknowledging

were prepared to do so. 70 years ago, the men who are gathered here

today were young men, facing one of the brutal and bloodiest battles of

World War II, today we remember and they remember the sacrifices made

for peace and for us. And Dan they remember the sacrifices made

is among those men now. It is easy to forget that D-Day was

a vast coalition effort. There were service personnel from many, many

countries. I have been keen to find a veteran to talk to. I have been

looking for Australians. You guys know how to dress. That's a fine hat

you've got there, sir? Thank you. know how to dress. That's a fine hat

What were you doing on D-Day? We had to get up at dawn and we did the

dawn patrol. You were a Spitfire pilot, Fred? That's correct, yes.

Where were you based out of? Redhill. A lot of these

Where were you based out of? veterans remember coming up

Where were you based out of? beaches, you saw the whole thing,

Where were you based out of? you saw the beaches, what

Where were you based out of? look like? I never saw so many boats

thing and when the firing started and all the sparks and fireworks

started, and boats sunk straightaway. We were checking the

air in case any Germans were around. straightaway. We were checking the

Was your job to help infantry on the ground or was your job

Was your job to help infantry on the German planes? Many shoot if there

was any Germans involved. Did you see many German aircraft? We got

about three. You flew at dawn. You saw the beaches. Did you get up for

the rest of the day? We had a rest because I was doing another dusk

patrol. Was that a different one? You went over at dawn and saw the

landings as they were happening. At dusk was it a different scene? It

was a different scene because dusk was it a different scene? It

a lot of the landing craft and - mainly we had to be careful what was

going on. A, you had it take possession when you were flying in

formation and making sure that nothing was attacking you. What's it

like when you hear the noise of those griffin engines and you see

the outline of your old fighter. What emotions does that stir up in

you? Eel' not an emotional -- I'm not an emotional type, but I was

emotional at the whole thing today. It has been a beautiful day? A

beautiful day. In fact, I never ever thought I was going to use my hanky

chief, but I needed to today. We have all been using them. We are

surrounded by the 4,000 headstones in Bayeux Cemetery which is

beautiful. Of course, when you travel around Normandy, you see so

many of these cemeteries, you almost can't get away from them and

everyone who visits them talks about their experience in them and they

are places of contemplation, a place of commemoration and just beautiful

places to spend some quiet time. There is one organisation that looks

after the cemeteries, not just the 18 here in Normandy, but the

thousands around the world. They make sure the headstones are kept in

pristine condition with no difference in age, rank, religion or

nationality. This is their story. The task of the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission is to maintain the records and to

care for the graves and memorials to 1.7 million Commonwealth war

dead from both World Wars And really it was down to the vision

of one man called Fabian Ware. What he discovered was that there

was no organised system for recording the burial places

of soldiers who had died in battle, so he went about and started to

record and mark the burial places, and his work was then recognised

by the Army in 1915, until in 1917, the imperial War Graves Commission

was formally established by Royal Charter, and the work of the

War Graves Commission really began. Nothing like this had ever

been attempted before. Many of the burial places were

chosen as the fighting was going on. So, here in Bayeux,

there was plenty of space, and this was close to

many of the field hospitals that were established

very early on during the fighting. So many of the men buried here

died in hospital, but many of them were brought from

battlefields all across Normandy. All the cemeteries

in the War Graves Commission, The same policy is implemented

in many cemeteries. We are in Jerusalem Cemetery here,

and it is a small cemetery, If it is a small or

a very big cemetery, it is still maintained to the same

standard as all other cemeteries. the first thing he will see

is headstones, because the headstone

is the identity of that they need to be always

in good shape, the headstones. People must read the name,

the regimental badge, everything in

the inscription needs to be clear. And if the headstone is bad,

if they get wear and tear due to the climate or

a bad storm, they get replaced. They are like a battalion

in an army, they all keep square and try to

be straight, like they would My father worked, my brother

worked, and now my son works. So we all work for the

War Graves Commission. We deal with about 26,000

enquiries a year. They can be by telephone, e-mail,

letter. We are the first point of contact

that a lot of people will have when they are trying to trace

a relative's burial. You can really look back

into the archives that we have, Some people do find it upsetting

when they find It just astounds those that ring us

that all those thousands of people have no grave, but we do

commemorate them all equally. We came over on Sunday just to

look at the history of the place. I think the most poignant thing

is the average age of the people. The majority of them died in

a two-week period in June 1944. Even though we are in the centre of

the town, when you walk around, it is very,

very quiet and very peaceful. You can easily just, you know,

lose yourself. I think it is a fitting memorial

to the people buried here. I think they are really well kept

out of respect We have had a number of phone

calls, even recently, from people that have been trying to

trace relatives and they've actually been in Normandy at the time,

saying, "I don't know which "of the cemeteries my great-grandad

is buried in, can you help me?" And we can give them

directions to find the grave. Physically,

you can hear someone when they They're stood at

the relative's grave and the emotion

of that will come across as well. The men and women

that we commemorate still have They make us reflect

on our own lives and think about what we

hold dear and our own values. And I think that's their

greatest legacy today. I have got Glyn with me now. There's

one particularly interesting headstone here. There are two joined

together. What does this mean? This is an aircrew who were killed when

their plane came down. These men served together. They died together

and here they are buried together. Their remains couldn't be

individually identified, but here they are laid to rest. These are

Australians, aren't they? One Australian here. That is a reminder

of the Commonwealth aspect. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

commemorates men from across the former British Empire. We have

Canadians, South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders. This is

very exciting. I have never seen this before. You have also got

Allies - in fact, you have Italians who, of course, at that stage, and

Soviet and Czech forces? That's right. The Commonwealth War Graves

Commission commemorates many men and women from other nationalities. The

headstones are roughly the same dimensions. Each are shaped

differently. That reflects each individual nation. We have Soviet

forces, Czech forces, many Poles here, too. When I come to these

places, I would think what were two Czechs doing here? Rome had been

taken the day before D-Day? It is a reminder of how international the

effort was, not only on D-Day, but throughout the Normandy Campaign

which followed. I must say when I come to these cemeteries, I do get

choked up when I look on the British graves, there are these dedications,

or inscriptions. Are the families able to choose? That's right. The

families submitted the inscriptions to the Commission to be included.

There is a limited number of characters and lines that can be

used. You get an incredible variety of different sentiments. Sometimes

there are biblical quotations or lines of poetry and messages on

behalf of the families to the men. That is poignant. This is a very sad

one here. "In proud and loving memory, beloved husband of Ivy."

Some of the guys on D-Day weren't 19 or 20-year-olds, they had families.

This one was 34? The youngest was 17, the oldest 58. There's one here

that is interesting. A reminder of the different nations even within

the British Isles who took part in D-Day - this one is in Gallic?

That's right. Again, it is a reminder of the variety of the

forces that took part, not only in terms of international forces, but

within the British forces, too. When this was set up, we have seen the

veterans today, the impact coming here has on them. When it was set

up, did people think it would become a place of pilgrimage where veterans

could go back and remember? Absolutely. That was the founding

principle of the Commission. Back then, the way that the Commission

commemorated these men and women was very original. The idea that you

would have the same headstone regardless of class, or race, or

creed or religion. For the day, it was very unusual. Today, we have

generals commemorated in the same way as privates. I suppose there is

a big question - we have seen the veterans come back in an official

way for the last time today. What happens in the future? Are we going

to keep looking after these? That happens in the future? Are we going

the Charter, and as you will see on the Stone of Remembrance, the words

that Rudyard Kipling chose, "Their name liveth forever more." That is

what the Commission will be doing for years to come. Thank you.

STUDIO: Scenes in Bayeux that will live long in the memory from the

solemnity of the service to the nice informal scenes, the Queen and the

Duke of Edinburgh mixing with the veterans. We are back in

Arromanches. I asked you for messages and for anecdotes a short

while ago, before the service started. I have to say, you have

done us proud. I'm going to select a few. There are lots of really nice

things that people are sharing with us. I will start with Angus Cameron.

Thank you for sending this in. You were talking to your aunt last week.

She was a WREN working deep underground in Dover Castle, she

knew history was being made. She finished her shift just after dawn,

climbed the stairs, and she was greeted by the massed invasion fleet

in the Channel. Thousands of ships all heading to France and the sky

dark with planes. She said, "It was breathtaking and sobering too to

know that many of the young men aboard the ships would not return

home to their family." Thank you for that. John Healey talking about his

father-in-law, Edward Robinson, 20-years-of-age. His father-in-law -

"He is now 90, although his memory is not what it was, his memories are

still vivid." I am going to do one more for you. This is moving.

Josephine Williams telling us about Ivor Gibson, her uncle. He was

landing on Sword Beach on D-Day helping to liberate that part of

Normandy. Very hurt that he can't be here today. Missing out on the

presentations. But watching near his bed. Mr Gibson, we are thinking of

you today and we hope that you are part of the events through our

coverage today. Thank you, Josephine, for that. Let's look

outside. This is Arromanches. That is the main square, which you can

see in front of us. They are getting ready for that British event, that

parade, at the end of the day. And ready for that British event, that

parade, at the end of the day. there we are, lots of chairs laid out

already. It looks quite empty now. There were lots more earlier for the

Dutch event. If we look a few yards away on to the beach, there you see

in wonderful sunshine - we couldn't have hoped for better weather. The

flags fluttering in the breeze. We have some interesting craft on the

beach. James Holland is still with me. The author and historian. These

beach. James Holland is still with me. The author and historian. craft

are interesting. Tell us about the landing craft themselves. We are

going to look at one of them. What is going on? This one is a landing

craft utility. This would be for the Royal Marines Commandos. You would

get 120 men on that. Royal Marines Commandos. You would

get 120 men on And four Viking armoured personnel carriers as well.

That is a standard assault vessel of the age. They date back to 2002. It

is interesting, looking at Arromanches - it is worth reflecting

on that. Before we came into the studio today, a kind friend handed

this to me. Let's have a look at this. This is a posh guide to

Northern France and this dates from 1909. The reason I have got this is

because I want to tell you that Arromanches today attracts many,

many people for obvious reasons, for the D-Day heritage. In 1909, in this

book, it merits half a line. It says this, "To Arromanches, a pretty

situated bathing resort." That is it. That is all we have. Of course,

Arromanches today is right at the heart of the D-Day heritage trail,

some 300,000 visitors to the museum. But if you look at the Normandy

coastline and the D-Day centres along the coastline, some five

million visitors coming along. Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah and

the town of Bayeux and Caen. Five million people visiting this area in

an average year. In years like this, special anniversaries, the 70th this

year of course, we are talking about a big surge in those who come along

here. So that is where we are. That is the setting for you, if you like,

and the way that Arromanches has been transformed from a tiny little,

really unheard of place in 1909, to being one of the most famous places

in France today. We are going to think now about the memories of the

veterans have been sharing. We saw some of them chatting to the Duke of

Edinburgh earlier and the Queen. I have no doubt they were sharing some

of those memories with them. Those memories still very vivid.

When you select a target, you curl your finger around the trigger,

take the first pressure, then the second pressure, and the man falls,

at that precise moment, you may well have made a wife a widow, children

It's not just the men that die, it's what's left.

I must have felt that it was worth it, because the alternative

And we were all aware that we might get killed at one time or another.

After 70 years, one tends to forget, or wants to

forget, and I want to forget the things that happened 70 years ago.

But I'm glad that it's all gone and it's all in the past,

I think there was a philosopher said at one time,

or somebody, better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

That's what it was about - people able to live their lives

Those who don't come back, they are the heroes.

That is what today is all about. It is all to do with the story of the

veterans. Those clearly still with us, able to relate their experiences

- and they do so so movingly. Of course, some of them not with us

today. Earlier on, we saw the Prince of Wales in Bayeux, enjoying his

chat with the Normandy veterans and people from across the Commonwealth.

We have seen representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Other countries, too, represented. People from Germany, people from

Italy. 19 nations represented at the event at Bayeux this morning. It was

lovely to see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spending a lot of times

with the veterans asking them questions. Now, we see Charles and

Camilla doing the same thing. The Prince, who has been very busy for

the last 24 hours or so, in events yesterday at Ranville, and toasting

the success of the people who came in overnight, those who prepared the

way, if you like. And spoke very movingly there and took part in the

service at Bayeux and gave a reading at Bayeux this morning. That is the

end of that event in Bayeux at the War Cemetery. More than 4,000 people

buried there. I'm going to talk a bit about the beach where most of

the casualties happened, that is Omaha. That is where the most

intense fighting took place on D-Day. So, if we see it, it is

second from the left there. And when we talk about Omaha, we are talking

about a beach that is six miles wide, the biggest of all the

beaches. Overlooked by cliffs which made attack very difficult. The

Americans faced the formidable German defences built by Rommel, the

famous dragon's teeth on the beach as they were called, designed to

destroy any landing craft. There were big gun emplacements and lots

of challenges. James is still with me. And we are joined, too, by the

military historian, Roderick Bailey. Omaha is, in many ways, when you

read the accounts, it is the most terrifying. What is your account of

Omaha and why it proved to be such a difficult one, James? The

interesting thing - Omaha does define D-Day for an awful lot of

people. That's been exaggerated by films such as Saving Private Ryan

and those 11 photographs by Robert Kapper. The point is - that is when

it was really terrible, in the initial wave. You have these cliffs

overlooking. They are not very high. They curve down and, of course,

anyone on those has They curve down and, of course,

field of fire for the attackers. It causes a whole lot of problems if

you are defending it as well because there is no escape. Anyone offshore

can see you because they curve down towards the sea. Even the most

heavily-defended strong points - one of the biggest ones is WN62 - it is

still only manned by 41 people. You are talking about comparatively few

numbers. The initial slaughter are talking about comparatively few

terrible. But it quickly becomes a lot easier. So you get

terrible. But it quickly becomes a casualties in the first wave. That

goes down to 30%. Then subsequent waves a lot lower than that.

goes down to 30%. Then subsequent first strong points are falling

about 9.00 and by midday, it is all over. Interesting to see the images.

We will keep on watching them. Roderick, your perspective on Omaha

and what went right and want went wrong? James referred to the terrain

being a formidable obstacle. There was a combination of factors that

did go wrong. The aerial bombardment beforehand which should have taken

out some of the fortifications, it was too far inland. A lot of the

fortifications were left untouched. They were extremely strong. The sea

bombardment as well went too far inland and there was a concern

because the weather was so poor that the shells could drop short and hit

the Americans as they were landing. Was there any option or any thought

at any stage not to do Omaha? Was there any strategic - I read

somewhere that Bradley thought they could drop this as an option because

it was so challenging. Was that realistic? What would have happened

had he done so? There was a Royal Navy detachment, Special Forces, and

a two-man team went out on New Year's Eve. As long as that... Yes,

and they went over in a midget submarine and crept out on to the

beach. The reason for going on New Year's Eve was that would be when

the Germans would be partying. When he came back, they had to do a

report. They saw General Bradley and Bradley said, "I know, my boy." Any

amphibious assault is an operation fraught with risk and people are

going to get killed and wounded. When you look at the sequence of

beaches and the way we have described the layout. If you take -

if you had taken Omaha out of that equation, could D-Day have worked? I

think so. Omaha itself is so different to the other beaches. It

was a key beach between Gold and Utah and the American parachutists.

The purpose of Omaha was to link up the beaches. That had to be done to

keep in touch with Utah and reinforce the Americans and keep in

contact with them in the east. It was a tough call. One of the things

they learned from 1943 is that if you have your invasion forces too

far apart, it gets very difficult to link that bridgehead. The most

important thing of all is to build-up enough troops quickly

enough so that you have that force there that when the Germans - as and

when the Germans do a concerted counterattack, you have enough to

see that off. You need your bridgehead to link together so there

is no real way - you could have taken out Omaha, but it would have

been fraught with all sorts of problems. Given what happened on

Omaha, are we in a position now, 70 years on, to say we know how many

people lost their lives on D-Day, we know how many casualties there were?

Are we far more certain about those statistics than we used to be? That

is a very good question. A lot of the statistics cover a period. A lot

of wounded were taken back to the UK. No real casualty lists were

taken on 6th June. Recent research in the States suggests the

casualties on Omaha were higher than the 2,000 or 3,000 people have

estimated. James? The latest figures are suggesting that there were 4,414

dead on D-Day and I would imagine that is about as accurate as we can

ever hope to get. Because of all the problems... That is more what we

used to report? It is. Having said that, worst case scenario was 30,000

casualties for D-Day, which they were prepared to absorb. The famous

line from Churchill... Exactly. It was about a third of that. D-Day was

always going to be tough. And things - it doesn't matter how much

preparation you have. It is such a complicated operation and things are

going to go wrong. Your amphibious tanks will come in at 45 degrees,

bombers will go over. You can't think of everything. The weather

plays a part. There was a big wind. That makes life difficult when you

are flying at low level. There's all sorts of things to factor in. The

miracle of D-Day is that, broadly speaking, all the major objectives

are taken - the flanks are secured, all the beaches are taken, no-one is

thrown back into the sea, the build-up of troops is every bit as

fast as they hope. OK, we don't get to Caen on day one. The actual area

that they are hoping to capture isn't as big. The Canadians do best

on Juno. They are the ones that make the biggest bridgehead around that

beach. In a moment, we will hear from one of the Americans who was on

Omaha on the day. Before we hear from him, one final point, Roderick.

When D-Day happened, the expectation was that, as you say, Omaha would

present the biggest challenges, or at least one of them. So, in that

sense, did the result at the end of the day in terms of casualties and

the balance of casualties, did it work out as people had foreseen? You

had all but one of the beach heads had been linked very soon, so that

was part of it, part of the success of the day. You had lodgements,

troops ashore on every beach head. Bradley stopped pushing people in

into Omaha and did wonder about taking survivors off and putting

them somewhere else. That didn't happen. Omaha was taken. So, the

aims were taken. Caen wasn't taken and Bayeux had to wait until the

next day. This was a lot of progress. Now that we have discussed

Omaha, it is worth listening to what one of the Omaha survivors told us

about his experiences on that day. My rank was private. We landed on

Omaha Beach. The smallest, but most heavily-defended sector. Everybody

around me was getting killed. As we were running across the beach, the

man on my right got shot in the chest. The man on my left got shot

in the chest. So, there was death all around me. I got shot in the

rifle. It fired once. It broke in two pieces. And just then, a shell

went off in front of me. For 32 hour, I suffered five serious

wounds. I figured there is no sense of - I might as well keep fighting.

I went out to get a Sergeant off the battlefield and I got three pieces

of shrapnel in the left side of my helmet into my skull. When I left

the beach, I received a bullet through my left foot.

At 12.30am, I received a bullet wound through my left upper lip to

take out my right upper jaw. The reason I kept on, I didn't think

they would be able to put me back together and I just saw all my

friends get killed on the beach. I wanted revenge. I wanted to keep

fighting. At 11.00am, a sniper, or snipers, opened up on the wounded.

When they came to me and shot me in the right knee. The next one was

going through HERE, but the destroyer got rid of the German

snipers. The knee injury was number five and I was evacuated after that.

I think the Lord was watching over me. I prayed on the beach. I figured

there was a mission for me. I found out later, one of the reasons for me

being saved was I became a physician and I saved a lot of lives.

STUDIO: Such a compelling account there. We will stay with Omaha and

the American account of events because there are special events and

commemorations taking place all over Normandy. We are covering them. The

Americans have been holding their own ceremonies and just a short

while ago, President Obama was there and he's been addressing the

veterans. Republic, Francois Hollande and the

president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. It is our

privilege to welcome all the visitors here today. We extend

special mention for the visitors here today. We extend

D-Day veterans and all those who honour us with their presence.

Today, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings

which began on the morning of June the morning of June six, 1944.

TRANSLATION: We will never forget. We will never forget the sacrifice

of the American servicemen. Mr President, we are the children and

grandchildren of this great generation. Long live America. Long

live France. Long live the memory of those who lost their lives here

today for our freedom. President Hollande, the people of

France, friends, family, our veterans,

If prayer were made of sound, the skies over England that night would

have deafened the world. Captains paced their decks. Pilots

tapped their gauges. Commanders pored over maps, fully aware that

for all the months of meticulous planning, everything could go wrong:

the winds, the tides, the element of surprise - and above all, the

audacious bet that what waited on the other side of the Channel would

compel men not to shrink away, but to charge ahead.

Fresh-faced GIs rubbed trinkets, kissed pictures of sweethearts,

checked and re-checked their equipment.

"God," asked one, "Give "God," asked one, "Give

me guts." And in the pre-dawn hours, planes rumbled down runways, gliders

whenever the world makes you cynical, stop and think of these

men. Wilson, Harry, and Rock are here

today, and I would ask them - along with our veterans of D-Day - if you

can, please stand. If not, please raise your hand and let us recognise

your service. These men waged war so that we might

know peace. They sacrificed so that we might be free. They fought in

hopes of a day when we'd no longer need to.

Gentlemen, I want each of you to A very powerful message from

President Obama who has been spending time with the American

veterans at Omaha and not just commending their courage and

remembering those who did not survive, especially in those first

waves, but really recognising all the support of family and friends

over the years who kept alive the heritage of D-Day, if you like, and

not allowed people to forget what happened 70 years ago. We are

Arromanches and we're looking forward to the events of this

afternoon. We will have a very moving parade, the Normandy

Veterans' Association gathering here for the last time formally, before

they disband. They are elderly gentleman, there are fewer of them,

they are increasingly fragile, so they have taken the decision to do

something in a dignified and formal way. They will disband the

organisation later this year. We are in a position to say this is the

last time the association will take part in a formal parade here in

Arromanches. That is why the day is so special. And that is why, if you

look outside, there are thousands of people who are still gathering here

in Arromanches. They are getting ready for the

march-past on Gold Beach. A bit of a party atmosphere, really, to be

honest. Of course, people are here to pay respects and to show a great

deal of admiration for what was achieved 70 years ago. But they are

here to enjoy, too. James and Roderick are still with me. When we

look at these scenes now, James, it is - there is a bit of a happy

atmosphere, too? It is a celebration more than anything else? It really

is. I love the fact that there are still a few children down there

making sandcastles. That's right. They are not going to be distracted

from their sandcastle-making! I'm interesting - I mentioned Gold

Beach. There will be lots of people at home who will know all of this -

but some won't. It is useful for us to dwell on some of the interesting

aspects of how this D-Day scheme was devised, how they got to these names

- Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword. How difficult a process was choosing

the beaches? They had to find somewhere the Germans wouldn't

suspect. They had to find a large enough area where you could land

multiple divisions within several hours and you can form a huge

lodgement area from which you can push further into Europe. I suppose

I would say, cheekily, if it was that obvious the Germans would have

clocked it! The Germans are guilty throughout the war of viewing

conflict through their own narrow prism of experience. The Germans

don't really do amphibious invasions very often. They don't have landing

craft so they don't assume landing craft can land enough men and

supplies and materials to sustain it. The British get round that, of

course, by having the sheer nerve to dream up the enormous Mulberry

harbours, the survivor of which we can still see behind us. We will

talk more about these harbours later on. You can see them dotted in the

background there. These big blocks of concrete which are still there.

That is what we mean by - a floating harbour, if you like?

That is what we mean by - a floating two that were built. The size of

That is what we mean by - a floating Dover - it's a pretty big place.

They are floated across the Channel. On top of that, the beaches are so

wide, they are so deep that that enables landing craft to come on.

Across all the invasion beaches, they dropped temporary breakwaters,

Across all the invasion beaches, old unused vessels that they don't

longer need, they sink them to create a breakwater. Behind that,

you can bring in your landing craft. That is going on at all the invasion

beaches. There we have it, when you walk along Gold Beach, that is what

you come across. It's a very bulky reminder of what is going on. Let's

look at what is going on in Bayeux. We have a special fly-past. What are

these, James? These are Spitfires. It's the stuff that brings the hairs

on the back of your neck up. I never tire of seeing them. They are just

absolutely magnificent. The great thing about the Spitfire is it was

there in 1939 and it was still there in 1935. We see it as an important

contributor to the ultimate victory and the importance that Britain

played in air power throughout the war. I believe we have one which is

a fighter, the other took part in photo reconnaissance missions. We

should really log the fact that photo reconnaissance played an

important part in the run-up to D-Day? Very much so. There were

famous photographs taken of the beaches with German soldiers

famous photographs taken of the for cover as the aircraft came in

very low. These are key for the planning. They are covering every

inch of 6,000 miles of coastline from Norway down to the south of

France. They did that because they didn't want to concentrate on one

area? Germans are going to spot a reconnaissance plane and they want

to keep the Germans guessing. Just because you see a reconnaissance

plane, it doesn't mean that is where the Allies are going to land, so you

have to cover all bases. When you look at the photographs, the detail

is incredible. You have brilliant people who are trained to examine

these in detail. The detail on the maps that are produced from the back

of these photographs, I have seen - the other day I was looking at one

of Gold Beach, where 50th Division were landing. Every single

machine-gun post, wire mine is all labelled on it. Incredible. It is

important as well, Roderick, the whole issue about supremacy in the

air, which clearly had been properly established in the Battle of

Britain. By D-Day that is crucial. If there had been any threat from

the Germans, in that sense, it would have looked very different? Yes,

absolutely. On D-Day, there was no Luftwaffe presence over the beaches

whatsoever. This was partly as a result of a huge amount

whatsoever. This was partly as a result of a huge of work that had

been done running up to these events. A great deal of work. It is

worth putting it in perspective. If you think about the

worth putting it in perspective. If Battle of Britain, the bomber force

of the Luftwaffe, you are talking about 1,500 aircraft. By the time of

D-Day, we have got just shy of 12,000 aircraft in operation on

D-Day itself. I once interviewed a German Luftwaffe pilot who flew

here. He took off twice on D-Day, about 30 miles inland. He had a

quick look around and landed back down in very quick order! There will

be a few more fly-pasts later today involving more aircraft from the

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which, obviously, is a very

prominent part of lots of these traditional days and when we have

the Queen's Birthday Parade next week. The history of the flight, I

also find that interesting. It was down to Peter Thompson in the late

'50s who single-handedly made it happen. He realised that these great

old aircraft were in danger of disappearing, nobody was looking

after them. He decided he wanted to create an historical flight. No

public money. Amazing. In those days, voluntary effort, no public

money. Had it not been for him, in the '50s, we probably wouldn't be

seeing them now. There's probably about 50 airworthy Spitfires in the

world. There are probably 75 or so that could be flown. It is a hell of

a number. The tragedy for me - where is the P47? Where is the

rocket-firing Typhoons? It would be wonderful to see one of those. I do

remember talking to a great British fighter ace, an incredible man, he

said, "Why didn't we box up six of everything?" You can't help sharing

that sentiment. Look, they are flying off into the distance. It is

not our last glimpse. Later on today, the Spitfires will be back

and they will be closer to us at that point. I think, also,

gentlemen, we will have a Lancaster, a Dakota, too. So, that is all to

come later on today. What I would like to tell you now is

the Prince of Wales is still chatting to veterans. That is a

lovely scene for us. Really animated, listening intently, the

veterans, and he sharing some stories with them. That is a nice

feature of today, the relatively informal tone that's been set after

the service, obviously, and the service at the Cathedral was

properly solemn and calm and tranquil and then we had the

dedication of the new bell at the Cathedral. Then, we had those lovely

scenes at Bayeux War Cemetery, where the Prince of Wales and the Duchess

of Cornwall were there, and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh,

too. The Prince of Wales has been underlining his real sense of

importance about D-Day. He's wanted to underline the great gratitude

that he feels everyone owes to the Normandy veterans and he's been

talking to Dan Snow. What do these D-Day anniversaries

mean to you? A great deal, I think. They give you a chance to reflect

more than anything else on the extraordinary sacrifice and courage

and resilience and determination of these remarkable people, and the

huge number of course who came in the first days of the D-Day

Landings. And the ones who landed, dropped here from The Parachute

Regiment, of which I have been Colonel-in-Chief for 37 years or

something. So, it is a very special moment, just to salute them and

thank them, the ones who survived, how they did, when you think of the

amount of lead flying around. Terrifying. But the fact they did is

remarkable. The wonderful thing is that others want also to pay their

respects, the French, and those who benefitted as a part of their

sacrifice. The same thing for the rest of my family, who also have a

chance to reflect and pay their respects. Commemorations in Bayeux

have veterans at their heart. Are you looking forward to spending time

with them? Absolutely. I realised the other day I have been coming for

30 years, each ten years starting in '84 and then we came for the 65th

and, of course, what is so sad is, having - I was born in 1948. I was

lucky to meet a whole lot of people just after the war. Some of the very

senior generals and air marshals and admirals, so I met a lot of the old

boys who died long ago. But it was always fascinating to hear them talk

about, if you could get them to talk about their experiences! But well

worth it. Because of the historical context and what we can learn from

their experience and so on and so forth. I love seeing them. They are

a great generation. Your family have all served and now your sons have

served, Harry saw active service in Afghanistan. Have you changed the

way you view these ceremonies? Yes. In my case, I served in the Royal

Navy 40-something years ago for five years. So I have some idea of what

it is like. Then, when you get older - because I was in my 20s then - all

these characters are 20, 18 or 19. You view the world a different way,

you think you are indestructible. Later on, you get to the stage of

being a parent and then, you know, getting older and reflecting and

then they go away, my two, Harry was in Afghanistan twice. As a parent,

of course, you do, you worry like hell. When you are young, you get on

with it. That at least helps me to understand a bit what so many of our

families have put up with over the time our forces have been involved

in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, yes, it does help a lot to have that sort of

closeness of understanding and an involvement, which I have had all my

life with the armed forces. The New Zealand veterans at Bayeux are a

reminder of the huge coalition of nations that took part on D-Day,

many of them in the Commonwealth? And an enormous Canadian effort. I

know because I am also Colonel-in-Chief of a large number

of Canadian regiments - and I have been for 37 years. I was in Canada a

of Canadian regiments - and I have few weeks ago. All that Commonwealth

contribution was really remarkable when you think about it. They played

such an important part. commemorations, and this is probably

the last one for the D-Day landings, does give an opportunity

as well to pay tribute to so many of the French people who suffered so

much during that invasion. A lot of destruction but they also supported

and helped the Allies in so many different ways. And again, in

particular, the Resistance who played such a crucial part and

sacrificed so much in the course of the war and the horrors they went

through. It is really a special opportunity just to remember and say

a prayer of thankfulness for all these people and what they

contributed to us and our future. Thank you very much, your Royal

Highness. The Prince of Wales talking earlier

to Dan Snow and reflecting on the significance of this 70th

anniversary and talking a little bit about his family perspective and of

course, his strong links with the armed forces which go back after

century really. And of course, when you think of the Duke of

Edinburgh's record as well in the Armed Forces, the link is very

strong, the bond is free strong indeed. Here in Arromanches I have

to say it is a very warm day. I am not complaining, it is very sunny,

but I am thinking of the veterans who will be standing outside for the

parade which will take place outside here on the square. In the distance

you can see the D-Day Museum here in Arromanches and that is where the

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting a little later on today.

They will be taking a salute when the Normandy veterans are on their

parade at the end of the day. That will be in the early evening here in

Arromanches. That is the thing we are building up to, if you like, at