Veterans made an emotional pilgrimage across the English Channel to pay their respects to servicemen who took part in D-Day.
Yesterday marked the 71st anniversary of the legendary air and sea assault which marked a major turning point in the Second World War for the Allies.
Around 150 British veterans crossed the Channel to honour their comrades who, on June 6 1944, helped to strike a decisive blow against the Nazis.
The Reverend Patrick Irwin, the Royal British Legion chaplain to Normandy, told troops gathered at Bayeux Cathedral that “we thank you from the bottom of our hearts”.
Servicemen “showed courage” in the face of a “resilient and well-equipped enemy”, but they had trust in their comrades, he added.
Inside the cathedral was British D-Day veteran Victor Mackenzie, 91, who was aged 20 when he served with the Royal Army Service Corps on D-Day.
As the bells tolled following the service, Mr Mackenzie, of North Weald, Essex, said: “It’s always very emotive, it really is.
“You have to think of those who never came back. It’s with you every day. It’s one of those things.
“Coming back to the cathedral brings back so many memories.”
Outside the cathedral, Bob Gamble OBE, of the Royal British Legion, said: “Last year there was a significant event around this date but each year and every year since the end of the Second World War, veterans and their families come here to mark the moment where sacrifices and memories were made.
“For a lot of veterans who came, it was one of the key moments in their lives. They come back and meet people who they often haven’t met since 71 years ago.
“It’s an important part of their life and for everyone who contributed to victory in Europe.”
Crucial to the early part of the campaign was the successful glider-borne assault on Pegasus Bridge, immortalised in the film The Longest Day.
Led by Major John Howard, a team of Horsa gliders silently landed to take the strategically-vital bridge and another nearby after a 15-minute skirmish, in which two soldiers were killed and 14 wounded.
It paved the way for the Allies to surge inland, and Maj Howard famously signalled the success of the first British objective on D-Day by transmitting the codewords “Ham and Jam”.
Penny Bates, daughter of Maj Howard, who died aged 86 in 1999, was among those who travelled to Normandy to mark the anniversary.
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