D-Day 80: RECAP: Spectacular evening drone lightshow rounds off Portsmouth's commemoration events
and live on Freeview channel 276
Two spectacular events have taken place today - the first attended by King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales and other Royal Family members, prime minister Rishi Sunak, military personnel from across the armed forces, local dignitaries and other special guests. It also featured a flypast from the Red Arrows and a Typhoon.
The second event screened much of the commemorations at the Bayeux cemetery in France, followed by a spectacular drone light show above the naval war memorial.
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Hide AdPortsmouth - the home of the Royal Navy - played a vital role in Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944, with operations being essential to the success of the naval landings which turned the tide of the Second World War for the Allied forces.
The ceremonial pageantry will be combined with poignant services to make sure the memories of what took place, and the subsequent lessons, are never lost to time. Residents without tickets to the event will be able to watch much of the coverage on BBC and iPlayer.
Watch now on Shots! D-Day: The Forgotten Soldiers - a special documentary brought to you by The News.
D-Day 80 Portsmouth ceremony
Key Events
- The BBC will be broadcasting the ceremony around the world.
- Second event due to take place this evening
- Major highlight will be a fabulous drone light show
Crowds at fever pitch
The beach is being filled and clusters of people are gathering across the common.
Drones in the sky
The long-awaited light show has begun - and it was worth the wait as it told the story of D-Day
Fabulous images from the drone show
We look at some of the fantastic images created by the drones this evening
Picture perfect commemorations
There were picture-prefect scenes on Southsea Common this evening - both inside the event and outside - as the city gathered for the final D-Day event
Glorious day - note from the Editor
Yesterday was a glorious day for our city which hosted the UK’s 80th anniversary commemorations.
Today the city will hold its annual service at the D-Day memorial stone near Canoe Lake and there will be two beacons being lit.
Thank you so much for following our blog - do look through to catch up on any highlights you might have missed!
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