today at 5: 75 years on, tributes to the fallen heroes of d—day. last post plays. hundreds of veterans gather 75 years after the d—day landings, in normandy for a day of commerative honouring those who fought and remembering those who never came events, honouring those who helped liberate europe and change the course of world war ii. back. the prime minister gives her piper plays. this morning a lone piper thanks to the veterans, marked the moment british forces went ashore — and tells them june 6th 191m the beginning of a campaign that was a day when they helped determined the fate of generations. build a better world. hundreds of veterans have made the journey to normandy — these young men belonged to a very special generation, perhaps for the last time — the greatest generation. and remembered the brothers—in—arms that never came back. when my life is over, a new memorial is unveiled to those who made the ultimate sacrifice — and i reach the other side, paid for with money raised by veterans. none of them wanted to be part of another war, but when

don't say i'm a hero, i'm no hero, i was lucky, i'm here. all the heroes are dead and i'll never forget them as long i live. and this evening, a fly—past by the red arrows as the commemorations draw to a close. we'll have the latest from normandy, and we'll be talking to the military historian, sir anthony beever. and one other main story today, a devastating blow for bridgend, as ford confirms it's closing its engine plant there, with 1,700 jobs at risk. gutted, especially for the youngsters. these are good, well paid jobs. hello and welcome to

the bbc news at five. hundreds of veterans have gathered in normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of d—day. theresa may and the french and american presidents have been attending commemorative events across northern france, to honour those who fought in one of the most momentous operations in military history. june the 6th, 191m was a day that changed the course of the second world war and began the liberation of europe. a lone piper marked the moment, at 6.26 in the morning, that the first british soldiers went ashore. richard galpin reports. last post plays. they gather perhaps for the last time. today, a chance to remember the dead and pay tribute to those

still alive. the veterans in normandy today the last survivors of the great generation, who liberated europe from the tyranny of nazi rule. this is it, they're on the beach, plunging waist deep into the sea. this is it, they're on the beach, plunging waist deep into the seafi yea rs plunging waist deep into the seafi years ago, the world held its breath as the first landing craft made their way onto the beaches. it was their way onto the beaches. it was the biggest naval invasion in history and the fighting was fierce, chaotic. the lads going down the ramps were getting knocked off by machine guns. young fellas who we we re machine guns. young fellas who we were talking to minutes before, the machine guns were taking them. they we re machine guns were taking them. they were in the water, being rolled over by the tide and you wanted to get them out but we couldn't. we couldn't help them. you can't describe it. the lowering

of that ramp onto bodies, gls, you didn't know if they were alive or dead. it used to give me nightmares. at 6:25am this morning a lone piper played. it was the exact moment british forces started their attack 75 years ago. piper plays> just along the coast, a new statue. it shows three soldiers fighting their way up the beach. the prime minister theresa may and french president emmanuel macron joined normandy veterans for the inauguration. these young men belonged to a very special generation, the greatest generation. a generation whose

unconquerable spirit shaped our post—war world. if one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in france, in britain, in europe and the world, that day was the 6th ofjunei941i. much of the money for the statue has been raised by veterans, in particular 93—year—old harry, a sapper in the royal engineers who landed on gold beach on the 6th of june. don't say i'm a hero, i'm no hero. i was lucky, i'm here. all the heroes are dead and i'll never forget them as long as i live. there are commemorations across normandy today. this is by a cathedral and a service of

remembrance, the first city to be liberated. when my life is over and i reach the other side, i'll meet my friends from normandy and shake their hands with pride. the american cemetery next to omaha beach. of all the allied forces on d—day itself, the americans saw the heaviest losses here. atjuno beach, canadian veterans also honoured the fallen. there are more than 4000 servicemen buried here, most of them british.

it is by far the hardest place that the d—day veterans to come. each veteran invited to lay a wreath, to remember their brothers in arms. the men who paid the ultimate sacrifice. they shall not grow old that we are left grow old. they shall not be condemned by the years, but the going down of the sun and the morning, we will remember them. we will rememberthem.

later this afternoon, the commemorations were focused here in the town of aaron marsh british vetera ns as the town of aaron marsh british veterans as the 19th regiment royal artillery. we gathered to honour those who died in the normandy landings and also give thanks to those survivors, both present here oi’ those survivors, both present here or in other places remembering their comrades. and, to add to the spectacle here, a fly past by a dakota and a spitfire, planes which played a crucial role in d—day. just a few kilometres away, the french president, emmanuel macron, attended a ceremony near omaha beach. d—day the beginning of the liberation of france from the nazis.

translation: for the nazi occupation, it was the beginning of the end. france knows all that it owes to the soldiers of the landings. the price paid in the lives of soldiers and civilians lost in the daring assault on the normandy beaches was huge, but it proved to beaches was huge, but it proved to beaches was huge, but it proved to be a key turning point in the war. richard galpin, bbc news. let's talk to the military historian, sir antony beevor, author of several leading books on the history of the second world war — he joins us from paris. thank you so much for being with us. your books always paint a brilliant picture of what it would have been like to be there. what would it have been like for a young soldier coming onto the beaches on the 6th ofjune 1944? it was quite literally terrifying.

one has to remember how rough the sea was. they'd been buffeted about in the landing craft. most of them we re in the landing craft. most of them were sick by the time they had got to the shore and then they found they were under fire and they had to get inland and there was a tremendous pressure on the commanders to get their men moving as fast as they could, when many of them were actually weakened by every thing they had been through on the journey to the beach itself. but the real fighting was actually going to start once they got across the beach and into that rolling farmland just to the north, where they were going to the north, where they were going to find killing fields in the open cornfields, and the germans had defended these very tough and very well built norman farmhouses. this was a mammoth military operation, but it was also months in the planning, wasn't it? it involved some extraordinary intelligence and

deception, actually, to full the germans about where the main invasion would be? the deception operation, plan 42, was probably the greatest of the war. it ranked with the soviet deception operations. very slightly later on that some of us that they managed to persuade them there was this first us army group commanded by general patton group were ready to invade. they whole point was to pin down the german 15th army and persuade them actually that there was going to be a second invasion coming, so they held them back. was going to be a second invasion coming, so they held them backm was extraordinarily successful. so successful and although thousands of allied troops died on d—day, presumably the casualty figures would have been much, much higher had that deception not worked? it would have been, but in fact the casualty figures on d—day, with

roughly 3000 allied casualties, 3000 allied dead, which much lower than what they'd expected. they expected many more to have been drowned, altogether they were expecting about four times as many to be killed on d—day itself. the realfighting, as isaid, came d—day itself. the realfighting, as i said, came later, when infantry casualties alone were running at 80% above what they had expected. so from that point of view, both churchill and general montgomery became very worried about whether there would be a british army left by the time they got to berlin. so is it right to see the 6th of junein so is it right to see the 6th of june in some sense as a key turning point in the second world war? well, when one talks of turning points, one means that basically the war turned completely on that particular point. the real turning point, ina particular point. the real turning point, in a way, one could argue the geopolitical turning point was as early as december 1941, because up from that point on with the entry of

the americans into the war, there was no way really that hitler could have won the war and certainly by stalingrad and the german defeat there, the psychological turning point had come. but for western europe as a whole, d—day, the 6th of june, was vital because this was the moment to see the liberation of nazi occupied western europe, and also a question of seeing how far the allies, the western allies would advance, and whether they would actually fill what might be a vacuum before the advance of the red army from the east. and going back to the individual soldiers coming onto the beaches that day, i've heard a lot of the vetera ns that day, i've heard a lot of the veterans saying they really hadn't very much idea of the overall scope of the plan, really how they fitted in. they werejust of the plan, really how they fitted in. they were just doing their little bit but they didn't really have a concept of the overall d—day plan.

that's absolutely true. you never wa nted that's absolutely true. you never wanted to tell all soldiers, in case they were captured by the enemy, of what the overall plan was. but also, the british army works in small groups, as does every army, whether the platoon, or the battalion. they we re the platoon, or the battalion. they were just told the duty or objective of their own particular battalion and no more than that. that is why the effect of actually seeing the invasion fleet with more than 7000 warships and transports, seeing the 10,000 aircraft overhead, none of them had a really quite appreciated or could fully understand the huge scope of this operation, of operation overlord and operation neptune, the naval aspect. looking back now, with the benefit of hindsight, would you say it was a brilliantly planned and coordinated military operation or where there are mistakes that commanders made? well, i think that the naval

operation was brilliantly planned, the whole of neptune. there was an extraordinary preparation in that particular way. but it was very hard for the planners to see beyond d—day. one of the big mistakes, of course, was montgomery had said that we are going to capture it on the first and then get the land beyond because he needed to have that area for raf airfields and also the space to bring in reinforcements and supplies. that was no longer possible when they found themselves blocked just to the north. there was also a bigger mistake, in my view, to smash cannes to pieces on the first day made it harder to capture afterwards. one last question, what are your thoughts 75 years on from this extraordinary day, as veterans are in northern france to remember

andi are in northern france to remember and i suppose lots of people watching the television today learning about d—day for the first time perhaps. that is certainly true. i think many don't fully understand either its scope, but also i think it's terribly important they should understand the human aspect of what it meant, the courage it required. the reason i think we are still so fascinated in that particular period is that today we are living in a health and safety environment, a post—military environment, a post—military environment and it's very hard for any young person to imagine totalitarian total warfare was like. i think it poses questions we all ask ourselves, would we have had the courage to do what they achieved on that particular day? i think that is pa rt that particular day? i think that is part of the admiration that we should show today for those who did land on the 6th ofjune. absolutely, antony beevor, thank you for your time and for talking to us.

thank you very much. the 75th anniversary of d—day has also been marked across the uk. today, the duke of cambridge has been attending a service at the national memorial arboretum, while the duke of sussex has been been meeting veterans too. in central london there was a gun salute from hms belfast, which was one of the first ships to open fire on d—day. sarah walton reports. it was the bang that began the day that changed the war. the opening shots this morning recreated by normandy veteran hms belfast. she led the fleet across the channel, 75 years ago today. once the ship stopped moving, the crew would have known, wherever they were, however far down the ship they were, that things were about to happen. so, i think the tension would have risen even if they couldn't see anything because they were locked in the engine rooms or whatever, they knew that things were about to happen and they waited and waited and it got more and more tense, until, finally, the guns were able to start firing and action began.

what's your name? george stephenson. in london today, the duke of sussex joined the chelsea pensioners for their annual founders day parade. amongst them six veterans from the normandy landings. as a serviceman who has himself fought in a war zone, prince harry shared stories with those that also understand what it means to be a soldier. and during a ceremony, he thanked those that had served their country. on this 75th anniversary of d—day, i can comfortably speak for everyone when i say we are honoured to be in the presence of six normandy landing veterans. applause to all who are on parade today, i can only say that you are a constant reminder of the great debt we owe those who have served this nation. in staffordshire, the duke of cambridge attended a service

at the national memorial arboretum. and in a short reading, he delivered the d—day address originally made by his great grandfather, king george vi, in 1944. at this historic moment, surely not one of us is too busy, too young or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a worldwide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth. applause. age means many veterans will mark the anniversary a long way from normandy, but their thoughts are never far from the beaches. sarah walton, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... hundreds of veterans gather in normandy for a day of commerative events, honouring those who helped liberate europe and change the course of world war ii. the prime minister gives her thanks to the veterans, and tells them june 6th 1944

was a day when they helped build a better world. ford confirms it is closing its engine plant in bridgend, putting 1,700 jobs at threat. in sport, raheem sterling is likely to mark his 50th cap with the captain's to mark his 50th cap with the ca ptain's armband as to mark his 50th cap with the captain's armband as england attempt to reach the nations league final. they are playing the netherlands. after a wobbly start, australia said the west indies 289 to win the latest match in the men's world cup in nottingham. nathan coulter—nile stars for the australians with 92 of us stars for the australians with 92 of us have a huge shock at the french open, simona halep beaten in straight sets by the unseeded american teenager. i will have more on those stories just after 5:30pm. so, ford confirmed today it is planning to close its engine plant

at bridgend in south wales in september next year. 1700 jobs will go with the plant is shut down. union leaders have said it would mean disasterfor union leaders have said it would mean disaster for the workforce and for the wider community in bridgend as well. ford denies that brexit has been a factor in its decision. our correspondent is at the plant. at 11 o'clock this morning, the workers here in bridgend were given the news following a meeting between trade union leaders and ford bosses in the headquarters in essex. by midday, they were all sent home to process the news with their families and work here has been suspended until next week. ford has blamed a number of reasons for their decision, losses across their entire european operation being among them. but in truth, this decision is one that's been looming over this town full some years. for almost 40 yea rs, ford full some years. for almost 40 years, ford has been a bedrock of the bridgend economy. it's notjust engines they produce here but also

well—paid, skilled jobs for the community in south wales. but after decades in this town, the american cargiant decades in this town, the american car giant has no future here will come to an end by the end of next. i've got 15 years service in and basically i'm still one of the new boysin basically i'm still one of the new boys in the plant. so, yeah, absolutely devastated. the thing is, quite a lot of us relocated from southampton to bridgend. gutted, especially for the youngsters. these are good, well—paid jobs. four years ago, things looked positive. they won the contract to produce 250,000 engines a year, the dragon project, but a year later, the contract was halved. questions then began being asked about the viability of keeping a factory with almost 2000 employees open with such almost 2000 employees open with such a reduced workflow. by 2017, the american company projected it may

need to cut jobs american company projected it may need to cutjobs over the next few yea rs. need to cutjobs over the next few years. then fast forward to january this year, ford formalised those redundancies, with 370 to go in the first phase in almost 1000 by 2021. from the gmb's point of view, where absolutely devastated. this is an absolutely devastated. this is an absolutely massive blow to our members here, their families, absolutely massive blow to our members here, theirfamilies, the whole of bridgend and welsh manufacturing in general. this is a major, major blow to the welsh economy. baker corp used to be part of ford's wider supply chain in bridgend but over time, that work has reduced, diminishing completely by this year. there were a number of supplies on this industrial estate to rely upon ford for work and very disappointing news today. obviously it will affect, have a knock—on effect on jobs that other companies across the estate and the wider region. the welsh government say nearly £114 million of public money has been

poured into ford over the years. for decades after opening in south wales, ford's largest engine production plant in europe will be no more. as we mention they are, some people had been predicting this announcement today. this decision comes in the same week that it was announced that uk car industry had slumped again. brexit and predictability being blamed by other motoring companies. so are today's job loss is another example of a struggling industry in an uncertain economic climate? let's look at some of today's are the headlines for you. the convicted road rage murderer has been released from prison after serving nearly 20 years for the murder of 21—year—old stephen cameron. he is now 71 and was jailed for life for stabbing stephen cameron to death on then m25 slip road in kent in 1996.

the man known as the speedboat killerjack shepherd has beenjailed forfour killerjack shepherd has beenjailed for four years killerjack shepherd has beenjailed forfour years for killerjack shepherd has beenjailed for four years for assaulting a barman with a bottle. the 31—year—old pleaded guilty at exeter crown court to attacking a former soldier in newton abbot in devon last year. he is currently serving six years in prison for the killing ofa six years in prison for the killing of a woman in a speed boat crash on the river thames in 2015. the insurance company aviva announced it will cut around 1800 jobs worldwide over the next three yea rs jobs worldwide over the next three years as part of an overhaul to save £300 million a year. the firm which employs about 30,000 staff said it would try to keep redundancies to a minimum. an independent inquiry has been launched into the running of a failed nhs trust amid concerns 150 deaths were not properly investigated. livable community health, formed in 2010, ran services for about 750,000 people on merseyside before being taken over

last year. the inquiry will look into historic incidents of serious harm and 17,000 cases related to patient safety. sarah campbell reports. more than three quarters of a million people in merseyside relied on liverpool community health to keep them well and safe that from the outset, according to a previously published review, the trust was dysfunctional, obsessed with cost—cutting and patient suffered unnecessary harm. the trust no longer exists and investigations by the one that replaced it uncovered cause for serious concern. the critical thing that we've discovered in that year is there was not at all rigorous approach, probably through the life of liverpool community health to the recording of clinical incidents, to the use of data to rigorous investigations, to make sure that

they were closing down the risk of re—occurrence of incidents. while liverpool community health was in charge, the bbc understands that at least 150 deaths were not properly investigated. 43,000 incidents were not properly reported, of which 17,000 were related to patient safety. ca re related to patient safety. care at liverpool prison was previously singled out as suffering the biggest clinical failures, previously singled out as suffering the biggest clinicalfailures, with u nsafe the biggest clinicalfailures, with unsafe practices becoming the norm. 20 deaths here were never properly reported. local mp rosie cooper says she saw first—hand how patients were being let down because her father was one of them. staff were trying to do their best whilst feeling very bullied. if anything went wrong, they were disciplined, given letters of concern, so it's very oppressive, a very frightening place for people to work and i still talk to people today who showed the scars of that

regime of terror. ina regime of terror. in a statement, health minister stephen hammond said... the actions of the leadership team and where they may have contributed to the delivery of and safe patient ca re to the delivery of and safe patient care will now also be part of the new investigation. its conclusions are expected by the end of next year. sarah campbell, bbc news. we are going to take a quick look at the weather forecast with ben rich, it will get a bit wet and windy. yes, just one minute and there is a lot to get through. a lot going on, some wind and rain in the forecast. quite a few hefty downpours today and that rain becomes more widespread through tomorrow and into the first half of the weekend and often with that wet weather, it will be unseasonably windy. persistent rain across the northern half of scotland today in

the shower is breaking out, some of which have been heavy and thundery in north west midlands and north—west england. though showers will fade. the rain will clearfrom northern scotland and we are looking at some clear spells overnight. turning quite chilly for some, maybe 1-2 turning quite chilly for some, maybe 1—2 in parts of scotland are down to the south, here comes trouble. very wet weather across the channel islands by the end of the night, quickly spreading into southern england, wales and the midlands before the rush hour. strong winds. that rain pushes into northern england and northern ireland and southern scotland. increasingly windy across the uk. some hefty downpours in the far south later in the day tomorrow. temperature 16—18 but it has been quite dry recently for many of us. we do need a bit of rain.

this is bbc news. the headlines: hundreds of veterans gather in normandy for a day of commerative events, honouring those who helped liberate europe and change the course of world war ii. the prime minister gives her thanks to the veterans and tells them june 6th1944

was a day when they helped build a better world. these young men belonged to a very special generation, the greatest generation. a new memorial is unveiled to those who made the ultimate sacrifice — paid for with money raised by veterans. don't say i am a hero, i am no hero, i was lucky. i am here, all the heroes are dead and i will never forget them, as long as i live. and this evening, a fly—past by the red arrows as the commemorations draw to a close. and one other main story today — a devastating blow for bridgend, as ford confirms it's closing its engine plant there, with 1700 jobs at risk. and now the sport.

there will be another chance to measure england's recent progress tonight and the potential to reach the first major final since 1966 when the meat of the netherlands in the nations league semifinals —— they meet the netherlands. portugal await the winners. it would mean so much to continue to win big matches, that is the habit we wa nt win big matches, that is the habit we want to create and the expectation we want to create and we have got players who are so hungry to do that. they are no longer happy just to come and perform and play well. they've got high expectations, they are getting used to winning with their clubs, we are starting to develop a winning mentality with the national team. we expect ourselves to play well and to win matches. chelsea are reported to have agreed to sale has ads to real madrid for

an initial £88 million —— to sell hazzard. it is thought he could cost up hazzard. it is thought he could cost up to 130 million with add—ons which would be a record for both clubs. he is in the last year of contract and hinted after the europa league final that would be his last game. west indies are chasing 289 to beat australia in today's world cup match. both sides won their first match. both sides won their first match. the australians lost the toss and failed to cope with some ferocious bowling and reduced to 38-4 at ferocious bowling and reduced to 38—4 at one stage, recovering largely thanks to nathan lyle with a high score. the west indies lost two early wickets. they have rallied. the current score west indies 205—5

in the 38th over. the west indies women are also in action against england. the sides try to qualify for the 2021 world cup. england won back the toss and batted first and made an imposing total of 318—9. amyjones made three i’u ns total of 318—9. amyjones made three runs short of her career—best, 146 for the third wicket, with heather at night hitting you 94. seeded american teenager amanda anisimova —— unseeded teenager has stunned defending champion simona halep to reach the semifinals of the french open. she never won a match in the french open before this year. she is yet to drop a set at this yea r‘s she is yet to drop a set at this year's tournament. she will face the australians eight seat in the semifinals after she beat american madison keys. i don't think it will sink into

days. it's crazy. i really can't believe the result today and getting the opportunity to play again simona halep, it's amazing, but how it ended is even crazier. world number one novak djokovic reached his first french open semifinal since 2016 with a straight sets win over the german fifth seed. he was chasing a fourth straight grand slam and will face dominic thiem in the last four. that is all the sport for now, you can keep up—to—date with the cricket via the website and also via the radio and follow all the build—up to england in the nations league, that is on bbc five live later and i will have more for you at 6:30pm. to mark 75 years since the d—day landings, the prime minister theresa may and the french president, emmanuel macron have unveiled a new war memorial. overlooking gold beach, it carries

the names of 22,442 people who lost their lives on the beaches of normandy. only two of those names are women. they were nurses who died when their hospital ship hit a mine and sank off the french coast. shaun peel reports. the nurses were sister dorothy field and sister molly evershed. their names are on their local war memorials at ringwood, in hampshire, and soham, in cambridgeshire. molly trained as a nurse in norwich after leaving ely high school. we don't know what she looked like but this is her school photo and she is in there. somewhere. dorothy qualified at king's college hospital in london. in 1944, molly and dorothy were on board the hospital carrier amsterdam when it hit a mine and sank off the normandy coast. the nurses help to save 75 wounded men before losing their lives when the ship went down.

it was 7am on a foggy sunday morning, the amsterdam was waiting to go home full of injured men in the wards below deck. so she swung at anchor off the normandy coast. a mine hit the engine room. the lights went out and the amsterdam was broken into. ——in two. she and the other sister on board, dorothy field, were taken into the lifeboats and they were therefore technically rescued, but they went back again and again and again, and between them they rescued 75 strecher—bound troops. and then, sadly, they went down for another lot, and the ship went down. and that was the end of molly. this photograph was taken two days before the sinking. it shows the wounded soldiers being winched aboard offjuno beach. one of the crew who survived remembers a dreadful explosion.

he wrote, i was trying to escape the rapidly sinking ship when i saw a nurse trying to squeeze out of a porthole. a tragic sight i will never forget. to the best of his belief, the nurse he saw was sister molly evershed. the landing craft are able to get in and out through this channel, taking injured soldiers back to the ship and it was about to make its third journey home when disaster struck. dorothy and molly what i want to be kings commendation for bravery, the only two women named on the commonwealth war graves commission memorial in normandy. two out of nearly 2000 with no known grave. when the mine struck the ship to the confusion is almost unimaginable, nobody would have known what was going on or how long they had to make their escape and so forth

dorothy and molly, to go back and help men reach the upper decks along with their colleagues and other people on board with no sense of their own safety, that takes a remarkable amount of courage and bravery. it would have been difficult for them to know how long they had, it would have been very difficult to get those men up, 75 men ina difficult to get those men up, 75 men in a very short space of time is a remarkable feat in itself. of course, helping to save those lives they lost their own. it'd reported it took eight minutes for the amsterdam to sink to the sea bed off normandy where it lies today, around 20 metres down. 106 lives were lost. the survivors wrote letters of gratitude to the parents of the nurses, the captain said dorothy was the bravest women he had ever known. the letters landed at molly's home and that dorothy's pa re nts' molly's home and that dorothy's parents' home near ringwood. look what i found. on the back of the garage is a packing crate, the current owner does not even know

what he has here. i will read the name, da field, dorothy field, queen alexander imperial military nursing service. this, ithink, was dorothy's boxer possessions are sent home to her parents after she died. —— box or possessions. dorothy was 32, molly died a week before her 28th birthday. she was about to be married. before being taken by the cold english channel, they helped to save 75 men, one for each year that has passed. shaun peel, bbc news. well, we can talk now to historian, elisabeth shipton who joins me now. thank you for being with us. tell us about the role of women at that time around dd. looking at the nurses and medical staff, we had nurses in the hospital is on the south coast waiting to

receive patients from the landings and those first patients came within the first 36 hours. and then the ladies we were hearing about were in a hospital ship outside the french coast. we also have hospitals, entire units of medics transported over to normandy in the weeks that followed the landings. we have nurses, some of whom had to wade through the water onto the beach is just like the men, and they went and supported the hospitals, which were tainted hospitals further inland, where the commemorations have been going on today. we also know there we re going on today. we also know there were female doctors who went over and conscription for women had been brought in at the end of 1941. we think there's probably about nearly 500,000 women in 1944 who were working for the military services in some capacity. there was some extraordinary stories

of the courage of women dropped behind enemy lines to build up an intelligence picture inside nazi occupied france. yes, we have, the special operations executive was established in 1940 and when britain and her allies were shut out of france with the fall of dunkirk, they had to come up with a way to build a picture of what's going on in france, and so churchill had quite an influence over this, the idea was agents, both men and women, would be dropped into occupied territory, they looked for people who were probably grown up in the country so they spoke the language as a local without a british accent, and they could blend in and he created an intelligence network and they found out information about how the troops we re information about how the troops were moving, what kind of defence the germans were building. those defences which the men faced on

d—day, the germans had four years to develop. this information is vital, building up the picture for the allied invasion force. when it came to d—day itself, it was less about the intelligence networks, but these agents, and there were approximately 50 women dropped in during the war, they arejob was 50 women dropped in during the war, they are job was to galvanise the pockets of resistance, so they were all very impatient waiting for this long for a day of liberation. and they just wanted to long for a day of liberation. and theyjust wanted to get long for a day of liberation. and they just wanted to get stuck long for a day of liberation. and theyjust wanted to get stuck in and sabotage, blow things up. but the agents said, we have to wait until d—day happens, it must be coordinated if it's going to work. so they arrived in the months leading up to d—day, the organise drops of ammunition so the men had something to fight with. and they trained them up and sabotage. this was incredibly dangerous work for these women who were dropped behind enemy lines.

wireless operators, they were so important because that was the means for communications to relay information from france to london. it's estimated that the wireless operator had a life expectancy of six weeks in the field. the radios we re very six weeks in the field. the radios were very large, very cumbersome and they were carried around in a suitcase and you had to do it in a way that did not like —— look like you were limping underneath the weight of it and they were not quick to set up, the required a very large and conspicuous aerials and the germans became much more proficient in tracking down these signals. they had bigger vans and they would, like the detector vans, you had a very limited windows in which to transmit back. the pressure on these people just to keep on the move and keep ahead of being caught was so stressful. you've got one extraordinary story

ofa you've got one extraordinary story of a woman who was almost caught by the nazis but escaped. it was as the landings were happening there was one woman who was corresponding back to london in stating this is what's going on. some germans who were caught on the back foot and fleeing the bombardment ran into the barn or the house where she was operating from and she only just house where she was operating from and she onlyjust slammed the suitcase shocked, concealed the radio and they asked for food and she played the innocent card and said i'm just a poor she played the innocent card and said i'mjusta poor girl, she played the innocent card and said i'm just a poor girl, scarlet fever, wee thing to be shipped off to the country to recuperate and immediately recoiled and said we will find food somewhere else. —— waiting to be shipped off to the country to recuperate. true tales of heroism. thank you very much indeed. well, many of those soldiers who fought on the beaches of northern france have now died.

those who are still alive, are in their 90s. while we're fortunate enough to hear first hand their stories of that tumultous day, at the next significant anniversary of the normandy landings, we'll most likely be listening to those stories through the words and memories of their children and grandchildren. earlier today, the historian dan snow spoke to one d—day veteran who was accompanied by four generations of his family to mark the 75th anniversary. i'm now with team guliss. they are all here thanks to you, alan and edna guliss. now, when... first of all, how many people have we got here? i've lost count. how many kids have you got, alan? i've lost count. well, there is lots of people here. four generations, one of whom is snoozing quietly there, probably very sensibly. when did you guys get married? 1943, i think it was. '44. may 6th1944. alan... i mean, come on. may 6th 1944.

so it is a month before d—day. i did three years apprenticeship before that. i met her in 1941. so when you went into those... did you land on d—day itself or...? about seven or eight days afterwards because i was on transport. working the mulberry harbour. did you know where he was or were you worried about him? no, i didn't know where he was. although i was writing but he wasn't receiving letters, neither was i. what was the first you heard? so you heard about d—day in the newspapers, what was the first you heard from him? it was so long... 16 months was the first letter i had. i did write. i know, but we weren't receiving them. i think i might have started something here. is it amazing to be here surrounded by children, grandchildren, great—grandchildren? yes, i don't know where she got them all from! there is a fifth generation as well.

great great—grandchildren. there is a fifth generation as well? you guys, its extraordinary. yeah, in america, i think. i was a toy boy, don't forget. i can tell you married a much younger woman, obviously. well, alan and edna and everybody, including you guys, thank you very much indeed for coming. thank you. we've also been healing from the former head of the british army who is in france for the commemorations. he's been giving his thoughts on the 75th anniversary of d—day to my colleague. the main parade square here has been a hive of activity all day, we sought the commemorative ceremony, we've seen the veterans being applauded on their way around the square and later this evening events for the day will culminate with a firework display. joining me is a general dinette, former head of the

british army. an important part of that service, it has been a busy day for you, and that service, it has been a busy day foryou, and a that service, it has been a busy day for you, and a poignant day. of course it is a poignant day, particularly for the veterans. this is all about them .75 years ago on this very day they were part of that huge armada and the huge army that landed here on the 6th ofjune1944 and began a process of the liberation of normandy, france and the restoration of democracy and good values in europe. it's all about celebrating them. it's been a long day, it was a cold start at the new british national memorial what a wonderful thing to come out one last p°p wonderful thing to come out one last pop at a memorial in place. so many members of the public have been so generous and contributing to it and i hope others will want to do so as well. normandy memorial trust, that's the way to go to donates and ina week that's the way to go to donates and in a week or two the contractors will move onto the site and start to

build the main construction, a pavilion that tells the story and then pillars that recall all 22,442 names of soldiers, airmen and marines on british command who lost their lives. there is one particular name on that roll of honour i want to talk to you about, stanley hollis, the only man to receive the victoria cross on d—day and he was a green helmet. sta n d—day and he was a green helmet. stan hollis won't be on the memorial because he survived. and he lived into comparative old age. he was in the company six battalion and the land that is part of 169 brigade on gold beach and as they were coming ashore in his landing craft he saw a pill box and give it a blast with a gun, having got ashore he discovered it was in fact the local light railway. they came under fire it was in fact the local light railway. they came underfire inland from a gun battery and he charged it

got knocked out the battery and ca ptu red got knocked out the battery and captured many germans. they pressed inland to a village, came underfire again and once more he showed great bravery. they were all very proud of company major sergeant hollis who won the only record cross and dd. in middlesbrough he had a pub called the green helmet. —— only victoria cross on d—day. you spend time talking to the vetera ns you spend time talking to the veterans and hearing their stories and as many do, it's about showing them that respect and dignity they've earned. that's what it is all about. talking to the veterans is a joy. those who are here now are all very elderly, jim radford, who will be singing later on, is only 90 because he was only 15 on d—day, he was a cabin boy only 15 on d—day, he was a cabin boy ona only 15 on d—day, he was a cabin boy on a ship. the rest of them are in

their late 90s, some over 100 and it isa their late 90s, some over 100 and it is a joy their late 90s, some over 100 and it isajoy and their late 90s, some over 100 and it is a joy and a privilege to hear their memories and see them remembering their service and giving us remembering their service and giving us the chance to say thank you. they are service give us the freedom we all enjoy today. how will events like this change in the future? now they are built around the veterans and their stories but there are so few of them left but of course the stories and the lessons, it's important to keep this alive, how will we do that? it's important we do so and if you remember last year we commemorated the centenary of the end of the first world war, there are no vetera ns first world war, there are no veterans alive from the first world war but it's really important we continue to remember the sacrifice and the service and teach younger generations that we must do better in the future and we must not allow our international relations to deteriorate to the point we get into these awful bloody battles again. as these awful bloody battles again. as the veterans of normandy die away, as they will over time, it is right we, just the way —— are the weight

we, just the way —— are the weight we commemorate these things but continuing to commemorate is a very important. —— are just the way we commemorates but continue to commemorate. events here will continue for the next few hours and people, again, we'll spread around this parade ground, they will watch, applaud the vetera ns ground, they will watch, applaud the veterans and they will, just for a moment, reflect and try and think what it was like you along the normandy beaches at this time 75 yea rs normandy beaches at this time 75 years ago today. let's go live to the commemoration onjuno let's go live to the commemoration on juno beach which let's go live to the commemoration onjuno beach which was where the canadian forces landed. one of the five beaches. there this evening young people are paying tribute to the soldiers who landed onjuno beach 75 years ago, and also made huge sacrifices as part of the d—day landings. juno beach one of the five

beaches and the canadian prime minister is one of the world leaders who has been in northern france today paying tributes. it's been a day when hundreds of veterans have been at a variety of commemorative services in northern france to honour those who helped to liberate europe 75 years ago. and who change the course of the second world war. that is it from the bbc news at five, ina that is it from the bbc news at five, in a moment we will have the bbc news at six. before that let's leave you now with some of the most moving images from today's d—day commemorations. piper plays. last post plays.

you can't describe it. lowering the ramp onto bodies of gis, you didn't know whether they were alive or dead. don't say i'm a hero, i'm no hero. i was lucky. i'm here. all the heroes are dead and i'll never forget them as long as i live.

good evening, let's look at the weather. after sunshine and showers for many today there is quite a lot of rainfor for many today there is quite a lot of rain for the next two days. looking at the satellite picture you can see clouds bringing persistent rainfor can see clouds bringing persistent rain for northern scotland but this one is of more interest now. we are developing this curl in the bay of biscay, deepening area of low pressure heading our way and going to bring heavy bursts of rain tomorrow across england and wales especially. unseasonably strong winds. that continues not only for tomorrow but into the weekend as well. let's get into some detail and as we go through this evening we will continue to see rain across the far north of scotland, that will be clearing all the while, showers fitting elsewhere to give clear

weather and dry spells. chili under clear skies over scotland in particular. by the end of the night you can see the rain gathering down to the south, a very wet start for the channel islands, rain extended to southern england, wales, just in time for the morning rush hour. wet weather extends into northern england through the afternoon and eventually reaching south—east northern ireland and far south of scotland. dry to the north—west of that for the most part but it will be increasingly windy, quite blustery in places and temperatures no great shakes for the time of year. the rain will continue northwards into tomorrow evening and down to the south you can see these bits of blue and green and a scattering of very heavy and thundery downpours that could give travel disruption are localised flooding. strong winds for coastal areas in south wales and southern england and the channel islands,

where they could exceed 50 mph. into saturday at this low pressure still with us drifting slowly northwards. acting as the engine room that drives further showers and longer spells of rain for the first half of the weekend. it may dry up you little towards the south later but for everyone it will be windy, especially across england and wales, between 40 and 50 mph gusts. temperature is pretty disappointing forjune, 12 celsius in aberdeen, may be 18 in some spots further south. for sunday the winds will be lighter, spells of sunshine and showers, especially towards the north—west. if you are making plans it is worth checking your local 00:58:43,479 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 forecast on the bbc weather website.