things today is a better day as the sun rises over verse a man we gather to commemorate the events of 75 years ago we give thanks for those who served by land sea and air in the armed forces or organizations between the 5th of june and 31st of august 1944 who to paraphrase churchill's words were allowed each according to their station to play a part in making those days memorable operation overlord was the largest on 50 s. landing ever seen in military history the courage and

determination of the soldiers sailors airmen and marines on land at sea and in the air on 60 june 1944 paved the way for the successful normandy campaign and the end of the 2nd world war $22442.00 servicemen and women under british command lost their lives in normandy as did many thousands of french civilians it is only right and proper that their sacrifice and service is acknowledged and commemorated here as we gather to in your great the site of this british normandy memorial

we pray that it may be a unifying commemorative focus. of this extraordinary campaign.

did a veteran george but stalls him down to a bunch of 18 to 20 year olds now taking they were magnificently trained and equipped unsupported but only a few of them and i've been in combat. only a few i've ever killed also in a body killed they were citizen soldiers not professionals from d.-day by stephen 8 ambers. none of them wanted to be part of another war but when the test came when freedom had to be fought for abandon they fought they were soldiers of democracy they were the men are t. day and then we have freedom.

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barely on the road to me does it. well known for maybe a little because you do so many for godliness the sound of it is you know you're going to. love. annoying music. ok. yes with some goes on french president anderson john parted ways of not talking about the honorary days to launch the construction of morial of wall and british souldiers. people book when a vision me fully in a sort of fancy completely of these. devices entertaining and that's a young people who were often not just professional soldiers he came here to free france. did this world. i can answer this in the levee to our get dull marsh said good news of ours the leader barked if you hear

the mobile. is saying that that entering was it always means that if you are on the evening of the 6th of june as the city of our marginal noise is delayed by the night of the of you forces it alleviated the. bark is clear but i was mentioning the 1st french citizenship to the parades is gone by the allies. got close only to nick 3 and he mentions the sacrifices of 400 critters so here's on that day so when you lost i call on earth. if you're not i'm all unnerved event to do. so c'mon mom we don't need so you know more you want to know where you. will be constructed in the honor of those 400 british soldiers but oh so 4 different onto this house and in the middle is sold is bridges it will do you know and when i heart and i beat you with your uni but there

is no harm h. to the contribution of britain to the don't really good or sickly she's decisions wrong so it can be firstly that i'm in markedly steve does not realise all of those younger. was intolerable of us to be fundamentally known divonne devoid of your legal. visa he say's french people pull us in front of such sacrum i know so i was the priest or somebody did you know the wreath on adonis you know this monuments is a powerful symbol of to particular things to strong links between friends and grab the animus hajime said you know free to solve this see it divine nothing and well every raise the body prison on between those 2 nations and will ever raise an article i found was that they do not have. we share

a history and we do share a future of the community the years of good as well as you want to be so mark you do so that i can feel us france and the u.k. together with what i mean i said here is i may always shared everything because our relationship and always try to nurture it is for the nation today who are us history goes beyond the village and our veterans we all of them do as they are to have and what every day they are their sacrifice will never surrender and whatever it takes we will always stand together. because this is our common destiny. is your employer be personal from a government who did you out there is a mutant want to meet you on a personal level i would like to reiterate my friends it is them a job and the pleasure i had to work in good intelligence you can join us middle of

a kid is a complete waste head of states left on stadia but they they were clear main b.c. the moment. is required so there is a me can improve little few of these external money on some and i believe the tories and me that we can go proud of the way little done under taken to get there on an international level a few do if we can all proud of the results here obtain or you only buy them one of these useless including this memorial which is not the least of our chief and solace and i thank you for the validity of going to be long be of the friendship between our country to to be successful but you and thank you to all who will give you those whole forward for the friends sold to we meant to to to become french again. thank.

you thank you president mackerel for your support to ensure a lasting monument to the service and sacrifice of those who fought in the battle of normandy something which means so much to our veteran community and to the whole of the british nation it is incredibly moving to be here today looking out across speeches where one of the greatest battles for freedom this world has ever known took place and it is truly humbling to do so with the men who were there that day it is an honor for all of us to share this moment with you. standing here is the waves washed quietly on to the shore below us it's almost impossible to grasp the roar courage it must have taken that day to leap from

landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle no one could be certain what the 6th of june would bring no one would know how this the most ambitious 50 years and ever all assault in all of human history which turned out and as the sun rose that morning not one of the troops on the landing craft approaching these shores not one of the pilots in the skies above not one of the sailors at sea knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again if one day can be said to have determined to the fate of generations to come in france in britain in europe and the world that day was the 6th of june 1944 more than

156000 men landed on d.-day of which 83000 were from britain and the commonwealth. over a quarter 1000000 more supported operations from air and sea while the french resistance carried out extraordinary acts of bravery behind enemy lines many were terribly wounded and many made the ultimate sacrifice that day and in the fierce fighting that followed as together our allied nations sought to release europe from the grip of fascism men like left tenant then brother richard the oxfordshire and buckinghamshire light infantry 28 years old husband father to be. thought to be the 1st allied soldier killed in action after leading the charge over pegasus bridge marine robert cason of $46.00 royal marine commandos

who was killed on the approach to juneau beach 3 weeks before his brother private joseph carson was also killed in normandy and twins robert and charles guy $21.00 who both served in the r.a.f. and were shot down and barrett separately that names will now be reunited here. these young men belonged to a very special generation the greatest generation a generation whose unconquerable spirit shaped our post-war world they didn't post they didn't fuss they served they did that u.t. and they laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world the memorial that we built built here will remind us of this

as the service and sacrifice of those who fell under british command in normandy of the price paid by french civilians and of our duty and our responsibility to now carry the torch for freedom for peace and for democracy i want to thank all those involved in this memorial george bats and the veterans who have campaigned so hard to make it happen the people of that still now and philip on your own the town's man here in normandy the names of those british men and women who gave their lives in defense of freedom will forever sit opposite their homeland across the channel along with those of our allies here in normandy we will always remember their courage their commitment their conviction. and to our veterans here in normandy today i want to say the only words we can thank you.

the. living veterans of june 6944 unveiling a memorial to british soldiers who gave their lives on that day. here on a gently sloping hillside above gold beach with a commanding view over the landing areas we gather to give thanks to almighty god for the loyal service given to crown and country by all who served in the battle of normandy we commemorate the victory of the few achieved on land at sea and.