the royal british legion ship, 250 vetera ns royal british legion ship, 250 vete ra ns o n royal britishurning 94, 19 years old when they landed or on the beaches at normandy or flying or sailing. celebrations of course, but for them particularly, huge moments of reflection. i think there will be. at the moment, we have 250 veterans who have been sailors, soldiers, airmen, they are having a wonderful time. there is a bar, i hear. it may have been well used! we have a massive support base providing welfare support that the veterans need long after this week is over, they might need welfare support because the veterans are burning the candle at both ends, but i think tomorrow when they get to france and they go to the cathedral, the cemetery, that is when the reflection will really happen. today is more of a celebration. do they appreciate the fact that, as we were saying, donald trump, otherworld leaders, the queen, leading the ceremony today, is that important to them that these sorts of things happen? i think it is important that people of that level are making a note of the sacrifices

the royal british legion is really proud to be able to help them do that. some of those stories have not been told for many yea rs. we have stories have not been told for many years. we have been speaking to those other family members who did not really know what their grandads and members of theirfamily not really know what their grandads and members of their family did not really know what their grandads and members of theirfamily did 75 yea rs and members of theirfamily did 75 years ago. with that in mind, harold, what is it like for you today to be here with the queen, the prime minister, with several world leaders and everybody remembering the sacrifice that many made back in 1944? the prime minister, the president, and the rest of them, the politicians, as far as i'm concerned, they can keep right out of it. i understand it, but they are here to remember you and to pay tribute to you. the politicians! think of all the people... oh, dear. all they think of is, what's in it for me? i sure are many of your viewers here today that are in agreement. but wh

and at 9:00am, the royal british legion will hold a service of remembrance at bayeux cathedral, that, before veterans parade to the town's main cemetery, where wreaths will be laid. more than 250 d—day veterans are arriving in normandy by sea this morning to join the commemorations. they crossed the channel on a cruise ship, the mv boudicca, which has been specially commissioned by the royal british legion. she set off from portsmouth yesterday, accompanied by a guard of honour on the hms queen elizabeth, and with crowds of well—wishers lining the quayside. a pair of british d—day veterans, both aged in their mid—90s, have repeated their historic parachute landings of 75 years ago. harry read and jock hutton both jumped in tandem with instructors from the army's red devils display team from one of the same dakota daks that dropped the first airborne assault troops on d—day. this footage shows the jump made by harry, who featured on yesterday's bbc breakfast. let me tell you a little bit about where we are this morning, we are on gold beach as it was codenames, and all along the five

spokesperson for the royal british legion, there in arromanches, thank you.p and macron. i think they are speaking to the press.|j trump and macron. i think they are speaking to the press. i think what isa speaking to the press. i think what is a very important thing, especially for the young generation, these are actual heroes, these vetera ns, these are actual heroes, these veterans, is that a lot of things we ta ke veterans, is that a lot of things we take for granted, were precisely protected by these guys. and a lot of these veterans, i think you told it during a speech came back for the very first time after the war. they put their lives at risk for our country and for liberty. i think for i think for a young generation, and for france, it is important to see, these veterans dart precisely thanks to their actions,. yeah, i will. i would certainly recommend that. this was a great unifying situation. it has probably been seldom in history anything like it. but especially when you heard about the waves of people coming in, knowing that they would be killed

i think he said he would donate some of the money to the royal british legion as well.d a state banquet hosted by the queen in the ballroom at buckingham palace. several political figures have declined an invitation to attend the dinner, including liberal democrat leader sir vince cable, whojoins us now from outside buckingham palace, alongside former conservative leader, lord michael howard. he is also a liverpool fan. we will speak to you about liverpool winning shortly, mr howard. first of the most important issue of the day, the state visit of president trump. sir vince cable, if i could put you some of the points that i will correspond injon sopel was of the points that i will correspond in jon sopel was making of the points that i will correspond injon sopel was making a few moments ago, that you might not respect the man, but you respect the office of the president of the united states. took us through your decision not to attend a state banquet tonight? well, it is an honour to be invited to a state banquet. i have done several in the past and i didn't decline l

carrying about 250 veterans has set sailfrom portsmouth.the ship has been chartered by the royal british legionnd is being followed by a flotilla of royal naval vessels. let's cross to christian fraser who's in portsmouth for us tonight. yes very moving to wave off the ladder and says they set off the stock an hour ago making their way into the channel on their way to the heart of this evening, what an experience to pass sail past the biggest ship navy has ever built an onboard was an honour guard, the prime minister, the defence secretary, the bust —— first sea lord all waving them off and as they made their way into the channel, escorted by the naval vessels, a lower spitfire circling overhead from the memorial flight it really was something to see. and as i was watching, i couldn't help but think of what it must‘ve been like for them 75 years ago, 7000 vessels along the coast of hampshire and dorset setting off for normandy, perhaps not a night i'm like this, quite cold and breezy and of course they had to postpone the expedition just the night before because of the storm blowing through the

now, helped by the royal british legion, 300 of them are returning to normandy.er me, but i'm looking after him. the veterans were part of one of the most ambitious military operations ever attempted — d—day. news archive: boarding ship for the battle of normandy, the army group carrying out the assault is made up of british, canadian and american forces. some of them have been back before — but never on a journey quite like this. this will be my third visit, but it'll be different to the other two, because the other two we were just a small group of normandy veterans — but nothing as big as this one. they're aged between 90 and 101. for some this will be the last time they are able to make the trip. did you go to caen? did i go to caen! we shelled the hell out of it. we took caen on the 8th ofjuly. it'll be an amazing adventure. i've kept in touch with quite a few of my comrades. there was always quite a comradeship, not that we ever talked about what was all the things we'd done. i don't think any of us ever did. great battle, that was. you were doing what you

nice to you, thanks very much — thanks to bob and his team at the royal british legion.t from the moon would all work in the allies' favour. 0ur weather presenter, carol kirkwood has spent the morning at southwick house, around ten miles north of here, to see how meteorologists plotted the best time to attack. i'm inside southwick house near portsmouth in the actual d—day map room with the actual d—day map used for the launch. now, the weather played an important role in deciding when to invade, so let's find out why. months and years of waiting were over... planning an operation as important as d—day took months, but despite the greatest military precision, it was one thing they couldn't predict — the weather. the requirements were strict. a combination of clear skies, a full moon, calm seas, and a low tide were all needed to make d—day a success. this put enormous pressure on meteorologists to identify a suitable weather window, at a time when predicting just 24 hours ahead was a challenge. the man responsible for advising general eisenhower on the best day to launch t

, with more than 250 of the veterans attending the events in portsmouth, arriving with the royal british legion specially chartered cruise ship, and in the next hour it will set sail for france, for tomorrow's memorial service in normandy. 0ur correspondent robert hall has been travelling on board, hearing the recollections of those who took part in the normandy landings 75 years ago. heading ashore and stepping back, portsmouth is one of the south coast ports which launched the d—day armada. many of these men remember climbing another gangplank at the start of their journey to normandy. very emotional, i shall cry when i get there, nevertheless i am looking forward to it. jack mortimer was pa rt forward to it. jack mortimer was part of a team whose mission was to clear a path across the landing beaches. as we landed on the beach it was noisy. there was a lot of fire. a lot of gunfire going on from whatever. big ones. there were rocket ships out in the bay, out in the channel, that were firing. and the channel, that were firing. and the beach marshals, we were told to get on our way. jack and t

we've heard, more than 250 of the veterans attending the events today here arrived with the royal british legiondicca, a specially—chartered cruise. this evening it set sail for france, for tomorrow's memorial service in normandy. 0ur correspondent robert hall has been travelling on board, hearing the recollections of those who took part in the normandy landings 75 years ago. casting off on a port that was central to the d—day operation, the mv boudicca's tx packed with veteran still taking in a tribute which had exceeded all their expectations. jack mortimer was part of a team whose mission was to clear a path across the landing beaches. whose mission was to clear a path across the landing beachesli whose mission was to clear a path across the landing beaches. i was on the beach, and it was noisy. there was a lot of fire, a lot of gunfire going on from whatever. there were rocket ships out in the bay, out in the channel that were firing. and it was get off the beach and get on your way. give them a wave, jack. jack and the 300 veterans have had an eventful few days defying the edge to make the

the week—long journey has been planned by the royal british legion.ritain and france. it is about the opportunity for everybody to feel they have been on the trip of a lifetime. archive: this is it, they are on the beach. 7000 vessels landed over 130,000 british, canadian and us troops on five d—day beaches. the sights and sounds of that campaign still burn bright in the memories of those who survived. we were under intense machine gun fire which we hadn't expected. we couldn't go anywhere, we were just sitting ducks. it went straight through that one. i knew i had been hit of course and i realised these cigarette cases obviously saved my life. whatever role they played, these men are part of a normandy brotherhood. some have never told their stories until now. cheering. we were stacking dead bodies up to get behind and looking after another patient. but the last patient i looked after was a german, a 16—year—old boy, he had just lost both legs and he died in my arms. at every shipboard gathering veterans scan the faces for old friends, fewer as each

more than 250 of the veterans attending the events today here in portsmouth arrived with the royal british legionecially chartered cruise ship. they will set sail for france for tomorrow's service in normandy and oui’ tomorrow's service in normandy and our correspondent robert hall is travelling on board, hearing the recollections of those who took part in the normandy landings 75 years ago. casting off in a port that was central to the d—day operation, the boudicca's decks packed with veterans still taking in a tribute which had exceeded all their expectations. jack mortimer was part of a team whose mission was to clear a path across the landing beaches. as we got on the beach, it was noisy. there was a lot of fire, a lot of gunfire going on from whatever. big ones, there were rocket ships out in the bay, out in the channel, that were firing. and as soon as we hit the sand, it was get off the beach and get on your way. give them a wave, jack. jack and the 300 veterans have had an eventful few days, defying their age to make the most of what might be a one—off experience. i don't know how to desc

the week—long journey has been planned by the royal british legion. commemorative events in britain and france. it is about the opportunity for everybody to feel they have been on the trip of a lifetime. archive: this is it, they are on the beach. 7000 vessels landed over 130,000 british, canadian and us troops on five d—day beaches. the sights and sounds of that campaign still burn bright in the memories of those who survived. we were under intense machine—gun fire which we hadn't expected. we couldn't go anywhere, we were just sitting ducks. it went straight through that one. i knew i had been hit of course and i realised these cigarette cases obviously saved my life. whatever role they played, these men are part of a normandy brotherhood. some have never told their stories until now. cheering. we were stacking dead bodies up to get behind and looking after another patient. but the last patient i looked after was a german, a 16—year—old boy, he had just lost both legs and he died in my arms. at every shipboard gathering veterans scan the faces for o

later this evening, veterans will board a ship to normandy especially chartered by the royal british legion board the ship, called the boudicca. jim grant's d—day began on board a landing craft, lumbering through the surf towards normandy beaches. 75 years older, he was afloat again, guest of the royal marines on a windswept ride across the harbour. it took us about four times as long to get around that. the boudicca's arrival in poole gave the 300 veterans and their companions a taste of what was to come, on both sides of the channel. it makes you feel so proud, and yet so humble at the same time. you feel humble? imagine how i feel. i don't deserve to be here! they are the heroes of the day, just everything that we're celebrating now. yeah, really, really excited to be a part of this, and to be with my dad, and have memories that i can keep forever. 0n the quayside, men who stumbled their way down with weapons and equipment, men who had supplied the bridgehead examined the tools of modern warfare. oh, my goodness! oh, i couldn't have run with that! laughs. the excitement among veterans wa

they're travelling on a cruise ship which has been chartered by the royal british legion.olved in the landings, which remain the largest seaborne invasion in history. as president trump landed in the uk — he decided to tweet this about the mayor of london on twitter. sadiq khan has done a terrible job as mayor of london, has been foolishly "nasty" to the visiting president of the united states, by far the most important ally of the united kingdom. he is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in london, not me. and then he went on to insult his height. it comes after sadiq khan criticised the president — describing him as a 20th century fascist. the mayor of london has just described president trump's latest comments as "childish insults". mr trump arrived an hour ago and is accompanied by his wife melania. his children and their families will be also be joining him for part of the three—day trip, which comes ahead of a visit to france to mark the 75th anniversary of d—day. protests are planned across the uk while he's here. tomorrow — an even bigger version of this g

morning, 2147483051:36:59,925 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 d—day veterans arrived in portsmouth royal british legiony reed, from port talbot in south wales, served as a radio operator in a special operations regiment in normandy. he died five years ago, just after his grandsonjim recorded these memories. did you know at the time that you are preparing for an invasion of normandy? also — coping financially when your partner dies — mps are starting an inquiry into cuts to bereavement support. this single mum has been widowed twice. it's now expected that after 18 months of tom, my second husband, being dead, that i've got to be back on my feet and financially stable, which is impossible with three children. then why are our £350 worse off which i have to find from somewhere. ididn't which i have to find from somewhere. ididn‘t plan which i have to find from somewhere. i didn't plan to go back to work until my youngest was in school but in preparation i have had to go back to work and find childcare where it isn't readily available and pay for more childcare isjust isn't readily available and pay for m

they are travelling on a cruise ship which has been chartered by the royal british legion.t letters home before boarding ships and landing craft for a cross—channeljourney into the unknown. now, they're returning, honouring the thousands who never came back, and who lie in the cemeteries of normandy. john roberts was aboard one of the naval vessels firing on the beaches. now 95, he says he had to mark this anniversary. this was such a huge event for the history of europe, as well as britain, that i'm glad that it's being reunited or reignited, so that children know what happened. archive: this is it. they're on the beach... 7,000 vessels landed over 130,000 british, canadian and us troops on five d—day beaches. chelsea pensionerjames george has travelled to remember the lost friends from his mortar platoon. bill chapman... he recalls the loss of life on juno beach. the canadians were all laid along the beach, and very tidy, a long line of them as far as i could see, the dead canadians. they'd been picked up and laid along the beach. it was horrible. this will be the last ti

royal legion. >> the opportunity for everybody to feel that they have been on the trip of a lifetime. >> this is it, they are on the beach. robert: 7000 vessels landed over 130,000 britishanadian, and u.s. troops on five d-day beaches. the sights and sounds of that campaign still burn bright in the memories of those who survived. >> we re under intense machine gun fire, which we hadn't expected. we couldn't go anywhere. we were just sitti ducks. they went straight through that one. and i realized tt the cigarette cases saved e. robert: whatever role they played, these men are part ofdy the normanrotherhood. some have never told their stories until now. >> we were stuck in dead bodiesa look aftther patient -- the last patient i looked after s a german, 16-year-old boy. he died in me arms. robert: at every shipboard gathering, veterans scan the faces for old friends, fewer as chnniversary passes. john stacy has turned 101. >> i look for two oric three paar friends, you know, who you went with, whether they survived robert: there will be moments to forget the passa years.he before it sets are course for the aches and the friends they left behind. rort hall, bbc news, in th