seeing boudicca as she sails out through portsmouth harbour, along the solent, a lovely ship, a cruiseel on, very different from the conditions in which the young soldiers and sailors... and the weather is very much better, nearly all the people in the small crafts we re all the people in the small crafts were seasick a very unpleasant, some of them were jolly glad to get ashore, even though it was terrifying. they were all primed and ready to go, then eisenhower had to hold it. forecasting us win, it was stopped, and any met office said, there there is a window, and that was an immensely important decision, and the fact we went in that window confused the germans. they had not expected us to come at that stage, with the weather as it was, and we managed to get everyone ashore via the mulberry before the big storm, which devastated the mulberry harbour. let's talk about the ceremonial, because it is important in the navy in terms of doing things ina in the navy in terms of doing things in a particular way. how are events of this kind commemorated? how important are they? what kind of e

are on the same side, nations big and small, the world over, looking to portsmouth, looking to boudicca as she sails out of the harbourn her way to recreate that remarkable invasion of europe that began on d—day, 75 years ago tomorrow, the 6th ofjunei941i. and we will be backjust after seven with beyond 100 days, and we will leave you with images of today's commemorations. i was terrified. i think everyone was. you don't show it, but it's there. i look back on it as a big part of my life. it changed me, in a way. the tide has turned. the free men of the world are marching together to victory. we shall fight on the beaches. we shall fight on the landing grounds. we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. that morning, they said, we're going to give you live ammunition, and this is the real thing. i was just over 17, on that day. but we were in trouble, and like every other service, we were just doing ourjob. it is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country, indeed the whole free world, that i say to you all thank you. you're watching beyond 100 days — a day of commemorations to mark the 75th anni

portsmouth. and playing colonel bogey on the loud hailer all over the harbour. were giving us a wave, which gave us a good chuckle. and we were very proud of that. newsreel announcer: from south of england ports go monty's invasion men to spring their surprise on von rundstedt's nazis. it was a bit loppy going over but once we got nearer the french coast it seemed to calm down. things began to pop when we got closer as we went in with the assault craft. you had rocket ships behind us firing rockets. and bigger ships firing shells over the top of us. the raf was carpet bombing the beach before we got there and we felt the warm air as we got close. we felt the warm air coming at us. which enabled the soldiers to get to the top before the germans had woke up to the fact that we were landing. they were protecting themselves from the raf bombing. it was so finely balanced that the troops were there. directly the planes had gone, the troops were there. and the germans really didn't put up a lot of opposition. there were more injuries i think from mines than anything.

harbour is used on d—day. he was bombed in southampton and portsmouth and went over with the portable arbours to gold beach.a thought for the loved ones who were left behind when the boat5 left for dover for france. i asked my mum how she coped with saying goodbye to my dad. she said we stood on the beach at dover and we re we stood on the beach at dover and were all in it together but i will never forget the were all in it together but i will neverforget the sobbing were all in it together but i will never forget the sobbing i could hear all around me. on twitter, another 5aid hear all around me. on twitter, another said my grandfather was in the third wave and was lucky he survived but sadly died two years later as a sub manner! sub manner when he was torpedoed by the german5. much respect today for all the veterans for they gave our —— their lives for hours today. i have got the transport —— transcript now from dwight eisenhower from those who are about to embark on the d—day landings. she said it is her prized possession. i will reduce some of it. soldiers of the allied expeditionary force, you're about

say his grandfather, mark fletcher, is granddad served at hq in portsmouth and told him the strongest memory was looking out of the harbour we had a job to do, and if anything happened to us, that was hard luck. i did what they said. i crept up the beach. i thought, what's all these people around me? they're in the water — what are they doing in the water? i thought, you'd think they'd get out of the water and come out and join me where i am. no. they was dead — dead. 75 years ago, more than 100,000 troops boarded almost 5,000 vessels in ports and harbours all over the south coast of england. 5june was the original date of d—day. in the end bad weather meant a delay for 24 hours. nonetheless, across the channel, the raf continued their bombardment. the softening up of german defences along a broad stretch of coast... bridges and airfields destroyed in readiness for what would be the largest seaborne invasion in history, and the beginning of the end of the war. the number of d—day veterans is now down to the hundreds. today‘s events will be one of the last opportunities to commemorate those who liberated europe from nazi r

from portsmouth with 300 veterans for normandy — retracing their steps on the journey taken 75 years ago in 1944. robert hall was suggesting some were having a great time, they want to poole harbourpa re ntly navy, current day servicemen, and apparently there were lots of smiles and laughter. tomorrow, the prime minister and president macron will unveil a new war memorial overlooking gold beach. it will carry the names of 22,400 people who lost their lives in the battle of normandy. remarkably, 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. with me now is navel reservist sarah charters. from the royal air force. the role of women is not often talked about but it was crucial. it absolutely was. the first two women to land on the normandy beaches where raf nurses and they had volunteered to work with a mobile field hospital, they left gosport on the 11th of june, and they arrived onjuno beach 12th ofjune, stayed overnight in a bunker, and then joined 12th ofjune, stayed overnight in a bunker, and thenjoined the 12th ofjune, stayed overnight in a bunker, and then joined the field hospital to start reach

portsmouth yesterday. robert hall was with them. you will be able to see mulberry harbourin you will be able to see mulberry harbour in the backgroundoff 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. 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 departed from southampton. and i was thinking, you can imagine all that covered in bombs of all kinds shapes and sizes. jack and the 300 vetera ns a broad shapes and sizes. jack and the 300 veterans abroad mv boudicca have had an eventful few days. a one—off experience. i don't know how to describe it all, it's absolutely beautiful. now it was the navy's turned to bid these pilgrims farewell. the prime minister joining these pilgrims farewell. the prime ministerjoining crewmembers these pilgrims farewell. the prime minister joining crewmembers from the aircraft carrier queen elizabeth then, out thro