ver-sur-mer taking on that mantle as well. i: i: i: ver-sur-mer taking on that mantle as well. :: ::on that mantle as well. i: i: i: , .,, ver-sur-mer taking on that mantle as well. :: :: :: , .,, .,, , well. 22,000 people lost their lives on the 0-day _ well. 22,000 people lost their lives on the d-day landings _ well. 22,000 people lost their lives on the d-day landings and - well. 22,000 people lost their lives on the d-day landings and the - on the d—day landings and the subsequent days. talk us through, if you are talking to somebody who does not know anything about what happened there and there will be kids not up to speed with this bit of history. bring it home. the scale of history. bring it home. the scale of it is absolutely _ of history. bring it home. the scale of it is absolutely enormous - of history. bring it home. the scale of it is absolutely enormous and . of it is absolutely enormous and what the allies did very successfully as use technological know—how and vast industrialisation and global reach and access to resources and use mechanisation to limit the number of

and hugh is in ver—sur—mer in normandy where today's events are taking place. memorial. tell us more about what will be happening there today. us more about what will be happening there toda . , ~ there today. events will kick off in about an hour— there today. events will kick off in about an hour from _ there today. events will kick off in about an hour from now _ there today. events will kick off in about an hour from now and - about an hour from now and rehearsals are going on now, you may hear sound check there is a piper who has been playing the pipes, security has arrived, there have been sniffer dogs and it will get under way in about an hour, it will not be an elaborate ceremony, it will be quite brief, that is covid for you, will be quite brief, that is covid foryou, but will be quite brief, that is covid for you, but it will mean speeches from the british ambassador in france and the french defence minister is here and all of it transmitted back to britain where there is a gathering of normandy veterans in staffordshire at the arboretum there, so cle

and hugh is in ver—sur—mer in normandy where today's events are taking place.ing under way, at the moment it isjust as service announcements talking about covid and how to respect the rules. in the next 20 minutes, as the timetable suggests, we should get the ceremony proper under way and there will be this live transmission going over to veterans who are gathered in staffordshire at the national arboretum. here the audience is pretty sparse, there are about 100 dignitaries led by the british ambassador in france and the french defence minister is here and then gather on the other side are local people from the town of ver—sur—mer and it's been very important that they are associated with this and there is part of the national british memorial, a corner which is dedicated to french civilian victims of the campaign and there were many, largely caused by allied bombing. everyone i have spoken to in that last hour or so is seeing this place for the first time and they were as bold over as i was yesterday, it has been kept a well—kept secret, the media was not allo

hugh schofield, reports from the norman town of ver—sur—mer.nificance and the emotion of the moment were lost on no one. here at the normandy memorial, there's finally a place — and a place of great beauty — where, for future generations, british commemorations of d—day and the normandy campaign will have a single focus. because of covid, virtually no veterans were in france. instead, in rather less clement weather, many of them gathered at the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire and watched the ceremony via a live transmission, including a message from the prince of wales. i could only hope that this serves to commemorate all those whose lives were lost during the events ofjune 19114 and between d—day and the liberation of paris at the end of august 19114. and in the morning, we will rememberthem. we will rememberthem. there was a two—minute silence to honour the 22,4112 names that are engraved on the columns of the memorial. and then, accompanied by the french defence minister, the british ambassador to paris, lord llewellyn, laid a

hugh schofield reports from the town of ver—sur—mer.er—sur—mer but the significance of the emotion of the moment were lost on no one. here at the normandy memorial, there's finally a place of great beauty where for future generations british commemorations of d—day and the normandy campaign will have single focus. because of covid, virtually no veterans were in france. instead, in rather less clement weather, many gathered at the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire and watched the ceremony via live transmission, including a message from the prince of wales. i including a message from the prince of wales. . ., including a message from the prince of wales. u, ., , including a message from the prince of wales. _, ., , .,, , of wales. i could only hope this serves to _ of wales. i could only hope this serves to commemorate - of wales. i could only hope this serves to commemorate all - of wales. i could only hope this i serves to commemorate all those whose lives ofjune199li and serves to commemorate all those whose lives ofjune 199

hugh schofield reports now from ver—sur—mer.ead, in less clement weather many gathered in britain and watched proceedings by a live transmission. i can britain and watched proceedings by a live transmission.— live transmission. i can only hope that this serves _ live transmission. i can only hope that this serves to _ live transmission. i can only hope that this serves to commemorate j live transmission. i can only hope i that this serves to commemorate all those whose live were lost during the events ofjune 1944 those whose live were lost during the events ofjune1944 and between d—day and the liberation of paris at the end of august 1944. d-day and the liberation of paris at the end of august 1944.— d-day and the liberation of paris at the end of august 1944. there was a two minute — the end of august 1944. there was a two minute silence _ the end of august 1944. there was a two minute silence to _ the end of august 1944. there was a two minute silence to honour- the end of august 1944. there was a two minute silence to honour

as we stay, in ver—sur—mer, in normandy.. ihei;r the man who tendered the grave on the farm, just, amazing.— the farm, 'ust, amazing. they will be so the farm, just, amazing. they will be so many _ the farm, just, amazing. they will be so many individual _ the farm, just, amazing. they will be so many individual stories i be so many individual stories like that behind all those names on that memorial. more to come a bit later. 7:30 a.m., time for some sport. celebrating rory burns' a century. that picture behind you there, taken from many different angles. there is this really sweet picture. there is his wife and i have done extensive research into this, his baby there, five month old, there to watch her daddy get that century yesterday. as we say, the crowds were fairly few in number but the important people were there. he in number but the important people were there. 9. , 9. . were there. he really needed it as well because _ were there. he really needed it as well because he _ were there. he really needed it as well beca

hugh schofield reports now from ver—sur—mer.ere future generations can come to learn of d—day and to honour the names of thousands who sacrificed their lives. the ceremony was simple and attended by only a small number of people. because of covid, there were virtually no veterans in france. instead, in rather less clement weather, many of them gathered in britain and watched proceedings by a live transmission. i can only hope that this serves to commemorate all those whose lives were lost during the events ofjune 19114 and between d—day and the liberation of paris at the end of august 19114. there was a two—minute silence to honour the 22,000 names on the columns of memorial. and then the uk's ambassador in paris declared the memorial open. the memorial was only completed a few weeks ago, and there are few visitors at the moment. as a result, the scale and the beauty of this place have come to many as a monumental surprise. it's set on a hill looking down on gold beach, where thousands came ashore on d—day. built in pale burgund