‘We remember our friends who never came home’: Veterans commemorate D-Day landings in France for 81st anniversary

6 June 2025, 16:28 | Updated: 6 June 2025, 18:09

Veterans gather in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Along the coastline near the five D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands attended the commemorations to the ever-dwindling number of veterans.

The June 6 1944, D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France used the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitler’s defences in western Europe.

A chaplain whose grandfather fought in the Second World War commemorated the 81st anniversary of D-Day by warning “we forget it at our peril”.

The Rev Simon d’Albertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a “seminal moment in history”.

He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and “troubled times that we live in”.

A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, after 160,000 landed in France.

A service of commemoration is held at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France, to mark the 81st anniversary.

Mr d’Albertanson said: “This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril.

“There’s a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace.

“As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.

“We’re called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but that’s the last resort.

“We want to be peacemakers.”

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Two of the chaplain’s own relatives fought during the Second World War.

His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on a number of ships including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait.

Mr d’Albertanson said: “It’s an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this.

“This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom.

“Being here brings it to life.

"It makes you realise what you’re involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today – and as chaplains we go with them.”

One veteran in attendance, Ken Hay MBE, 99, was just 18 when he landed at Courseulles-sur-Mer on D-Day +5.

He was captured on the night of July 7-8 and was taken to Zabrze in Poland where he worked as a prisoner of war in a coal mine.

As the Russians approached, the prisoners were taken to a new location, approximately 1,000 miles away, during which many of them died.

Eventually they were liberated by American troops and Mr Hay returned to the UK via Reims, arriving on May 4.

He laid a wreath at the memorial service in Ver-sur-Mer alongside other veterans.

Mr Hay said: “Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home.

“We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave it all.

“Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about.

“We are the age of their great-grandparents – we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again.”

Veterans in attendance at the wreath laying ceremony at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France included:

• Royal Navy D-Day veteran John Dennett,
• D-Day veteran and Ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial Ken Hay,
• Royal Navy D-Day veteran Henry Rice,
• Royal Marines D-Day veteran Jim Grant,
• Royal Navy D-Day veteran Ken Benbow,
• Royal Navy Veteran George Boothby,
• D-Day army veteran Richard Brock,
• ATS veteran Marjorie Hanson and RAF veteran Gilbert Clarke.

Defence Secretary John Healey lay a wreath during the ceremony and was seen shaking hands with veteran Gilbert Clarke aged 99.

He said: “We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe.

“As we reset the nation’s contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.”

83,000 troops were from Britain and Canada, with 73,000 troops from the U.S.

Forces from other countries also fought, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces on the beaches.

“The heroism, honour and sacrifice of the Allied forces on D-Day will always resonate with the US Armed Forces and our Allies and partners across Europe,” said Lt Gen Jason T Hinds, deputy commander of US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, told AP.

“So let us remember those who flew and fell.

"Let us honour those who survived and came home to build a better world. And let us ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain by meeting today’s challenges with the same resolve, the same clarity of purpose, and the same commitment to freedom.”