D-Day commemorations to take place in Orkney

The Union Flag will be flown from the Kirkwall Town Hall over the next two days to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

D-Day – or the Normandy Landings – which took place on 6 June 1944, saw the Allied Forces mount a large-scale invasion of Nazi-occupied France that ultimately tipped the course of the Second World War in the Allies’ favour.

Wreaths will also be laid at the Kirkwall War Memorial on Thursday morning by Orkney’s Lord Lieutenant Elaine Grieve and Council Convener Graham Bevan accompanied by OIC Chief Executive Oliver Reid.

On 6 June, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion will host the UK’s national commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

The 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings will be the first time this new memorial has been at the heart of major anniversary commemorations.

The British Normandy Memorial is the only memorial in Normandy listing the names of the 22,442 people who died under British command on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy.

The event will conclude with a traditional act of remembrance, including the Last Post and a two-minute silence.

More than 1,600 members of the Armed Forces will lead the commemorations in France. The commemorations also involve contributions from a Royal Marines landing craft, five Royal Navy patrol vessels, minesweeper HMS Cattistock and the British Army’s Red Devils parachute display team.

Orkney Islands Council Convener, Graham Bevan, said: “This week, across the UK and here in Orkney, we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, remembering those – fathers, sons, husbands and brothers - whose sacrifice, service and bravery turned the tide on World War Two.

“In these uncertain times it is more important than ever that we reflect and pass that flame of commemoration from one generation to the next, to ensure that the loss and sacrifice of war is not forgotten.”