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Saturday, 7 June 2014

D-Day: Francois Hollande's plea to fight threats to peace.

D-Day: Francois Hollande's plea to fight threats to peace.

Every year I lay a cross at graves"

 Honouring the sacrifices of those who fought on D-Day, Francois Hollande has urged people to fight today's threats to peace with equal vision and courage.

 The French president was addressing world leaders and almost 2,000 veterans in Normandy on the 70th anniversary of the momentous World War Two mission.

Mr Hollande said today's threats included terrorism, global warming and mass unemployment.
The Queen said the day was filled with "sorrow and regret" as well as "pride".
Earlier, the monarch laid a wreath at a military cemetery in Bayeux.
'Helped end war'
The main ceremony took place on the French northern coast at Sword Beach, the code name for one of the Allies' five landing points where, following Mr Hollande's speech, scenes from the invasion were re-enacted.
The 1944 landings - involving 156,000 troops - were the first stage of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. 

 

Duke of Edinburgh, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall

  The Queen attended a ceremony at Bayeux cemetery along with other royals and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls
 
 
 A screen at the Sword Beach ceremony
 
 Large screens at the Sword Beach ceremony showed veterans as part of the coverage
 
 
 D-Day fly past
 
 The crowds were treated to a flypast by aircraft from World War Two, including Lancasters and Spitfires.
 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a tea party in Arromanches, near Gold landing beach
 
By the end of D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Allies had established a foothold in France - an event that would eventually help bring the war to an end.
More than 4,000 British, American and Canadian troops lost their lives on that first day of the battle.

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