Havant MP Alan Mak to lead delegation of local veterans to Normandy to commemorate VE Day 80

The party will visit Bayeux War Cemetery and pay their respects at the grave of Captain Charles Pring, a soldier from the Havant area who died shortly after D-Day on June 6, 1944, aged 36.

The group will also visit Gold Beach, one of the principal landing areas for British and Commonwealth soldiers during D-Day, and the British Normandy Memorial, including the Standing With Giants silhouettes that represent British servicemen who died on D-Day.

This poignant installation was in place for the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year and has returned to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when joy that the war had ended was mixed with sorrow for those who never came home.

Mr Mak will be joined on the trip by veterans and Royal British Legion members from the Havant area who have served in the Army and the Royal Navy.

Mr Mak is Vice President of Havant Royal British Legion and a longstanding Legion volunteer. Each year he helps to launch the local Poppy Appeal and joins other RBL representatives to sell poppies on Hayling Island and in Havant.

He said: "In 2019 the 75th anniversary of D-Day was commemorated and I was honoured to lead a delegation of local veterans on a trip to Normandy's beaches to pay tribute to the fallen.

"Now we're returning, this time to mark this year's 80th anniversary of VE Day.

"I believe it's very important that we remember those who bravely fought to defend our country and liberate Europe, protecting the precious freedoms we continue to enjoy today."