Veterans in Portsmouth mark D-Day anniversary alongside 'glad' city MP Stephen Morgan

Today marks 77 years since the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, as the Allied forces began to push Nazi occupiers back towards Germany.

Labour MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan commemorated the day with veterans from the Second World War at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, after paying his respects at the D-Day memorial in Southsea.

The war heroes arrived at the dockyard in the newly-restored F8 landing craft, which saw action in the Falklands and was restored by Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

Mr Morgan, shadow armed forces minister, said: ‘With a grandfather who was a D-Day veteran, it is particularly important for me to ensure we never forget the incredible bravery and sacrifice of our veterans, who risked so much to secure peace and the freedoms of many across Europe.

‘77 years on, I was glad to be able to spend the day with some of Portsmouth’s second world war veterans and thank for them for their service to our country.

‘We owe them a huge debt.’

Mr Morgan’s grandfather, James Kaminski, is one of those who took part in the D-Day invasion, landing on Juno Beach with Canadian forces on what was his 17th birthday.

He spent the rest of the war as a driver, playing his part in the assault through mainland Europe.

When he returned to Portsmouth he started out delivering lemonade across the city, eventually working for what has now become BAE Systems.

In 2019 the city played host to the D-Day 75 commemorations.

The event was attended by hundreds of veterans, the Queen, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and US president Donald Trump.

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