D-Day anniversary: Hour-by-hour guide to D-Day 75 ceremony on Southsea Common in Portsmouth today

PORTSMOUTH is set to host the national commemorative ceremony to mark 75 years since the Normandy Landings.
By Matthew Mohan-Hickson
Published 5th Jun 2019, 09:52 GMT
Updated 5th Jun 2019, 12:07 GMT
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The D-Day 75 event will be attended by hundreds of veterans, world leaders including Donald Trump as well as the Queen on Southsea Common.

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Leader Portsmouth City Council said: ‘The scale of D-Day 75 is unprecedented with Portsmouth at the heart of commemorations on 5 June.

Read More
All of the D-Day events going on this week
An installation made from 20,000 poppies with messages from supporters of the Royal British Legion goes on display to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at the beaches of Arromanches in Normandy, France. Picture: Doug Peters/PA WireAn installation made from 20,000 poppies with messages from supporters of the Royal British Legion goes on display to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at the beaches of Arromanches in Normandy, France. Picture: Doug Peters/PA Wire
An installation made from 20,000 poppies with messages from supporters of the Royal British Legion goes on display to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at the beaches of Arromanches in Normandy, France. Picture: Doug Peters/PA Wire
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‘The city will provide the back drop for the armed forces to mark this historic occasion and, most importantly, to pay tribute to veterans and their comrades.’

Here is the hour-by-hour guide to what is happening on the common:

Wednesday, June 5

- 11:30 The D-Day 75 National Commemorative Event will take place on Southsea Common. Veterans will join today’s Armed Forces and VIPs for a BBC programme of live music, performance and flypasts. Large screens will be provided on the common for members of the public who wish to watch the event.

- 12:45 (approx) A Royal Navy frigate will fire a naval gun salute followed by a spectacular flypast of up to 25 historic and modern RAF aircraft including the Red Arrows and the iconic spitfire.

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- 16:15pm The Red Arrows will return for a breath-taking display of speed and agility above Southsea Common.

- 18:25pm The Royal British Legion’s specially chartered ship, the MV Boudicca, will set sail from Portsmouth with 300 veterans to Normandy. HMS St Albans, a Type-23 Royal Navy frigate, will escort the MV Boudicca along with four smaller Royal Navy vessels. Royal Navy ships docked in port will pay their respects, before the ship emerges into the Solent to be met by a flotilla of Royal Navy vessels who will sail past her in salute with sailors lining the decks.

Members of the public are encouraged to line key vantage points to wave off the veterans as they retrace the journey they made in 1944.

- 19:40pm (approx) The RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will fly over Portsmouth to mark the departure of The Royal British Legion’s ship.

Related topics:PortsmouthRoyal NavyQueenPortsmouth City CouncilRAFThe Royal British Legion

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