SouthseaScene

Portsmouth will be the focal point of the UK commemorations for D-Day 75. There will be a host of events taking place from 5 to 9 June, including the UK’s national event on 5 June - being organised by the Ministry of Defence on behalf of HM Government and in association with the Royal British Legion. The day will begin with a major national commemorative event on Southsea Common, for which heads of state from around the world have been invited. Hundreds of veterans will also be in attendance, before they head off to cross the Channel for Normandy once again. Due to the nature of this event and the invited guests, security will be high and large areas of Southsea Common will be closed to the public. However, the events will be shown live on BBC, with large screens set up for those who want to make their way down in person. The event will include a naval gun salute fired from a Royal Navy frigate, followed by a spectacular flypast of up to 25 modern and historic aircraft. These will ...

In under two weeks' time, Portsmouth will mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day with a programme of events in honour of our Normandy veterans. The national commemoration event on 5 June is being organised by the Ministry of Defence on behalf of HM Government in conjunction with the Royal British Legion. On that day Portsmouth will host an international event for D-Day veterans attended by the Queen and world leaders. The official commemoration ceremony will be televised by the BBC and shown on big screens on Southsea Common. It will include a Royal Navy frigate firing 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. Later in the afternoon the Red Arrows will return for a breath-taking display above Southsea Common. That evening the public are encouraged to wave off The Boudicca - The Royal British Legion's chartered ship - as it departs Portsmouth taking up to 300 veterans to N...