Band of brothers reunite for last time
SECOND World War veterans from across Northern Ireland will today stand on the beaches of Normandy, perhaps for the last time.
The dwindling band of brothers, now in their late 80s and 90s, will be making an emotional journey to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings on D-Day.
Thousands of Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of France 70 years ago, paving the way for the final defeat of Nazi Germany.
Today some of the last surviving D-Day veterans from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US will join the Queen, US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the official commemoration of the biggest seaborne invasion in military history.
The ceremony is at Sword, the most eastern of the five beaches.
Closer to home, cinemas in Northern Ireland will tonight screen a live BBC concert to commemorate the anniversary.
Radio 2 will stream the special D-Day 70 Years On edition of Fri- and Dundonald — from 7.3010pm. Among those going to the Belfast screening is Anne Willis from Nutts Corner, whose late father, Lieutenant Alexander North Hardy from Whitehead, served in the Royal Navy.
As commanding officer of HMS Valena, a minesweeper, he sailed off the French beaches on June 5 in heavy weather, helping to clear the way for the invasion fleet to land the following morning. “It is important D-Day and other such occasions are marked,” said Ms Willis. “Younger people are coming on board with the history of it all. Without it where would we be today?”
Lisburn-based former RAF pilot Bill Eames towed a glider full of paratroopers to targets in Normandy just ahead of the main landings