BEACONS will be lit across the Isle of Wight as a poignant reminder of the horrors and victories during the D-Day landings of the Second World War.

Bembridge Parish Council will join the nationwide commemoration by holding a special beacon lighting event on Culver Down on Thursday night, June 6.

The event will also feature an ecumenical Service of Remembrance, led by the Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight, the Ven Steve Daughtery, and the Rev David Plumb.

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The Brading Community Choir will also attend to sing a medley of songs at 8.45pm, before the service starts at 9.15pm.

Ryde's uniformed sea, army and air cadets will also be taking part in the ceremony, with Mary Teague set to perform the Last Post and Reveille as part of a two minutes' silence. 

What was D-Day?

On June 6, 1944, over 150,000 Allied Troops landed on five beaches in Normandy, France, by sea and air.

In the build-up to the operation, boats were at anchor in the Solent in such large numbers, it appeared you could have walked to the mainland from the Isle of Wight. Around 7,000 ships and landing craft took part, with the invasion force creating quite a spectacle on The Solent. 

Codenamed Operation Neptune, the Normandy landings made up the largest seaborne invasion in history and played a crucial role in liberating Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

The operation led to the liberation of Europe.

The Island's Lord Lieutenant, Susie Sheldon, will light the beacon at 9.25pm. 

Visitors are advised parking will be limited near the beacon and to car share with friends and family if at all possible. There will be marshals on hand to guide you to the nearest parking spot.

Culver can be cold and windy in the evenings, so please dress appropriately and wear sensible shoes and bring a torch.

There will be temporary traffic lights at the junction with the main B3395 Sandown Road at the junction of Culver Down Road, to ensure departing cars can exit safely that evening.

In the event of the event being cancelled due to high winds or bad weather, the service will be held at Holy Trinity Church, Bembridge, instead.

Also, A beacon of remembrance will be lit on at 9.15pm at the green on The Esplanade, East Cowes.

Those attending are invited to bring their own battery torch to hold high.

And in Yarmouth, there will be  a lighting of the beacon on The Green, also at 9.15pm, following a march-through from Yarmouth Square by Medina Marching Band. 

The beacon lighting events will be part of a wider initiative across the allied nations to mark the 80th anniversary.

"We very much hope that many people will come to the event to remember those who fought — and died — so valiantly," said Debbie Glover, of Bembridge Parish Council.