D Day 80 anniversary events to be held on the Isle of Wight

Nationally, on June 5 and 6, there will be a series of major commemorations in the UK and France to honour the brave personnel who risked their lives.

• Scroll down to see what is happening on the Isle of Wight...
• Are you organising an event? Tell us, by emailing editor@iwcp.co.uk

The Red Arrows (Image: Ministry of Defence)

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.

Two forces reinactment veterans from the Island (Image: Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council)

Culver Down

• There will be a beacon lighting ceremony on Culver Down in the evening. There will be singing from the Brading Community Choir at 8.45pm, followed by an ecumenical service, led by the Island's archdeacon, and the lighting of the beacon at 9.25pm. Dress warmly and bring a torch. Parking will be limited, so car sharing advised.

Cowes

• A beacon will be lit on Thursday, June 6, 2024 on The Parade. A service with the Mayor of Cowes, Councillor John Nicholson, from 7.30pm. Lighting of the beacon at 9.15pm, by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of the IW, Brigadier Maurice Sheen CBE QVRM TD DL.

East Cowes

• A beacon of remembrance will be lit on June 6 at 9.15pm at the green on East Cowes Esplanade. Those attending are invited to bring their own battery torch to hold high.

Godshill

• The Isle of Wight Austin Club is organising car rallies with a red, white and blue theme, to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. On Wednesday, June 5, the cars will gather at Godshill to rally from 11.30am, via Chale Green, the Military Road, Brook Green and Yarmouth, to Norton Grange for a celebration lunch. On Thursday (June 6), the cars will gather at the Military and Heritage Museum from 11.30am, then rally at 13.30pm, via Newport, Staplers Road, Briddlesford Road, Robin Hill, Arreton Barns and the Fighting Cocks, to Shanklin's Luccombe Hall Hotel for a traditional afternoon tea.

Newport

• Event organised by Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council, at Victoria Recreation Ground, between 10am and 4pm, on June 8, including music, vintage stalls and military vehicles. A parade from Drill Hall Road, at 10.30am, arriving about 20 minutes later for the the Lord Lieutenant to take a salute. Free transport via vintage Southern Vectis bus, ‘Old Girl’, from Church Litten. 

• The Apollo Theatre in Pyle Street will be screening a new 30-minute film about D-Day, entitled '80 Years On', made by Felicity Fair Thompson and filmed on the Isle of Wight, at 2pm on Thursday, June 6. See the film and meet the actors and contributors. Doors open at 1.15pm, admission £6.
• Medina Theatre will be hosting the D-Day Proms — a proms-style concert with 35-piece orchestra and vocalists — at 7.30pm on Saturday June 1. Expect all the traditional wartime favourites, punctuated by poignant moments, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, all concluding with a traditional 'Proms' finale.

Niton

• Niton Village Historical Group will stage a D-Day exhibition at the White Lion, Niton. Second World War artefacts, plus video and audio memories and information about what it was like to live in Niton during the war will be on show, between 10.30am and 4pm.

Ryde

• Hopefully, visible from Ryde, an RAF fly-past over Portsmouth, to include the Red Arrows, on June 5.

Sandown

• Sandown Conservative Club will host a morning of interesting history and conversation, at '80 Years On From the D-Day Landings: Preparations on the Home Front Along the South Coast and the Island. Bring along your old family memorabilia and discover what was being talked about in the Isle of Wight County Press at that time. The event will also include the screening of '80 Years On'. Runs from 10.30am to 1pm on Saturday, June 8, with admission £5, which includes refreshments and a prize draw in support of The Veteran, Ryde. 

Shanklin

• Shanklin & District History Society will host an open day exhibition, on Saturday, May 25, from 10am to 3pm, at the Falcon Cross Hall, Shanklin. Entry is free. Displays of pictures and stories from the group's archive, including WW2 artefacts, old maps, and directories to help find out who lived in your house. Local history books and old postcards will also be on sale.
• Blind veteran Ian Summers is organising a walk to commemorate D-Day and raise funds for Blind Veterans UK on June 9. Called the Blindfolded Bimble, Ian will be walking 6km from Shanklin to Sandown and back, with those taking part with him walking in pairs, with each sighted person taking it in turns to wear a blindfold or be a sight guide. Ian hopes the community will join him and help raise funds by getting friends and family to sponsor them.

Yarmouth

• A commemoration at Yarmouth community hall on June 6, including a coffee morning, from 10.30am to 1.30pm. In the evening, between 5pm and 8.30pm, there will be a talk. A march-through from Yarmouth Square to the Green, by Medina Marching Band. Lighting of the beacon, at 9.15pm.

Portsmouth

• Portsmouth will host a major national commemorative event, with thousands of members of the public joining D-Day veterans, Armed Forces personnel and VIP guests, on Southsea Common. There will be military musicians and a Royal Air Force flypast and it will be broadcast live on BBC 1. There will be a free shuttle bus from Portsmouth and Southsea Station.