D-Day 80: Crowds gather in anticipation for commemoration on Southsea Common

Queues were building at Southsea Common from 8am for the D-Day 80 commemorative event on Wednesday, June 5. Tickets to the event sold out in minutes with people wanting to pay their respects to those that sacrificed their lives on June 6, 1944.

First in the queue were Laura Payne and her son, Oliver, who were looking forward to a day of remembrance. The event is particularly pertinent to them with Oliver’s Great Grandfather, William Field, landing on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, the day before his 18th birthday. Laura said: “We are really looking forward to it, really excited.”

Another family eagerly awaiting in the queue was Amy Rushton and her son Luke. It was a particularly proud day for them with Luke’s father set to take to the stage as a trumpeter for the Royal Marines Band. Amy said: “It is really important to be hear, I have grown up in the area and around the history of it. I am really please to give Luke the same experiences I had.”

Different generations were attending the event, all emphasising the importance of remembering the events of 80 years ago, and acknowledging their importance of our way of life today.

Janet Somerset, of Portsmouth, has proud family line of professional sailors, including her grandad who was awarded an OBE for his bravery on the Arctic Convoys. Janet believes it is incredibly important to remember the sacrifices that were made. She said: “We need to remember that because of them we are able to stand here and do as we please.”

Steven Baggott queued with his wife Maxine. It will be an emotional day for the couple with Steven’s father being the commanding officer of the Landing Craft 7074 which is the exhibit at the D-Day Story Museum.

Steven said: “My father never spoke about his experiences. We found out about it mainly from the museum and their records. In the landing craft they have recreated the captains cabin, and in that there is a photo of my mother.”

Watch the video embedded in this article for full and additional interviews of the crowd