D-Day 80th anniversary torch stopping off in Cambridgeshire on route to France
The torch is making its way around the country
A D-Day Torch of Commemoration is continuing its journey to France from Cambridgeshire today.
The 'Lighting Their Legacy' event, organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), will travel from the UK to Normandy to mark D-Day's 80th anniversary, as it stops off at Cambridge City Cemetery.
The ceremony in Cambridge aims to engage younger people and inspire them to play their part in marking the sacrifices of the fallen.
It's hoped veterans and young people can build connections in a bid to improve education, connect with younger generations and inspire them to understand the lessons of the Second World War, the CWGC said.
"D-Day is an opportunity for all generations to come together"
Mac MacDonald MBE is the CWGC's public engagement coordinator for the East of England:
“D-Day is a national moment, and an opportunity for all generations to come together to commemorate and contemplate the sacrifices which underpin the freedoms we enjoy today.
"As their (veterans) numbers decline, I believe it is vitally important we remember their incredible sense of duty at such a difficult time.
"Our schools, youth groups and cadets are the ones who will continue to remember the stories of those men and women who supported the war effort in the run up to D-Day, particularly those who paid the ultimate sacrifice 80 years ago.”
D-Day veterans, royalty and world leaders are expected to gather in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the largest seaborne military invasion in history.
Events will occur in the UK and France, commemorating the allied troops involved in Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944.
The torch's route
After Cambridge, the torch will then travel to Brookwood Military Cemeteries in Surrey on May 17th, and the Naval Memorial, Kent on May 18th.
It will continue on to Plymouth's Naval Memorial on May 20th, Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, on May 21st, Newark Cemetery on May 23rd, and Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate on May 24th.
Further events will include a torch ceremony and exhibition at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester on May 29th and a symbolic lighting of the torch followed by speeches by veterans at the National War Museum in Edinburgh on the same date.
Other events paying tribute to those carrying the torches will take place at Runnymede Memorial, Surrey on May 30th and the D-Day Story museum in Portsmouth on June 3rd.
4,500 graves to be illuminated
The final leg, starting on June 4th, will see the living flame of commemoration light every Commonwealth War Graves Commission grave in Normandy.
The Royal British Legion (RBL) will lead a service at the Bayeux war cemetery in Normandy, hosting D-Day veterans and the families of those who served, and focusing on the personal experiences of troops.
In the evening, a candlelit vigil is to be held at the cemetery, where 4,500 graves will be illuminated, while the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is leading a service at Bayeux Cathedral.
The event is set to feature military musicians, a Royal Air Force flypast and tributes from speakers, and will be broadcast live across the UK and the world.
A UK national commemorative event in France will be held in the daytime at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, which contains the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women who fell during D-Day.