About Gold Beach
Gold, commonly known as Gold Beach, was the code name for one of the five areas of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. Gold, the central of the five areas, was located between Port-en-Bessin on the west and La Rivière on the east.
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...The funeral of Harry Billinge, one of the first British soldiers to storm Gold Beach during the Normandy landings in 1944, is taking place later...
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... D-Day veterans, some of them approaching 100 years old, made the pilgrimage to Normandy to remember their fallen comrades Veteran David Edwards was among those who attended Dennis Thompson, 96, was photographed enjoying a cigar in his original uniform In Bayeux, the first city to be liberated by the D-Day invasion, veteran John Quinn met George Sayer, aged six A service of remembrance was held at the city s cathedral, with Tony Cash among the veterans to attend Bishop Jean-Claude Boulanger led the service, which included a two-minute silence held in memory of those who died Those present included Prime Minister Theresa May, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall After the service, the commemorations continued at Bayeux war cemetery D-Day veteran Reginald Perkins was among those who attended the service There was a flypast of aircraft from the period over Bayeux war cemetery Earlier in the day Theresa May was at Ver-sur-Mer, where British forces landed on the morning of 6 June 1944, for the unveiling of a new British Normandy Memorial The monument features a statue showing three British soldiers fighting their way up the beach Mrs May and French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to British soldiers killed and injured in the fighting, before laying a wreath together In Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined veterans for a French-US ceremony The pair watched a dramatic flypast over the Normandy American Cemetery, along with Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended the D-Day commemorations in Normandy In Arromanches-les-Bains in Normandy, visitors took to the beach Vehicles from the war era were on display as part of the commemorations And crowds were treated to the acrobatic aerial skills of Patrouille de France The day s commemorations were started by a lone piper playing on the Mulberry harbour in Arromanches-les-Bains, marking the exact moment the first British soldier landed on Gold Beach, 75 years ago In the UK, Prince Harry met veterans at the annual Founder s Day parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London The annual parade marks the founding of the Royal Hospital by King Charles II in 1682...
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... The memorial, which overlooks Gold Beach, depicts three soldiers advancing across the sand...
Harry Billinge: D-Day veteran's funeral to be held
The Funeral of Harry Billinge, one of The First British soldiers to Storm Gold Beach during the Normandy Landings in 1944, is taking place later.
Mr Billinge, from St Austell , Cornwall was 96 when he died earlier this month after a short illness.
The D-Day veteran spent More Than 60 years collecting for The Royal British Legion 's Poppy Appeal.
His coffin will be taken through his hometown before a service at St Paul's Church in Charlestown at 11:00 BST.
Margot Billinge, one of his daughters, said on behalf of The Family : " Harry was a very loving husband who always looked after mum. He was steadfast in his love for her.
" As a dad, he taught us great values: honesty, kindness, generosity and not to judge. "
Mr Billinge helped raise More Than £50,000 for The British Normandy Memorial and would make annual pilgrimages to the cemeteries of northern France.
He was appointed an MBE in 2020 for his fundraising work, and dedicated it to the 22,442 service personnel killed on D-Day and during The Battle for Normandy.
His daughter Ms Billinge said: " Harry wanted Future Generations to never forget his comrades who fell in Normandy. If members of The Public would like to pay their respects to Harry, we ask that they become guardians of The British Normandy Memorial. "
Rodney Cairns, 9, met Mr Billinge in Normandy at the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019.
They stayed in regular contact and became very close, with Mr Billinge making Rodney an honorary member of The Normandy Veterans Association.
Rodney said: " We were like best friends. We would chat over The Phone so many times and we would chat for about an hour.
" He served in The War and fought for Our Country . I like listening to his stories because he told me all about when he was young, when he was fighting, when he got on to The Beach … just amazing. "
Andy Duff, a friend who used to drive Mr Billinge around, said: " He was one of my best mates even though he was a lot older than me.
" There are not many people in life you will miss for a long time, but I will miss him alright. "
Source of news: bbc.com
