D-Day 80: Church bells to ring out and beacons to be lit as Liverpool marks 80th anniversary of D-Day

There will be several moments when Liverpool will be able to reflect on the historic D-Day manoeuvres of 6 June 1944 which started the Battle of Normandy, or Operation Overlord. D-Day remains the largest seaborne invasion ever undertaken when approximately 160,000 men crossed the Channel in a single day. It is estimated that there were 10,000 Allied casualties on D-Day.

On June 6 at noon, The Merseyside Service of Celebration and Commemoration will take place in St John’s Gardens when wreaths will be laid at the D-Day memorial stone. The service, which is for invited guests, will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Richard Kemp, as well as the Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside Mark Blundell and the High Sheriff of Merseyside Professor John Mohin OBE DL. Mayors of other local boroughs will also be in attendance.

The service will be led by the The Rector of Liverpool, The Reverend Canon, Dr Crispin Pailing MBE, in what will be one of his final public appearances as the city’s rector.

Liverpool-born D-Day veteran Joseph Carter who served in the Royal Navy has been invited to attend the service. Mr Carter, who is aged 100, joined the Royal Navy in 1942, aged 18, and was serving on HMS Mackay on D-Day which bombarded defences on Juno beach and later also crewed a tank landing craft.

At 6.30pm on the same day, the bells of Liverpool Parish Church – St Nick’s – will ring out for peace.

The city’s attention will then turn to national events at 9.15pm when beacons will be lit across the country. Eight beacons will be lit in the gardens of Liverpool Parish Church where they will remain alight for 30 minutes.

Then on Sunday, June 9, at 1pm 1,000 veterans accompanied by two bands will march through the city from Copperas Hill, along Hanover Street, arriving at the Royal Albert Dock at 1.30pm. Prayers will once again by read by Reverend Canon Dr Crispin Pailing and Liverpool’s Armed Forces Champion Cllr Christine Banks will read the national D-Day tribute.

The short service will conclude at 1.40pm. From 6-9 June civic buildings will be lit red, white and blue and the Union Flag will also be flown from the Town Hall.