The King has led the tributes at a ceremony in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the operation. His Majesty paid tribute to those who “did not flinch when the moment came” on D-Day in his address to leaders and veterans at the commemoration service.
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00:00Eighty years ago, on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, our nation and those which stood alongside
00:09us faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.
00:18How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women
00:26in the United Kingdom and other allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face
00:34that test.
00:37On the beaches of Normandy, in the seas beyond, and in the skies overhead, our armed forces
00:47carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination.
00:54Qualities so characteristic of that remarkable wartime generation.
01:02Very many of them never came home.
01:05As the years pass, the veterans of the Normandy campaign become ever fewer in number.
01:15Over the past 40 years, I have had the great privilege of attending seven D-Day commemorations
01:22in Normandy and meeting so many distinguished veterans.
01:29Among the names inscribed on the walls and pillars of this memorial are men and women
01:36from more than 30 different nations and many faiths.
01:42United, they fought together for what my grandfather, King George VI, described as a world in which
01:52goodness and honor may be the foundation of the life of men in every land.
02:01As we stand alongside their remaining friends and comrades on this hallowed ground, let
02:08us affirm that we will strive to live by their example.
02:14Let us pray such sacrifice need never be made again.
02:20And let us commit to carrying forward their resounding message of courage and resilience
02:28in the pursuit of freedom tempered by the duty of responsibilities to others for the
02:35benefit of younger generations and those left, those yet unborn.
02:43Our gratitude is unfailing and our admiration eternal.