Young and old unite in Newport to commemorate D-Day landings

The annual service at the D-Day memorial, outside the frontage of the former Corn Exchange, brought former servicemen and cadets together, diverse in age, but united both in their immaculate attire and a desire to remember the actions of their forebears who secured a vital foothold in Normandy on June 6 1944, on the way to Allied victory in the Second World War.

The service followed a parade which began outside the John Wallace Linton pub on Cambrian Street, and proceeded onto Bridge Street and the High Street.

The event was organised by the Royal Welsh Comrades Association, whose City of Newport branch was among 15 servicemen's groups and branches to parade with their standards this year.

Several branches of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Regiment of Wales, the Merchant Navy Association, and the Newport branch of the Parachute Regiment Association were among those also represented during the parade - fronted by players from Newport's Steadfast Band - and service.

During the service standards were lowered in remembrance for an impeccably observed two minutes' silence, wreaths were laid, the Last Post was sounded, and the familiar words from Laurence Binyon's First World War poem For The Fallen were read out, ending with the sombre words 'at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.'

One onlooker was Martin Williams, from Cwmbran, whose great-uncle took part in the D-Day landings.

"He didn't talk about it much, but I've been interested in D-Day from a very young age because of him and I always come to this service," he said.

"I understand there are no veterans of D-Day here today and most those left are in their 90s now. As their numbers dwindle it's up to more recent generations to keep the memory of what they achieved going."

It is now thought that more than 4,000 Allied servicemen were killed on D-Day, out of an estimated 10,000 casualties (also including those injured or missing in action).