France’s Normandy ports gear up for the implementation of the European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) on November 10th
The new border control measure will impact non-EU travelers entering the Schengen Area
Jérôme Chauvet, director of Ports de Normandie, warns travelers to expect extended wait times when the EES debuts
The system will replace manual passport stamping with digital checks at Schengen Area's external borders
“We are concerned about the time these procedures will take,” Chauvet said
“If passengers need to respond to additional questions
it will lengthen their border crossing time.”
The EES will require non-EU visitors to provide passport details
This data will be stored in an EU database for three years
allowing easier subsequent border crossings during that period
Chauvet revealed that Normandy ports
will primarily use tablets for traveler registration
Staff members will distribute these devices to people waiting in their cars
“A member of staff with a tablet will approach and give it to them
They will not be allowed to get out of the car,” Chauvet explained
a designated area will allow passengers to disembark and use kiosks
travelers will access kiosks at the ferry terminal
Normandy ports have not conducted any system tests
Chauvet attributed this to the French government’s focus on the Olympics and Paralympics
“We have not had any tests at all,” Chauvet stated
“We do not yet know the equipment well and how it is going to work
We are going to discover it all properly as it gets underway.”
This lack of preparation contrasts with the Brexit transition
during which ports conducted multiple dry runs to identify and address potential issues
Non-EU citizens with long-stay visas will not need to register in the Entry/Exit System
Chauvet noted that the queue assignment for this group remains undecided
“EES won’t be applied to people with long-stay visas
they will not need to undergo the pre-registration procedures,” Chauvet clarified
He added that these travelers might still face longer waits
as they may be directed to the non-EU queue
(Image courtesy of HelloDavidPradoPerucha via Freepik)
The EES implementation brings new expenses for Normandy ports
Chauvet mentioned the need for canopies to protect staff and ensure proper conditions for biometric data collection
ports must invest in signage to direct EU and non-EU travelers
Recruitment of multilingual staff to assist with tablet distribution poses another challenge
Chauvet estimated the costs at “several hundreds of thousand euros per year
per port.” He suggested that ferry companies might need to absorb these expenses
potentially leading to higher ticket prices
The EES will significantly affect short-term visitors to the Schengen Area
Tourists and business travelers will face longer entry processes but may benefit from smoother subsequent trips due to the three-year data storage
Long-term visitors and migrants with valid visas or residency permits will be exempt from EES registration
they may still experience longer wait times due to overall increased processing at borders
The EES launch precedes the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS)
ETIAS will require pre-travel authorization for visa-exempt travelers
These systems aim to enhance security and reduce irregular migration
they may deter some tourists due to increased complexity and potential delays in travel plans
The EES represents a significant shift in EU immigration policy
This system will allow more accurate tracking of non-EU nationals’ movements within the Schengen Area
EU countries can more effectively identify and address visa overstays
This capability may lead to stricter enforcement of immigration rules and potentially influence future visa policies
The EES also demonstrates the EU’s commitment to modernizing its borders while balancing security concerns with the need to facilitate legitimate travel
they may refine their individual immigration strategies to align with the enhanced data collection and analysis capabilities
As the November 10th implementation date approaches
Normandy ports continue their preparations despite lingering uncertainties
The success of the EES rollout at these key entry points will likely influence its adoption and refinement across other EU borders
Travelers planning to enter the EU through Normandy ports should anticipate longer processing times and prepare for the new registration requirements
While the system aims to enhance security and streamline future travel
its initial implementation may present challenges for both border authorities and visitors
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One of the greatest sequences ever put on film
It's been 80 years since the D-Day assault that brought the allied forces to the Normandy beaches
and began the push that would end the second World War
There have been many incredible war movies made about that attack
which had the jaw-dropping cast including John Wayne
That's a movie that I saw on TCM as a kid and that I've tried to watch on June 6th every year since
The film tells the story of D-Day from multiple perspectives
This provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of the events
And it has some of the most wondrous cinematography ever put to celluloid
Every time I show someone new the film, we always wind up talking about the French assault on Ouistreham, which contains a oner that has to be seen to believe
What I love about this movie are all the practical effects we see employed
These are real men running through real explosions—done safely with a crew and planned explosives
But the reality here is striking and moving
The film frequently employs wide shots and aerial views to showcase the vast scale of the D-Day operation
These shots establish the geographical context and emphasize the sheer number of troops and equipment involved in the invasion
The scope and scale on screen during this oner is just breathtaking, and there are a few other shots in the movie that rival it—like the wall climb.
The Longest Day was a massive production with multiple directors for different segments:
The film had several cinematographers as well:
Each of these talented individuals contributed to the unique visual style and impact of The Longest Day
The Longest Day is a testament to the skill and artistry of the filmmakers. The combination of wide shots, close-ups, handheld camera work, and dramatic lighting creates a visually stunning and emotionally powerful portrayal of D-Day. And the way the directors meshed their points of view in the editing is astounding
The film's black-and-white aesthetic has become iconic
contributing to its enduring legacy as a classic war film
Let me know what you think in the comments
The Atomos company gets a major shakeup as co-founder Jeromy Young is replaced by former COO Peter Barber as the new lead for the company
A decent-sized leadership shakeup has taken place at Atomos
Best known for manufacturing and distributing video equipment like on-set monitors
Atomos is making a leadership change worth covering
While we don’t expect any more changes or disruptions from this change which sees former COO Peter Barber step into the role of CEO
which was previously held by co-founder Jeromy Young
it is a sign that Atomos is looking to grow and could be ready to face new challenges in the coming years
With concerns of potential tariffs and trade wars heating up
it could be a rocky stretch for all brands and manufacturers in the film and video industry
Here’s what we know about this leadership change and how it could shape Atomos moving forward
it doesn’t appear that this leadership change is anything more than a refresh button hit by the leadership team at Atomos as the company looks to be well-aimed at still releasing new products and developing new solutions in the film and video industry
The Melbourne, Australia-based company did report a traditionally slow third quarter, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald
but overall the company appears to be in a strong position with a wide array of monitors
and the company’s ATOMOsphere offering lots of growth potential
Overall, the best indications of what this news might mean for Atomos come from the incoming CEO himself, who released the following statement on his social media
We’ll be following this development and will be sure to share any other important news in the wake of this leadership change at Atomos
A court in Le Havre has acquitted the skipper of a volunteer lifeboat of all charges stemming from the sinking of a trawler during a rescue tow in 2021.
the skipper of the rescue lifeboat at the port of Ouistreham
was in charge during the response to the Breiz incident three years ago
the crew of the wooden trawler Breiz issued a distress call to report that the vessel had lost helm control at a position about three miles off Lion-sur-Mer
The SNSM lifesaving station at Ouistreham launched its rescue boat
killing three crewmembers aged 19-27 - including the captain and co-owner.
France's Bureau of Investigation of Maritime Events (BEA Mer) cleared the SNSM and the lifeboat crew of any responsibility for the sinking
prosecutors detained Capdeville for three days for questioning last year and launched a criminal investigation. In a trial brought in April 2024
they accused him of serious navigational errors during the tow
alleging that he transited at excessive speed
selected a hazardous route and made false logbook entries
They sought a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year ban from operating at sea; Capdeville maintained his innocence
with the support of the SNSM and French lifeboat crews.
the court acquitted Capdeville on all charges
The judge found that he had followed all appropriate guidelines during the tow
except for the matter of the final 41 seconds
when the lifeboat failed to answer calls from the Breiz
the court found - so any alleged lack of vigilance on Capdeville's part would have had no effect on the unfortunate outcome.
"We are of course thinking of the families for whom this decision must be difficult
and has probably not answered all their questions," said Bertrand Hudault
the North Sea Channel Inspector General of the SNSM
it is a real relief because we were convinced that Philippe Capdeville would not had committed no fault in the conduct of this mission and that he had acted as best as possible in trying to save lives."
Four other people faced charges in connection with the case: two administrative staff from the Territorial and Maritime Directorate
who were charged with manslaughter for registering unqualified crewmembers for the Breiz; an assessor who examined the Breiz to estimate its value for insurance purposes, charged with manslaughter for inaccurately gauging the weight of the aging vessel's fishing gear; and the surviving co-owner
a former farmer and fishmonger who had a half share in the Breiz.
He received a suspended sentence of 18 months for non-compliance with safety regulations.
lifesaving society SNSM called for legal reforms to ensure that its volunteer crewmembers have protection from any future criminal prosecution
The affair had a significant effect on other SNSM volunteers: in April
multiple rescue boat stations in Normandy closed as the members went out on "unavailability" in protest of the decision to press charges.
it is also a source of anxiety and big questions about the criminal liability of the rescuers
This trial has highlighted this risk," emphasized SNSM's Hudault.
Normandy’s Channel ports will be affected by the start of the New European Entry/Exit System border controls from November 10
The Connexion spoke to Ports de Normandie development and promotion director Jérôme Chauvet about the challenges involved and what travellers can expect when EES gets underway
The lack of chance for testing new systems
though they say November is a fairly quiet period
EES is a new system of digital checks at the Schengen area’s external borders
with travellers having to give passport details and have biometric data (facial image and fingerprints) taken and entered into an EU database
Read more: Keir Starmer meets Macron - what could post-Brexit ‘EU reset’ talks cover?
with passengers not having to provide both kinds of biometric data again on subsequent entries/exits during this time
The aim is to better control the entry and exit of non-EU/EEA/Swiss travellers to and from the Schengen area and to check automatically on their respect of the 90/180 days rule in the case of nationals who do not need short-stay visas to visit the area
Non-EU citizens living in Schengen countries such as France will not be affected by EES but may be caught up in longer queues
and there are new admin procedures for families with children
Read more: Urgent foreign families in France apply for travel document
Ports de Normandie manages the ports of Cherbourg
which are served on cross-Channel services by Brittany Ferries and DFDS
as well as Irish Ferries and Stena Line for Ireland
EES will especially concern crossings to the UK
but also non-EU/EES/Swiss visitors on Ireland-France trips
We understand that November 10 is the start date now
but there have been quite a few postponements already – though we are told there will be no more
Larger airports as well as Eurotunnel and Eurostar are installing kiosks where passengers will pre-register some data before going to the border guard’s booth
and Dover and Calais plan to use tablets that will be handed to car passengers
It will mostly be tablets due to the nature of our traffic
They will be collected by a shuttle bus at the port which will take them to the ferry terminal where they will pre-register at kiosks before going to the immigration controls where a border guard will check them
Those in cars will be pre-registered while they are in the queue waiting to pass the border
A member of staff with a tablet will approach and give it to them
They will not be allowed to get out of the car
Read more: Eurotunnel installs 224 kiosks in preparation for French border changes
for example at Caen-Ouistreham there will be a specific place to accommodate coaches where people will get out and there will be a kiosk
At Dieppe they will go to kiosks at the ferry terminal
The problem for the moment is we have not had any tests
When Brexit happened there was a fairly in-depth dialogue about new customs procedures with the Douanes [customs officers] with dry-run tests
In this case there have not been any tests at all
Will the police aux frontières – Paf – or the Douanes undertake the checks
At Cherbourg it is the Paf and at Ouistreham and Dieppe it is the Douanes
so we do not yet know the equipment well and how it is going to work
We do not have much knowledge of the kiosk interfaces
We are going to discover it all properly as it gets underway
plus fingerprints on the first entry on the territory
The passenger will then pass in front of the border guard who will check that the fingerprints that have been entered a few minutes before correspond to the prints of the person passing the border
We have heard from other transport providers that kiosks are expected to ask travel questions – about accommodation
sufficient funds for the trip etc – is that the case in your ports
but indeed our big concern is the time that these procedures will take
If it is necessary for passengers to respond to such questions it will take longer for them to pass the border which is not good news
Will the kiosk take the passenger’s information via a scan
The passport will be scanned by the border guard at the border
I do not believe there will be a scan before that
So they will have to manually type in personal details
It will be necessary to give ‘biographic’ details such as name
I am not sure exactly how they will be taken by the kiosk or tablet
Are you equipped with the tablets and kiosks
the government has provided these and they are ready
The most costly thing for us is putting up canopies to protect the agents handing out the tablets and ensure the correct conditions for taking the biometric data
Another investment is signage to direct people according to whether they are ‘EU’ or ‘non-EU’
At Dieppe we will create an additional queue to allow as many border guard posts as possible to speed things up where we can
Plus - the most tiresome aspect - the personnel who will distribute the tablets and explain how to use them will be recruited by the ports
We only have around three ferry stops a day
We will not be able to use the same recruit as the time period is too long
They will only be needed for around two hours and will have to speak English
Recruitment will be complicated and potentially costly for us
We believe the costs will be several hundreds of thousand euros per year
We will be talking with the ferry companies as we think
they should absorb these costs and potentially recoup them in the ticket price
Have the Paf and Douanes recruited more agents
Will ferry companies have to communicate the requirements to their passengers
so the passengers know there will be a special procedure on arrival
And they will need to flag up ‘EU’ and ‘non-EU’ cars
Will there be a specific process for ‘non-EU’ citizens who live in France
EES won’t be applied to people with long-stay visas
In principle they will not need to undergo the pre-registration procedures but as to which queue we will direct them to…
So they may have to join the ‘non-EU’ queue
And as there is not any space for cars to park up for pre-registration it will need to be done in the queues heading for the exit
those people will no doubt have to wait with the rest and may have to wait longer
Will people going to the UK have to arrive earlier than now
There will still be an EES procedure to be done
with at least one of the biometric data to be taken again
but we are less worried than with arrivals
We are more concerned about arrivals from the UK as we do not know how well the tablets will work
We are told it will take on average an extra one-and-a-half minutes per car
so the time needed will significantly increase
the tablet will register biographic and biometric data and send it to a European database and when the car arrives at the border guard’s booth
We do not yet know which is a concern for us
Why have there not been any opportunities for tests
Many countries have taken a long time to get ready and it has taken time to get the tablets working correctly
we have had the Olympics and Paralympics so the Interior Ministry has been focused on that and stated there should not be any tests from May to September
So the combination of technical readiness and the games is the reason we have not had an opportunity to undertake any tests in the ports
But one aspect with which we are satisfied is the fact that the ports are not too busy in November – the passenger flows are much reduced
This is not necessarily the case at airports which see plenty of business travel at that time
An EU phone app is apparently being prepared to help with pre-registering – do you know about this
What we would like is for pre-registration [of arriving passengers] to be done in the embarkation port
There are at least three hours during the journey when this could be done
A border guard has to be there to supervise pre-registration operation - in fact
an extra cabin will be installed halfway along our queues for this
there needs to be a [French] border guard on the UK side which requires a treaty that does not currently exist [editor’s note: this is in place already at Dover
Or there would need to be a border guard on the ferry
and we are already facing a shortage of guards
the French government says it is basically the European Commission that is holding things up
At the same time we hear that the Commission says that it is making this available
It sounds as if the legal framework for people to use an app on their own to pre-register is not very clear
I understand there are also technical issues with respect to data security if biometric data is sent via a phone
Are the ferry companies doing what they can to prepare
We are working together to try to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible
And six months later the companies will also need to check that their passengers have their [Etias] right to travel to the Schengen area
If a person enters France from outside the EU prior to the start of their French visa
France is making adaptations to Parafe e-gates to ease queues as long-delayed start approaches
The rules are different for the family members of EU citizens
Emmanuel Carrère’s drama – based on Florence Aubenas’s bestseller Le Quai de Ouistreham – fails to probe fully the injustices faced by low-paid workers
published in the UK under the title The Night Cleaner
Perhaps what might have been valuable would have been a documentary fronted by Aubenas herself, about what has and hasn’t been achieved for gig workers in France since her book came out – or
a Loachian fiction based on the real lives of these workers
What Carrère has done is create a drama in which it is the fictionalised Aubenas who is the centre of an imagined gallery of toughly courageous workers – her new best friends
The real dramatic crisis comes with Aubenas’s awful dilemma when she has to confess to them she has been fibbing all this time
and using their lives as raw material for her book
which she will write as soon as she returns to her wealthy and fashionable life in Paris
Some of her soon-to-be-jettisoned pals will forgive her when they see how important her book is
Despite this unbearably obtuse and self-important emotional finale, there is some eye-opening material about the gig workers’ lives and some nice performances. And, of course, the issue of whether such journalism is delusional or parasitic is a perfectly valid one. (It is part of the comic point of Preston Sturges’s 1941 satire Sullivan’s Travels
about the movie director who announces that he will live as a hobo to make his earnest magnum opus O Brother
Yet Binoche’s character never herself reflects that the lived experience of this kind of work is brutal because of the knowledge that this is all you have: the undercover journalist knows that he or she can return to a comfortable life reasonably soon – a life made even more comfortable by a potential bestseller (and film deal)
View image in fullscreenPlaying privilege ..
Binoche in Between Two Worlds.The film finally behaves as if the journalist’s drama is as important as its ostensible subject
the injustice of exploitative employment practices
and doesn’t even investigate that issue thoroughly
Aubenas’s real life in Paris may well have had all sorts of crises and complications in which things were personally at stake for her
Neither of the two worlds of the film’s English title is illuminated clearly enough
Between Two Worlds screened at the Cannes film festival and is released in the UK on 27 May in cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema
Between Two Worlds is a film directed and co-written by French author Emmanuel Carrère
It is loosely based on an autobiographical work by Belgian-born journalist Florence Aubenas
who spent months working undercover as a cleaner to investigate the conditions facing lower-paid workers
Le Quai de Ouistreham (Ouistreham pier or dock)
refers to the ferry service between the northwestern French port of Ouistreham and England’s Portsmouth for which she worked as part of her research
But Aubenas also clearly meant the title to bring to mind British writer George Orwell’s famed 1937 work
which recounts his experiences among workers in the West Midlands devastated by the Depression
In the fictionalized film adaptation of Aubenas’s book (which won various prizes)
well-known author Marianne Winckler (Juliette Binoche) gives up her life and connections in Paris to work as a cleaning woman (the English title of Aubenas’ work is The Night Cleaner) in Caen in northern France
marching with determination through the industrial landscape
When she arrives at the government unemployment office
she angrily berates an official for the bureaucratic red tape that may result in her losing benefits
She has three children to feed and no money coming in
after first learning the humiliating demands of the job interview process (“I’m energetic
a course on cleaning with a “trainer.” Christèle shows up here
the two women to whom Marianne will ultimately grow especially close
Marianne returns to the unemployment office
where she is recognized for who and what she is by her counselor
Marianne confides in Marilou that she never realized before that there are “no real jobs left,” none
benefits and possibilities for advancement
the investigative reporter-writer finds work on the ferry
tells her the job is sheer “hell,” a “commando operation,” and all for the minimum wage
The cleaning crew has 320 rooms to clean on the ferry
Marianne finds herself paralyzed with exhaustion after the first night’s work
She begins to develop a friendship with the tough
Marianne spots Christèle going through her bag and wallet
Christèle and her three adorable young sons celebrate Marianne’s birthday
Christèle had been looking at her identity card for her date of birth
The young boys present Marianne with a necklace
which she pledges to wear the rest of her life
Things unravel—reader beware!—when Marilou leaves her coat behind in a cabin and the trio hurry back to retrieve it
only to have the ferry leave for England with them aboard
They hide out in a first-class room and sip champagne
But an old friend recognizes Marianne … and her secret emerges
Between Two Worlds has a certain authenticity
and the other actors take their working class characters seriously
France has one of the highest percentages of precarious workers in Europe
Cédric and the others is a part of contemporary social reality
as is the complete abandonment of these workers by the so-called labor movement
Between Two Worlds also takes time to consider briefly the situation of those even worse off
who take away their blankets in freezing weather
less than me.” Marianne has humiliated everyone
“pretending to be what you weren’t … Get lost.” After the book-exposé comes out
Christèle summons Marianne one final time to the docks and challenges her to clean rooms for just an hour and a half
after which she will be returned to her friends
“Everyone in their place,” and leaves without another word
It’s understandable that a friend would initially be irritated by the deception
but isn’t the exposure of the social conditions the central issue
and from whatever imperfect combination of motives
Marianne has brought to light the harsh exploitation and brutal life situations of these workers
This sort of moralizing would prevent artists
intellectuals generally from ever discussing or publicizing the circumstances of the working class
Carrère’s film spends its final energies on a secondary or tertiary issue
although Between Two Worlds is sincere enough
surprise birthday party.) Least of all does Carrère entertain the possibility that these workers might revolt against their conditions
although French workers are almost continuously demonstrating their intense combativity
Carrère is celebrated in some quarters as a major French writer
but it is not encouraging—to say the least!—to come across Carrère’s journalistic tribute
now best known (and widely hated) as the “president of the rich.”
This is the sort of passage Carrère wasted his time on in that article: “Every interaction with Macron follows the same protocol
He turns his penetrating blue eyes on you and doesn’t look away
he shakes it in two stages: first a normal grip
he increases the pressure while at the same time intensifying his gaze.”
“The professional commentators who started to drop him after just a few months of his presidency can keep calling him a powdered marquis
a rich man’s president or a communicator without a cause
Anyone who’s had their hand shaken by Macron is lost to the opposition: they’re destined to vote Macron and to convert to Macronism.”
More: “This is a guy who only runs for a single office in his entire life
A guy who understands that the parties that have structured French public life since the end of the second world war are clinically dead
and that it is time to offer the French something new.” Even this admission doesn’t improve matters: “At the same time
I knew that my vote was a class vote: it was normal for privileged people to vote for Macron.”
journalistic impressionism and wishful thinking
Someone who thinks and says such things will never penetrate to the most critical
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Reviews
In “Between Two Worlds,” Marianne (Juliette Binoche) is first seen waiting in a line at a crowded job referral office
scrubbing toilets and wiping down office desks in the dead of night
She finally gets a job with a crew who cleans the Ouistreham ferry (which travels from Caen to Portsmouth twice a day)
The job is described in fearsome terms as a “commando op”: the crew has to clean 230 rooms twice a day
This is a world where everyone struggles; no one has a car
She’s actually a journalist working undercover
She has heard about the “crisis” of unemployment
of the “invisible” population of people struggling in these precarious jobs with no stability
She wants to make it real for herself; she wants to not just see it with her own eyes but experience it
She wants to write a book about her time with these “cleaning ladies.”
Directed by Emmanuel Carrère and based on Florence Aubenas’s 2011 book Le quai de Ouistreham
her reporting on the ferry workers in Caen
“Between Two Worlds” is between two subjects: there’s the ferry workers themselves
and Marianne’s private anxiety about lying to them
The conflict is unavoidable: Marianne does the work like everyone else but can stop at any time
She has a life back in Paris and a book contract
So while her arms shake after making 230 beds and she’s as physically exhausted as her colleagues
The people she meets have no escape routes
Marianne’s pain and stress about living undercover can’t help but highlight her privilege
The workers she meets are far more interesting than she is
“Between Two Worlds” does address the inequality and condescension inherent in Marianne’s quest to see the “invisible.” A social worker at the job office recognizes Marianne as a famous author and asks her what the hell she thinks she is doing
Didn’t it occur to Marianne that she would be taking a job from someone who actually needed it
that it will be worth it to expose unfair and inhumane working conditions
But the questions asked of her in the job office persist throughout
It strives for a Ken Loach-style reality and sometimes achieves it
The rest of the people in the film (except for one) are all plucked from real life with no other credits
This highlights the “difference” of Marianne
part of the group yet somehow separate from it
The excellent Hélène Lambert plays Chrystèle
a single mother whose only option is the ferry job
She wants to save her money to get more tattoos
by a fellow cleaning lady who happens to know someone with a beat-up car they’re willing to pass on to Marianne for free)
offers to drive Chrystèle to and from work
A strange and meaningful friendship blossoms
although you can see Marianne assessing Chrystèle as a potential “subject” for her book
She’s tough and capable but also fragile and open
qualities she has sought to cover up to face her challenges
Marianne helps her to take a little bit of time to chill out
Chrystèle’s openness to this new friendship is perilous
You wonder: How will she react when the truth is revealed
Marianne wants to know what it is like for “these people.” She sees what it is like
But what it is “like” is different than what it IS
It’s easy for her to encourage Chrystèle to take an afternoon off and go to the beach
I’ve seen a couple of reviews criticizing their good-natured camaraderie as not believable
I guess these critics have never worked an exhausting menial job
where camaraderie with co-workers is an important survival skill
Their acceptance of Marianne is contingent upon her capability: if she dragged them down with incompetence
These peripheral characters are all so interesting they could carry their own individual films: The tough supervisor (Evelyne Porée), the glamorous Justine (Emily Madeleine), the hopeful romantic Cédric (Didier Pupin), the young woman (Léa Carne) dreaming of skipping town with her boyfriend
The problem with “Between Two Worlds” is that it presents the ferry crew’s work as though the critique is understood
and Marianne shows no interest in the systemic issues creating these appalling job conditions
widening the gap between haves and have-nots
This “lack” of a serious critique makes “Between Two Worlds” the story of a pampered journalist confronted with how “these people live,” plus the fallout when her lie is discovered
rather than a real shot fired at an unfair system
Marianne’s book will presumably be a success
and her middle-to-high-class readers will remind themselves to be friendly to the cleaning ladies and give them good tips
Sheila O’Malley has written for The New York Times
She’s written numerous booklet essays and video-essays for the Criterion Collection and has a regular column at Liberties Journal
She’s a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics
She’s been reviewing films on RogerEbert.com since 2013
Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here
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by Alex Billington January 21, 2022Source: YouTube
"Make the invisible visible." Madman Films in Australia has released their official trailer for Between Two Worlds
a French drama from writer / filmmaker Emmanuel Carrère
This premiered last year at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section
It is based on French journalist Florence Aubenas's bestselling non-fiction work Le Quai de Ouistreham
investigating rising precarity in French society through her experiences in the northern port city of Caen
The original French title is Ouistreham in reference to this location
who goes to live in northern France to research for her new book on the subject of job insecurity by working in various low end cleaning jobs
The cast includes a group of authentic unknown actors
The film looks a bit like a Ken Loach drama but made in France
a social realist look at the honest struggles of low income workers
Here's the new Australian trailer (+ poster) for Emmanuel Carrère's Between Two Worlds, on YouTube:
making his second feature after The Moustache previously
The screenplay is written by Emmanuel Carrère and Hélène Devynck
This initially premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival last year
playing in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar
It already opened in France earlier this year
Find more posts in: Foreign Films, Indies, To Watch, Trailer
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You can read this article in 3 minutesAgnieszka Kulikowska - Wielgus
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) informs about the attacks on truck drivers in the Caen area and at the port of Ouistreham
The organization appeals to the authorities in France to intervene
At first, Calais, now Caen – RHA reports on immigrant attacks on English truckers. The association accuses the local authorities that they do not care enough about security in and around Ouistreham
Since the Calais Jungle was closed in 2016
with the sole intention of reaching the UK by whatever means possible
are now focusing their attentions on another coastal weak point
the town of Ouistreham,” says Richard Burnett
RHA members report that dozens of refugees are occupying the side of the access road
waiting for the opportunity to break into the truck
The French port of Ouistreham is the new target for illegal immigrants trying to reach the UK.Up to 200 a day try & some successfully manage to stow away on lorries heading to Portsmouth.– they are ILLEGALS so should be treated as such & arrested ?https://t.co/FPp3Mc6L2J
— ProActive Patriots (@ActivePatriots) August 22, 2018
Immigrants moved from the “jungle” to Caen because of increased controls in Calais
The French authorities must overcome this crisis
They should do it as soon as possible before any of these attempts will lead to a tragedy – for both the migrant and the truck driver who simply wants to do their job – adds Burnett
Drivers heading for Great Britain from the port of Ouistreham should
take special care and remember to comply with the requirements of the Internal System of Prevention of Illegal Immigration when transporting to Great Britain
200 mainly Sudanese refugees are camping around Ouistreham because of the ferry route to PortsmouthThey are targeting ferries running from the town as a potentially easier way to hide on vehicles headed for the UKAll illegal immigrants should be deportedhttps://t.co/Dn7hhCradf
— CllrBSilvester 'No More Asylum Seekers in Crewe'. (@CllrBSilvester) August 23, 2018
Pölös Zsófia Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025
Agnieszka Kulikowska - Wielgus Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025
Sabina Koll Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025
GXO to manage Northern Italy transport operations for PRG retail groupPölös Zsófia Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025
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11 NOV 2024BookmarkVisit the beautiful towns of Saint-Malo
Caen and Bayeux with Brittany Ferries (Image: Brittany Ferries)The most magical way to arrive on France’s dramatic northwest coast is by sea
movie-set architecture as you make the gentle approach to Saint-Malo’s port
But while centuries of history await in these stunning
Brittany Ferries is looking to the future when it comes to getting you there
will be the first ferries on the English Channel to be powered by liquefied natural gas and electric battery power – just like a hybrid car
It’s all part of Brittany Ferries’ commitment to cleaner and greener travel
As well as 15% lower fuel consumption compared to previous models
running on electric power means less noise
so passengers can enjoy a quieter crossing during the day or at night
The ships are also quieter beneath the waves
Both ships feature a wide choice of spacious cabins
each with a new level of comfort and technology
Sailing from Portsmouth to its namesake port from February 2025
Saint-Malo promises sustainable travel along with Brittany Ferries’ award-winning service
Take your pick from two on-board restaurants and a Breton-themed bar
giving you a taste of the local cuisine before you drink and dine in Saint-Malo’s famous cobbled streets
Relax in the wellness room or unwind on the ship’s sun deck - an ideal way to prepare for some serious sightseeing as you wander the town’s 12th-century ramparts and stroll miles of sandy beaches along the Emerald Coast
In a first for the Portsmouth to Saint-Malo route
the ship will also offer a number of six-berth cabins
That means you can bring every member of the family with you on your adventure
whether that’s a short weekend break or a longer trip to explore more of what Brittany has to offer
Saint-Malo has been a buzzing port destination for hundreds of years and continues to thrive as a grand
impressive city with a storied maritime history
Stroll along Brittany's stunning Emerald Coast
which owes its name to the colour of its water
and explore miles of golden beaches and the two remarkable headlands of Cap Fréhel and Cap d’Erquy
Or indulge yourself at the Saint-Malo Thermal Baths
Just a stone’s throw from the Corsair citadel and overlooking Sillon Beach
Saint-Malo is an excellent destination outside the summer months
when the city is still brimming with vibrant culture and visitors from around the world
Popular restaurants dotted along the ramparts are open all year round
You’ll be able to discover the delights of another maritime marvel
when you set sail from Portsmouth on Brittany Ferries’ other magnificent new ship
the vessel has been named after Normandy’s most famous resident
the town is a history lover's delight
It's home to William’s spectacular Chateau de Caen – one of the largest castles in Europe – which will provide the focal point for 2025’s Caen Millennium
a year-long programme of cultural events celebrating the town’s 1,000th anniversary
Normandy is also renowned for its culinary offering
Guillaume de Normandie's coastal-themed Riva Bella restaurant serves up French cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients
head to Caen’s lively Vaugueux neighbourhood
famous for its stone houses that date back to the Middle Ages
Settle down in the ancient town square and sip an embuscade cocktail
a local speciality featuring a blend of white wine
some of which can be found in the nearby 20,000-acre Forest of Andaine
more comfortable trip across the Channel to these jewels in France’s crown
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With Europe heading back into strict COVID-19 lockdowns
last-minute trip from France to the UK this October
the best option for this journalist was the car ferry between Caen’s Ouistreham port and Portsmouth
This is the only France-UK non-freight route operated at the time of writing in late October 2020 by the French Brittany Ferries line
which has cut most of its passenger services in frequency or in their entirety
foot passengers cannot travel until 23 March 2021 at the earliest: you need to be on or in a vehicle
amending an existing booking via the call centre
Travelling with parents who have mobility restrictions
it was simple to request specifics on the accommodations available on this particular ship
which vary between the Brittany Ferries fleet
Travellers with any similar requirements should
ensure they have clarity from their ferry operator at the time of booking
whenever any timetable or ship changes occur
Ensuring the right cabin is somewhat tricky
because while Brittany Ferries’ systems automatically allocate an accessible cabin if you booked one
those cabins differ in configuration between ships
the PRM cabins on board offer two bunks – one on top of the other – with one passenger having to climb a ladder
so in the event that both passengers are unable to do so
The basic inside cabins remain perfectly serviceable
the process is similar except for being presented with a bilingual leaflet explaining the COVID safety measures on board and at the ports
A leaflet explaining the onboard safety protocols is handed out on arrival at the ferry port
crew direct passengers from their vehicles to the lift or stairs one at a time to avoid crowding or queueing
Corridors on the ship were empty even during boarding and disembarkation
passengers are requested to wait in their cabins until they are called
according to the colour of a sticker on their cabin ticket
public areas and lifts both getting into and out of the ship
A coloured sticker on tickets is a simple way to organise the return to car decks
A mask mandate in public areas on and off the ship is firmly in place
since the ships are French and that’s French law
while ship passenger capacity is limited to 50%
Brittany Ferries requests passengers stay inside their cabins for as much of the journey as possible
and indeed with a long drive ahead of me I snoozed as much of the crossing away as I could
the only visible changes are information placards explaining what’s being done to keep travellers safe
Information placards are posted in cabins explaining onboard hygiene measures
food and beverage options are markedly reduced
with takeaway options sealed and serviceable
The food onboard is a little less exciting than usual
and indeed taking in the fresh sea air an hour or so prior to arrival was very invigorating
Satellite wifi (which, from the portal, would seem to still be via Telenor) is available
This seems a perverse incentive: surely making free connectivity available to passengers in their cabins makes sense during the pandemic
the experience lacked the fun and frivolity of travelling by ferry in normal times: the glass of wine on the outside deck
and Brittany Ferries is to be praised for its efforts in maintaining a safe essential service during the COVID-19 crisis
Every cabin has a full shower and bathroom
RGN’s journalist adhered to all public health requirements during this essential travel
Deputy Editor John Walton, an international journalist, contributes opinion and analysis to RGN. He specializes in cabin interiors, seating, connectivity, and premium class service. A keen analyst of how developing tools can be applied to aviation news, John is at the forefront of social media in the aviation sector, broke the hijacking of flight ET702 on Twitter but... Read More
This tale of a journalist masquerading as a cleaner is unforgettable
Culture | Film
This extraordinary collaboration between Juliette Binoche and writer and sometime director Emmanuel Carrère is based on a book in which a French journalist gets her hands dirty
Florence Aubenas explores the world of insecure employment
and takes a series of jobs as a “maintenance agent” aka a cleaning lady
which brings her face to face with rude bosses
back-breaking schedules and a hideous variety of unflushed loos
Carrère and a cast of non-professionals have taken liberties with the text
laugh-out-loud funny and emotionally devastating portrait of a privileged double-agent
Best-selling Parisian writer Marianne Winckler (Binoche) meets all sorts of bright and generous people during her time in Caen
but it’s her relationship with stroppy single-mum and ferry-worker Christele (Hélène Lambert) that dominates the plot
I spent most of the film’s second half sobbing
vanity-free performance from Binoche obviously deserves prizes; Lambert must get something
It’s impossible to imagine Between Two Worlds without her
the unofficial queen of the ferry cleaners
though every single member of the cast finds a way to do something special (Évelyne Porée
who spent years trying to persuade Aubenas to hand over the rights to the book
but only if Carrère was on board (it was he who chose to use non-professionals)
is fascinated by how humans construct reality
The reality created by cast and crew ultimately feels like a 21st century take on all the best Ken Loach movies you’ve ever seen
Between Two Worlds: the title’s generic and forgettable
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Emmanuel Carrère adapts Florence Aubenas’s undercover reporting on working poverty and exploitation in the port of Caen
with Binoche’s journalist finding a solidarity she can leave behind
and information about our latest magazine once a month
► Between Two Worlds is in UK cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema from 27 May
Marianne (Juliette Binoche) poses as a woman on welfare who eventually lands a job as a cleaner
She invents a backstory that her husband has left her and she has been forced to fend for herself
As a journalist who has set out to write a book about precarity
she worries that her understanding of the economic situation is too abstract
and believes she must live through the system herself to fully grasp her subject
but also solidarity and friendship among the cleaners she works alongside
She lands a job as part of a cleaning crew on a ferry that shuttles tourists from Ouistreham – the port for Caen in Normandy – to Portsmouth in England
and develops an intense bond with a tempestuous and overworked single mom
when she offers to drive her to the ferry for their 6am start
we hear her describe back-breaking work on the “hellish” ferry
which leaves her arms and shoulders shaking well into the night
The crew cleans hundreds of cabins in the sliver of time between groups of passengers
in the back of our minds is the knowledge that the more pain she endures
Based on journalist Florence Aubenas’s reporting on workers in precarious employment in the port town of Caen
and directed by the writer Emmanuel Carrère (his first film since his adaptation of his own novel The Moustache in 2005)
Between Two Worlds adopts a social-realist style that is at odds with its central figure
This approach is not unfamiliar: we can look to Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland (2020)
which places Frances McDormand among a group of nomads and precarious workers in the American Midwest
But Between Two Worlds gets to address the moral question of a wealthy
privileged woman taking on the role of someone living in poverty
There are moments when Marianne’s lightness – she tends to laugh when she’s chastised or struggling – betrays her position
It’s thanks to the specific nature of her situation – that she can abandon the work at any time and go back to her comfortable life – that she can see the brutal conditions of this work as absurd
Binoche herself is also apart from the group
as the only professional actress in a cast of non-actors
and in interviews has described some version of the mutual support we see in the film: the cast helped her through a rough personal period
while she would help them remember their lines
the film doesn’t give us a figure at which to aim our outrage
as well as the low-level management who hustle them
The film makes no bones about the work’s exploitative nature
but the means by which exploitation is enforced are nowhere to be seen; the system chugs along
Even the passive social worker who refuses to help a desperate and irate Chrystèle in the opening scene is thanked warmly at Marianne’s book launch
The support and warmth Marianne experiences from her fellow cleaners is almost hard to believe: one couple lends her an unused car
and also support her even after her deception is revealed – they are mostly pleased by the exposure
the supervisor of the ferry crew thanks her for writing the book
which she believes will force passengers to confront and develop respect for the work they take for granted
and what the film hopes too – that her deception is worthwhile
But the film also casts doubt on this hope
asks her to do one more shift on the ferry
having shed her shapeless sweaters and straggly hair for a professional look
the gulf between the two was re-established
We get the sense that Marianne has never felt the kind of solidarity or belonging that she finds as an interloper
but the film ends on Chrystèle’s resentment
but by the loss of a friend who she assumed would live out the rest of her career in the same dead-end job
and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image
► Between Two Worlds is in UK cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema from 27 May
but also solidarity and friendship among the cleaners she works alongside
This approach is not unfamiliar: we can look to Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland (2020)
privileged woman taking on the role of someone living in poverty, head-on
while she would help them remember their lines
Even the passive social worker who refuses to help a desperate and irate Chrystèle in the opening scene is thanked warmly at Marianne’s book launch
and what the film hopes too – that her deception is worthwhile
but by the loss of a friend who she assumed would live out the rest of her career in the same dead-end job
The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden
The issue of passport stamping has been causing concern for UK nationals who are residents of France, since many have reported having their passports incorrectly stamped as visitors on entering or leaving France
in some cases even after pointing out the mistake to officials
But now one British resident of the Hérault département of southern France has reported how she was detained
questioned and fined at the border after her passport was incorrectly stamped as a visitor
Since the end of the Brexit transition period, the passports of British visitors are stamped on entry to and exit from France, allowing border officials to calculate their 90-day limit in the country
be the case for Brits who have residency in France
LATEST Should Brits living in France have their passports stamped?
fell victim to this as she travelled from her local airport of Montpellier to a shoot in the UK
Kerry, who has lived in France for five years, applied for her carte de séjour residency card before the deadline of September 30th but is yet to receive the card itself, although she has an appointment at her local préfecture to give fingerprints. The deadline to actually be in possession of the card is not until January 1st 2022
although obviously less over the last 18 months
but I went to the UK in July and when I came back into Montpellier my passport was stamped
"I didn't think it would be a problem because I have the email showing that I applied for my carte de séjour
plus an email from my local préfecture confirming my appointment to go and give fingerprints and a photo
"But I was leaving Montpellier last week to go to Gatwick for a shoot
and when I showed my passport to the official at the airport he told me I had over-stayed my 90 days
"I was taken into an interview room with three officials and a woman started shouting at me telling me that since Brexit Brits can't just come and go as they did
but as someone with residency the 90-day limit doesn't apply to me
I tried to show them the emails but they weren't interested and said they didn't count as official proof of my residency status
"In the end I had no choice but to pay the fine if I wanted to get on the flight."
As well as being fined €198 by the Douanes Françaises for a passport violation
Kerry's passport also received an extra stamp showing that she had been fined for overstaying - something that could create further border difficulties when she next travels
She said: "I have my appointment at the préfecture next week so hopefully I will have the card soon
especially as I need to be able to travel for my work."
Kerry had first applied for her carte de séjour back in October 2019 - on the no-deal site that was briefly open - applications from this site were transferred onto the new website that opened in October 2020
but it appears that Kerry's was not transferred correctly
so she had to restart her application when she chased it up with her local préfecture after waiting for months for a response
The deadline for UK nationals to be in possession of the carte de séjour was extended from October 1st 2021 to January 1st 2022 to allow officials time to deal with the backlog - the latest figures from September showed that 10,000 people had applied but were still waiting to receive the card
Kerry's case comes after our sister site The Local Spain reported on a British woman who was denied entry to Spain because her passport had not been correctly stamped on exit
The Interior Ministry has previously confirmed to The Local that Brits living in France should not have their passports stamped
but hundreds of readers told us theirs had been stamped at the border
even when they pointed out the error to officials
The Ministry said: “Since the effective exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union on January 1st
only British nationals who are residents of France are exempt from having their travel documents stamped when entering or leaving the Schengen area
“Residency status is attested by the presentation of a titre de séjour or an attestation that an application for a titre de séjour has been filed with the préfecture for beneficiaries of Article 50 [the Withdrawal Agreement
which covers Brits resident in France before December 31st 2020]
the passport of British nationals will be systematically stamped to verify the authorised length of stay in the Schengen area for non-resident persons
“British nationals married to a French or European national are not an exception to this rule unless they have a residence permit or an equivalent movement document.”
The Local has also repeatedly raised the issue of passport stamping with the British Embassy in Paris
who said they had raised the issue with the Interior Ministry
The Local has approached the Interior Ministry for comment about Kerry's case
Please log in here to leave a comment
where young men run after trucks - hoping to hide inside the vehicles destined for England
Brittany Vonow in OuistrehamPublished: Invalid Date
pulling at the locks until the heavy metal door swings open
He grabs the back of the massive vehicle as it speeds around the roundabout
But as the 40 tonne lorry continues down the road
he loses his grip and is dragged along for 50 feet
spinning on the road as cars are forced to swerve around him
It is just one attempt he will make that day – a desperate quest to sneak onto a truck destined for his dream home
This is not the Calais Jungle. It is the once peaceful small fishing town of Ouistreham that has become the surprising destination of choice for migrants desperate to get into the UK.
It is a daily game of cat-and-mouse that has left locals of the once peaceful holiday village fearing for their future as more migrants turn their attention to the area.
Ahmad, 17, has been living in the woods next to the port for three months.
He tells The Sun Online: “It’s cold and difficult.
“I won’t ever go back to Sudan – there are too many problems.”
He raises his hand in the shape of a gun, adding: “There’s too much death."
He said his mother still lived in Sudan, having made the perilous journey to Europe by himself.
The teen said: “I landed in Italy three months ago.
Most of the men are from Sudan, a country that has been plagued by civil wars on and off for more than 40 years.
Conflict still lasts today, with as many as 50,000 people killed and 2.3 million people forced to flee their homes since 2013.
Many travel by sea to Europe, but when probed about how exactly they reached the continent, fall silent.
One told The Sun Online: “I have two children, six and seven.
“I want to get to England to get a job, or study, I want a new life.”
Over two days last week, The Sun Online captured the desperate attempts made by the migrants to get onto trucks in broad daylight.
For them, staying in France is not an option and they flock to Ouistreham, a town of about 9,000 people, in the knowledge it is a potential portal to the UK - where many feel they will have a better life.
But for many, their plan to get into England is not successful.
One said he had managed to get onto 19 trucks – each time dragged off by gendarmes.
When they are questioned by officers, some give fake names and ages.
The 22-year-old said: “I’ve heard some have got into trucks.
The town lies at one end of the 8km stretch of beach – codenamed Sword – close to where British troops landed in France on D-Day.
Now, tourists gape as the migrants brazenly bolt down the street after trucks in daylight, yanking at the doors as gendarmes watch.
“This town is committing suicide by not knowing how to handle this,” says author Sean O’Nuallain.
He bought a home here more than a decade ago. A lot has changed since then.
He told The Sun Online: “For my first 14 years here, I left my door open and my bike outside.
“As soon as the kids arrived, my bike was stolen.
“I reported my bike stolen to the cops and complimented them and said ‘you have a beautiful town here’.
“The officer smiled, it was like he knew it was over.”
Sometimes the migrants manage to haul themselves into trucks, immediately hiding in whatever load the truck carries. But the success is short-lived.
Barely 150 feet down the road, the truck stops and the gendarmes swoop in, dragging the young men off and sending them back down the road.
Caught, the men loiter down the road – ready to start again in a cycle that will repeat several times in just one day.
Some have been in the town for months, with locals saying the numbers had particularly started to grow since last Spring.
Many believe the number has grown to 300, with some migrants believed to have travelled the 350kms from Calais after the notorious "Jungle" was closed down.
The men have made their home in the street and woods around the town.
During the day, they nap in parks, play on their phones, give each other haircuts or simply sit, waiting for a lorry to pass – when the mayhem begins.
Local worker Florian Lemoine, 20, said: “Everybody is afraid of them.
“Two years ago, the shop was full in the middle of August, now nobody is here.”
He said the migrants didn’t cause any trouble for the shopkeepers – more concerned on the lorries speeding down the road towards the ferry.
Other locals shared stories about how families had already sold up, moving elsewhere after the migrants arrived – quickly sick of the changes to their town.
One local restaurant owner says she lost 60 per cent of her revenue in just three months.
Another says they lost 30 per cent of their business in the past year, all from truckers too scared to stop in the town for fear of having their vehicles boarded.
Others say tourists don’t want to sit along the road where the migrants run, with restaurants losing huge numbers of customers.
Another shopkeeper said she often had the young men coming into her shop to buy bread and sardines.
She said: “They are so young, some of them must only be 15.
“They get pulled down and then they just try again and again.
Another local, retired Jacques Quédru, 74, said the migrants had been on the streets for the past two years.
He said: “Most people aren’t happy about them being here.
“They live in the trees – there are maybe 200, 300.
“They don’t want to stay here, they don’t speak French and they don’t try to integrate.”
During the Sun Online's visit to the town, one migrant was detained by police after trying to break our cameraman's equipment.
The man, who was among those trying to get onto the trucks, had covered his face before rushing into the confrontation.
One truck driver told The Sun Online he often had migrants running after his truck.
He said: “It’s so dangerous – I look in my back mirror and see them running after the truck.
“I have to keep driving, if I stop it’s even more dangerous.
“It’s also concerning for cars and pedestrians – it’s dangerous for everyone.
The Road Haulage Association has accused French authorities of still not doing enough to protect truck drivers.
Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Since the Calais Jungle was closed in 2016, migrants, with the sole intention of reaching the UK by whatever means possible, are now focusing their attentions on another coastal weak point, the town of Ouistreham.
“The scene there is now chaotic. As in Calais, lorry drivers run a gauntlet of threats and violence 24/7 as they approach the port and each day it’s getting worse.”
RHA members report that dozens of migrants line the route along the approach road waiting for an opportunity to break into a lorry.
“It clearly shows how desperate these people are to cross the Channel and the easiest way is on the back of a truck,” continued Richard Burnett.
“As far as the migrants are concerned, the police are more of an irritant than a deterrent. The rule of law simply isn’t working.
“The French authorities need to get a grip of this crisis, and quickly, before one of these attempts ends in tragedy – for either a migrant or for a UK-bound HGV driver that just wants to do their job.”
A truck driver for two years, he said he had never found any migrant in his truck.
He said: “I don’t know what the solution is, it’s too complicated.”
The growth of migrants has changed the town, with tourists instead choosing to head along the coast to the next seaside town.
The summer fair sits empty as the young men stroll up and down the main street.
told The Sun Online the number of migrants in the region was believed to be around 120
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Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports
The Commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy will take place over 5 and 6 June 2014. Her Majesty The Queen and many other Heads of State will attend the commemorations. TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will also attend certain UK and Canadian events
This will inevitably lead to tight security constraints and many ceremonies and sites in the region will have stringent access control put in place by the French authorities
See our interactive map for details of British commemoration ceremonies
If you are a veteran and you wish to attend commemoration ceremonies, you should contact the Royal British Legion as quickly as possible
A controlled traffic zone (Zone de circulation régulé, ZCR) will be in place on 6 June from 6AM to 6PM. Vehicles who do not have a sticker will not be allowed to enter the ZCR, which will stretch approximately from Ouistreham to Isigny sur Mer, and from the Channel to the south Bayeux ring-road and to the northern edge of Caen. Please see the official website for details
including maps and a list of affected towns
This website also explains how permanent or temporary residents and visitors can obtain an access sticker
road closures will be in force on certain routes
Follow diversions put in place by local authorities
If you are travelling in the area by car (including through travel to and from Cherbourg ferry port)
please take this into consideration when working out how much time you need to leave
Hotel and other accommodation in the area will be difficult to obtain and you are unlikely to be able to book on the day anywhere in the region during these dates
Maritime restrictions will be in force in the coastal waters around the area. The Prefecture Maritime has issued detailed instructions to seafarers
Ferry arrivals and departures will be affected at Caen-Ouistreham ferry port
You should maintain contact with your ferry company to ensure that you are up to date on any changes
There will be no commercial air transport into Caen-Carpiquet airport or Deauville-Saint-Gatien airport
Public road and rail transport will be operating as usual
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates about the commemorations
Updates in line with recent announcements about events and participants
Link to French government's instructions to seafarers
Attendance at certain ceremonies by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall now announced
Updates to information about the traffic control zone and other travel issues
Updated to reflect new information that secure zones requiring accreditation will be in place on 6 June only
Update to information on invitations for the official commemoration ceremonies
Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details
Live coverage of commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy
Hundreds of veterans have gathered in Normandy to commemorate the D-day landings of 6 June 1944
who was a private in the Shropshire Light Infantry on D-day said: "It's wonderful to be here
US president Barack Obama has given a powerful speech at the US war cemetery near Omaha beach in which he talked of the events leading up to the invasion:
the noise over England that night would have deafened the world.
French president Francois Hollande told guests at the international ceremony at Sword beach
newly elected Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko
The 6th June is not a day like others: it is not just the longest day or a day to remember the dead
but a day for the living to keep the promise written with the blood of the fighters
to be loyal to their sacrifice by building a world that is fairer and more human
This immense and heroic endeavour brought the end of the second world war within reach
I am sure that these commemorations will provide veterans of the conflict and their families gathered here in France
with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and the incredible sacrifices that were made
The Normandy Veterans Association carried out their last parade at Arromanches before the organisation disbands in the autumn
You can read the reports by my colleagues Caroline Davies and Kim Willsher, who were in Normandy today, here.
Thanks to all of you who have read, commented and shared stories today.
6 Jun 201419.48 CESTThis is certainly the first D-day anniversary in which social media has played such a part in commemorations:
Today, we honor the service & sacrifice of those who stormed the beaches of #Normandy 70 years ago. #DDay70 pic.twitter.com/6pMMCiwDWv
Today also remembers the animals who helped in the Allied victory 70 years ago #DDay70 http://t.co/Ryiy4IahZT pic.twitter.com/d7eJoMOj9h
Paratroopers from Canada, France, the United States and Britain land in France #DDay70 #DDAY http://t.co/YFQrc6sKK3 pic.twitter.com/RUPIhcIhzE
Honoring Poland's soldiers #DDAY70 @PLenFrance: Przemówienie @prezydentpl podczas polsko-francuskich uroczystości pic.twitter.com/QwfNLUptD7
#dday70 WO George Mana flag better for New Zealand @CWGC ^L pic.twitter.com/d6ZblFuA80
6 Jun 201419.30 CESTMy colleague Kim Willsher is on Sword beach and sends this report:
resplendent in uniforms and chests bursting with medals and ribbons
had come from around the world to regroup – much as they had 70 years ago – on the beaches of Normandy
They were fewer in number and not as sprightly as they had been on that day
weaving around the bodies of fallen comrades to avoid the German machine guns and shells
as President François Hollande told veterans and world leaders gathered to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings
a day that should never and would never be forgotten
View image in fullscreenFrench president Francois Hollande speaks at Sword beach
Photograph: Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images Photograph: Antoine Antoniol/Getty ImagesHollande told guests including German chancellor Angela Merkel
US president Barack Obama and Britain's Queen Elizabeth:
Those young men did not hesitate for one second
They advanced … at the risk of their own lives to combat a diabolic regime
The 6th June they began to liberate France
As the sun set on that longest day a light shone on enslaved Europe
Hollande said it was an "exceptional day" of unity and there was a duty of memory to all the war's victims "military
Allies and the German victims of Nazism"
In a nod to the Ukraine conflict he added that the day was a "message of peace and a requirement for a United Nations that intervenes where it's necessary for the collective security … and a Europe that has allowed peace on a continent that was at war throughout the 20th century"
the D-day veterans embark once again for the beaches of Normandy
That was how the Guardian's front page on 6 June 1994 marked the 50th anniversary of D-day
the intense response from 3,000 survivors of the 'free men' embarked on a flotilla back to France
and the verve of a turnout by thousands of yachts and small craft in the Solent
The Guardian front page, 6 June 1994. Click here to see the full page. Photograph: The GuardianThanks to my colleague Phil Lewis who unearthed the front pages and archived reports for this live blog.
I was a member of the ammunition party supplying shells for the 4” guns and an enormous amount passed through my hands. At the height of the bombardment there was gunfire and smoke as far as the eye could see, both up and down the coast.
US soldiers, the Texas Rangers and the Marines landed in flat-bottomed boats and powered catamarans. They stood with arms locked together so that each craft was filled to its utmost capacity. The Texas Rangers were heaving grappling irons up the cliffs and climbing ropes under heavy fire to wipe out the guns which were raining bullets down on them.
Landing craft deposited hundreds of tanks on the beaches preceded by crawler tractors laying wire mesh tank track to form a path of solid ground. All the time guns were blazing and the air was filled with acrid smoke. Even in those days the accuracy of the shooting was remarkable.
US Texas received a message that enemy artillery in a wood 20 miles inland were hampering the landings. The US Texas delivered one broadside to the co-ordinates and got a message immediately that the job had been done.
Whilst the bombardment continued it seemed to us on the ship that we were invincible and that not one shot was being fired by the enemy, but when the smoke cleared after 3 hours, we could see an enormous amount of casualties. In fact it seemed as if it were possible to walk to the shore on dead bodies of men without getting your feet wet.
However, looking through the range finder some little time later I saw that, in the middle of countryside torn to chalk and trees reduced to kindling, the hospital tents were up and the medics getting on with their jobs.
Updated at 19.36 CEST6 Jun 201418.58 CESTAt this time on 6 June 1944
Germany's Field Marshal Rommel finally engages with the D-day invasion:
Rommel returns to his headquarters from six months in charge of building up the defences of the Atlantic Wall
Millions of tons of concrete and steel went into them
beach obstacles and thousands of gun nests sited at key points
He believed the first 24 hours of the invasion would be critical and that the defenders must drive the Allies back into the sea as they struggled ashore across well-defended beaches
convinced that the weather and tides were unsuitable for an invasion
he went on leave on 5 June to be with his wife at home near Stuttgart for her 50th birthday
he spent all of D-day driving across Germany and Occupied France
so Germany's most charismatic general missed the most important day of the war
You can read the full hour-by-hour report here.
6 Jun 201418.55 CESTAt the international ceremony on Sword beach in Ouistreham
French veteran Leon Gautier of the Kieffer commando (on the left
below) and German veteran paratrooper Johannes Borner (on the right) have embraced on stage as a sign of reconciliation
Jack Lieb captured the invasion on silent film for News of the Day and later narrated over the film for the archives
the men didn’t dash ashore after being aboard a landing craft for five solid days,' Lieb says
fearful of bombs and mines that were sown in the area
You notice they had their rifles wrapped in cellophane.'
Queen Elizabeth II appeared in some of the black-and-white footage that was shown – during the second world war
she served with the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service and trained as a mechanic and military truck driver
She was featured leaning over the engine of the vehicle
the long road to victory and post-war peace
View image in fullscreenDancers perform at the international ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-day invasion at Sword beach
Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesPresident Obama seemed to be impressed by the Prince of Wales' medals:
a former mayor of Hove and Normandy veteran:
To mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day we wanted to share this incredible 'then and now' photo of Bernard #Hove #DDay pic.twitter.com/pQrc1FnXFY
6 Jun 201418.23 CESTBy this time on 6 June 1944
Canadian troops had fought their way across Juno beach:
Having fought their way forward from Juno beach
advance patrols of the Canadian 9th Brigade report that the road to Caen lies open
but now plans are changing and they are refused permission to advance into the city
It will take a month of bitter fighting and the death of thousands of French civilians before the remains of Caen
He says 6 June 1944 was "a great and terrible day":
Great because it signalled the beginning of the end of Nazism
Terrible because so many young men – and French women and children – lost their lives
View image in fullscreenPrince William, Duke of Cambridge, speaks to veterans in Arromanches-les-Bains earlier today. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty ImagesIt is vital that the sacrifice – and the reasons for that sacrifice – are never forgotten, he says.
6 Jun 201418.12 CESTSpeaking yesterday, Brigadier David Baines, 89, president of the Normandy Veterans Association, explained why this would be the last commemoration here. Baines, who was a gunner in the Royal Artillery and landed on Gold Beach, said:
This is a very special time because we know it’s our last big occasion here.
We know that many of us won’t be alive in five years’ time, and probably not even in a year or two.
The NVA will disband in November, hanging up its banners in a final ceremony at York Minster.
6 Jun 201418.07 CESTThe veterans' parade in Arromanches has begun
He points out that this year's commemorations mark the final outing for the Normandy Veterans Association
6 Jun 201417.51 CESTA moving set of extracts from Anne Frank's diary of 6 June 1944:
Is this really the beginning of the long awaited liberation? Will this year, 1944. bring us victory? Anne Frank 6 June 1944
We don't know yet. But where there's hope there's life. It fills us with fresh courage & makes us strong again. Anne Frank, 6 June 1944
Oh Kitty, the best part of the invasion is that I have the feeling that friends are on the way. Anne Frank, 6 June 1944
6 Jun 201417.49 CESTThe Manchester Guardian of 8 June 1944 reported that daily prayer services were being held in London churches for the invasion
The short report (which appears to contain a misprinted line – how un-Guardian) relates that "several hundreds of people" were at St Paul's for the midday intercession:
The Dean took the service of prayer and hymn and read
the invasion prayer of President Roosevelt.
The Manchester Guardian, 8 June 1944. Photograph: The Guardian Photograph: The GuardianYou can read Roosevelt's prayer – delivered on national radio in the US on the night of June 6, 1944 – here.
Prince William is also expected to make a speech
are now meeting the historian Antony Beevor
An 89-year-old veteran reported missing from a nursing home was found in France marking the anniversary of the D-day landings
has contacted the home and said his friends are going to make sure he gets back safely when the commemorations end
Sussex police were called at 7.15pm on Thursday by staff at the Pines care home
who said an 89-year-old who lived there had gone out at 10.30am and had not been seen since
He had gone out wearing a grey mackintosh and a jacket underneath with his war medals on
including checking hospitals in case something had happened to him
The nursing home received a phone call from a younger veteran from Brighton at 10.30pm who said he had met the pensioner on a coach on the way to France and that they were safe and well in a hotel in Ouistreham
We have spoken to the veteran who called the home today and are satisfied that the pensioner is fine and that his friends are going to ensure he gets back to Hove safely over the next couple of days after the D-Day celebrations finish
Once the pensioner is home we will go and have a chat with him to check he is ok
Sussex Police said they would not be naming the man
A spokesman for the Pines care home said it was "definitely not the case" that the veteran was banned from attending D-day commemorations. A Sussex Police spokesman also denied reports that the home prevented the veteran attending the event. The home is expected to release a statement.
I've taken the report from the Press Association.
6 Jun 201417.17 CESTAnother submission from a reader to GuardianWitness shows this group from the 13th Paratroop Battalion with their Dakota aircraft before they took part in the D-day invasion:
6 Jun 201417.14 CESTAlthough naturally the focus of today's commemorations is Normandy, events are taking place around the world to mark the 70th anniversary of D-day
the RAF Red Arrows perform an aerial display over the Solent near Portsmouth as part of the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of D-day
The Hampshire naval port was the departure point for the troops heading to Sword beach
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also took tea with Dutch veterans in Arromanches
Hitler finally made a decision to send reinforcements to Normandy
He was still unconvinced that the Allies could inflict much damage:
Hitler finally orders the 12th SS and the Panzer Lehr Divisions from deep in France towards Normandy
It is too late to make any difference on D-day,but they will dramatically slow the Allied break-out from Normandy
Hitler remains convinced well into July that the landings are a deception
Updated at 17.06 CEST6 Jun 201417.01 CESTThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Arromanches now
meeting the mayor and some local residents
Arromanches has just witnessed a flypast by a Dakota, Lancaster and two Spitfires
in the black-and-white stripes of the D-day aircraft
The leaders of Russia and Ukraine held their first talks on Friday since Moscow annexed Crimea, discussing ways to end their four-month conflict in a brief encounter during commemorations in France of the World War Two D-Day landings.
French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brought together Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko for a 15-minute meeting before they joined other dignitaries for lunch.
Putin later had an equally short "informal" talk with U.S. President Barack Obama, the White House said.
Hollande's office said Putin and Poroshenko shook hands and agreed that detailed talks on a ceasefire between Kiev government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine would begin within a few days. They also discussed steps such as Russian recognition of Poroshenko's election as well as economic relations.
'It was a normal, serious exchange between two leaders,' an official in Hollande's office said. 'This marks tentative progress which he [Hollande] welcomes, particularly given this occasion so symbolic for peace.
In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said the two leaders urged a 'speedy end to the bloodshed in southeastern Ukraine as well as to fighting on both sides'.
'It was confirmed that there is no other alternative to resolve the situation than through peaceful political means,' the spokesman said.
Hollande had invited Poroshenko to Normandy as his personal guest at the last minute in an effort to break the ice between Moscow and Kiev even as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
A White House official said Putin and Obama, who had avoided contact with the Russian leader while the two were in Paris on Thursday - also spoke to each other before the lunch.
'It was an informal conversation – not a formal bilateral meeting,' White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said by email, adding the encounter lasted 10-15 minutes.
6 Jun 201416.46 CESTThis report from the Manchester Guardian of 10 June 1944 details the welcome received by Allied troops from French villagers in Normandy
I found they gave no riotous welcome to our troops – after four years of occupation you could hardly expect enough energy for that – but they showed their appreciation in more substantial ways
and any soldier who looked thirsty was called over and handed a tumbler of good
where the veterans and dignitaries are watching a dance performance
I won't attempt to describe it but here's a picture I've managed to take from Sky News:
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan features:
Saving Private Ryan has a reputation for achieving a new level of accuracy in its depiction of the D-day invasion. This video is not playable outside the US.Try this scene of the Omaha Beach landings from the film if you are in the UK.
Updated at 18.54 CEST6 Jun 201416.27 CESTHollande says the world still needs to address the plight of many women today who are "servile" and abused
Our responsibility is to fight against fanatics
We must all be as courageous as those who came on to these beaches
These are not comparable to the second world war
70 years later, freedom is still threatened in too many countries around the world.
We must ensure the UN is capable of the mission that was given to it the day after the war: collective security.
I have talked about courage in war. Courage in peace is just as essential and necessary.
6 Jun 201416.20 CESTHollande says France and her allies are indebted to Russia's Red Army and the courage of its soldiers.
He also salutes the courage of Germans "who were also the victims of Nazism".
6 Jun 201416.17 CESTHollande says "the wind of freedom" the D-day troops brought still blows across Europe today.
I want, in the name of France, to salute those who are present here today. Thank you. Thank you for being there in 1944. Thank you for still being here … You will always be here, your spirit, on these landing beaches.
He salutes the British, Americans, Canadians, Polish, Australians and all the nationalities who served with the Allies.
6 Jun 201416.13 CESTHollande talks about the small group of Frenchmen "whose valour was enormous" who helped with the D-day invasion
Reader Thomas Fourquet sent us this story, via GuardianWitness, of his grandfather, Michel Fourquet, a French officer who joined D-day as part of the resistance:
6 Jun 201416.10 CESTHollande says:
We have an obligation to remember the victims – all the victims. The military and civilians, the Allies and the German victims of Nazism.
At the same time, we'd like to put across a message from today's ceremony, a message of peace … A message for Europe.
70 years ago, on this beautiful beach, thousands of young men jumped into the water … Who could have guessed that 20 years was the most beautiful age? For them, 20 years was the age of duty, the age of sacrifice.
These young people didn't hesitate for a second. They advanced, risking their lives. They progressed in order to defend a noble cause … to finally liberate us.
6 Jun 201416.06 CESTFlags from all the 19 countries attending today's ceremony are now being paraded at Ouistreham
6 Jun 201416.01 CESTAn 89-year-old veteran reported missing from a nursing home in Sussex has been found – in Ouistreham
Love this:89yr old veteran reported missing by care home who said he can't go to Normandy for #DDay70 remembrance. We've found him there!
6 Jun 201415.57 CESTCheers at Sword beach as the Queen arrives
The veterans in the front row – sheltered by umbrellas now; it's very hot in Normandy today – all stand to greet her
6 Jun 201415.48 CESTBarack Obama has now arrived at the Ouistreham ceremony
He's now shaking hands and chatting with the row of veterans at the front
"It's a pleasure to shake your hand," one tells him
And there's laughter from the crowds as a side-by-side shot of Obama and Putin – they're not sitting together – is shown on the big screens there
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held brief talks on the sidelines of D-day anniversary celebrations in Normandy
A White House official confirmed that an 'informal' meeting had taken place
Russia was excluded from a G7 (formerly G8) summit in Brussels yesterday.
Reuters also reports a Kremlin source confirming Putin and Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko have spoken and called for a halt to bloodshed in eastern Ukraine.
6 Jun 201415.35 CESTRoyals and world leaders are still arriving for the ceremony at Sword beach – it was due to start at 3pm
Queen Elizabeth II will be the last to arrive (BBC News also reports that she is the only dignitary to have eschewed an interpreter; she will listen to the ceremony in French)
Charles Neighbour, of Iola, Kansas, was stationed in Devon, in Great Britain, in the run-up to Operation Overland. All of his training concentrated on the upcoming Normandy landing. They were told of the rows of German 'pillboxes' stationed along the coast, which they had to overcome. But the reality, said Neighbour, of the 29th Division of E company, 116th Infantry Regiment, was very different.
'We really had no idea what we were facing,' Neighbour, 89, told the Guardian. 'When we landed, I almost felt like it wasn't me. It's very hard for me to put it into words. It was like I was a robot.'
In his book, One Man's War, Neighbour described the scene before him on that day, 70 years ago: 'As our boat touched sand and the ramp went down, I became a visitor to hell.'
It was chaos, he said. His unit, which crossed the channel in a British-operated French liner, the Ile De France, were first dropped in the wrong section of beach. Then, he was forced to take over a flame thrower after his partner was shot in the shoulder almost immediately.
'He said, I can't go on, so I took it,' said Neighbour. 'I carried a rifle in one hand and a flame thrower in the other. But the nozzle on it didn't work and I never got to use it.'
Omaha Beach was the scene of the bloodiest fighting on D- day, as mortar and machine gun fire killed many US soldiers before they could even step off their landing boats. The US 1st and 29th divisions together lost 2,000 men at Omaha. One 170-man unit, from the Virginia National Guard's Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, virtually ceased to exist as a fighting unit on 6 June 1944, and 90% were dead or wounded on Omaha.
Neighbour said that his group, who did not land with the rest of the company, did manage to meet up with the rest of the troops and managed to 'neutralise the pill box'. They did not sustain nearly as many casualties. But out of a group of 30 men, he still lost five friends that day.
Neighbour returned to Normandy in 1994 and again in 2004 and was 'overwhelmed' by the reaction from the French.
'It made all the difference in the world to me,' he said. 'They welcomed us with open arms.'
Neighbour, a retired mechanical engineer and father of four, now lives in a residential home in Royal Oak, Virginia. He said he is is too frail to return again, although he would like to. But he plans to attend a commemoration ceremony at the D-day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, with around 20 of his unit, of which there are between 30 and 40 active members. Some of them will receive the D-day medal.
'It's going to be a full day but we're going to be there,' he said.
She is followed by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council.
6 Jun 201415.17 CESTStephen Harper
Most Canadian troops landed on the next beach along from Sword, at Juno
The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery has the unhappy distinction of holding the remains of nine sets of brothers, more than any other second world war cemetery.
Updated at 15.19 CEST6 Jun 201415.15 CESTA bold veteran while shaking hands with Hollande appeared to ask him about the meeting at lunchtime between Russia's President Putin and the new president-elect of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. BBC News is reporting that a meeting did take place at the Chateau de Benouville earlier.
Poroshenko has now arrived at the ceremony, as per protocol (he's the newest world leader here) and gets a warm round of applause.
He's followed by Tony Abbott, prime minister of Australia.
6 Jun 201415.12 CESTBritish prime minister David Cameron has paid tribute to those involved in the D-day landings
following a service at Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy
marking the 70th anniversary of the landings:
The French president is hosting this commemoration; he will be followed by other world leaders.
There are also around 6,000 veterans and local residents attending. Around half of the veterans here are from the UK, a quarter from the US, and the remainder from the rest of the world, including a number from Canada and Australia.
6 Jun 201415.04 CESTThe New York Times reported the launch of the invasion on its front page of 6 June 1944:
Front page of the New York Times, 6 June 1944. Photograph: /New York Times Photograph: New York TimesThe New York Times report relays that:
General Eisenhower told his forces that they were about to embark on a 'great crusade'.
The eyes of the world are upon you, he said, and the 'hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you'. The order, which reflected a full appreciation of the mighty task ahead and yet reflected the calm, sober confidence that permeates these headquarters, was distributed to assault elements after their embarkation.
The news that has been so long and so eagerly awaited broke as war-weary Londoners were going to work. Hardly any of them knew what was happening, for there had been no disclosure of the news that the invasion had started in the British Broadcasting Corporation's 7 o'clock broadcast.
Updated at 15.05 CEST6 Jun 201414.54 CESTThe international ceremony at Ouistreham – Sword beach in the Normandy landings – begins shortly
Arriving as reinforcements on D+4 meant that we did not encounter the dangers and horrors experienced by those who led the assault on D-day. Whatever dangers we might have encountered later – and in my case, they were not great – the only discomfort we suffered as we left the landing craft to reach the beach was to struggle in water up to our chests as we held our rifles above our heads to keep them dry.
By that time, the beach head was secure and we were able to march inland, near to the port of Ouistreham, until we found a spot where we could rest. Soaked to the skin, with the sun shining, we all decided it would be a good idea to strip to our underwear to dry off.
Within minutes an infuriated regimental sergeant major (and RSMs are not softspoken even at the best of times) rushed up and in language that is not fit to print – even in the Guardian – told us that we were inviting an enemy air attack and should get dressed forthwith, or words to that effect.
As good squaddies we complied and although my mates and I were to spend the following months, after shelling Caen for weeks, travelling through France, Belgium and Holland before ending up in Germany, we were never to hear the likes of that kind of language again.
6 Jun 201414.50 CESTThe Manchester Guardian reported on 7 June 1944 that the weather had delayed plans for the invasion
Reporting from the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force
It can now be said that the operation which has been carried out today was originally planned for yesterday
It was postponed on account of the weather
The Manchester Guardian: 7 June, 1944, page 3 Photograph: The Guardian. Click here to see the full article. Photograph: The GuardianThe report continues:
It can be said that in some ways the German defences so far have not in fact proved quite so formidable as the planners of the expedition had predicted.
The Allied naval and air forces have been magnificent.
6 Jun 201414.41 CESTMy colleague Kim Willsher is at Sword beach and has been talking to some of the veterans there ahead of this afternoon's international ceremony.
Thomas "Ted" Bootle, 90, from Oulton Broad, Suffolk, UK, landed with 398 company of the Royal Army Service Corps, attached to the 6th Arborne Division:
I came ashore in a five-ton army lorry. We sailed from Tilbury on a US ship and was transferred to a landing craft mid-Channel. The US crew dropped one of the other lorries and the driver was killed. They had to clear that out of the way before we could be transferred. I was directed to the wrong part of the beach and was told to drive at top speed to the right part and shoot anything that moved.
Joseph Nicolson, 88, from Selby, UK, was a naval seaman gunner on the landing craft:
I had lied to get into the Navy and was just 18 on D-day. We made quite a few trips back and forth. I remember clearly what happened. We didn't come under so much fire because the troops got quickly inland, but there was the occasional plane dropping bombs on us. One lifted the stern of the ship out of the water.
I always feel very proud coming back here, and proud to have been part of the D-day landings. I feel humble as well because of all the French civilians that died. It was when we started taking the wounded back that it hit me. It was just like you see in the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, only louder and longer. When we got to land, there were still bodies on the beach.
Denis Dayman, 89, from Birmingham, UK, was a private in the Shropshire Light Infantry:
By the end of the war there were only eight of us left. The others were either dead or wounded. I was wounded in the leg, later in August. I don't think young people want to remember what happened all those years ago. I don't think they're interested. It's wonderful to be here. Everyone is so proud of us, they treat us like gods. And after all, it's important to remember.
Kenneth William Lucas, 92, from Leicester, UK, landed on Sword Beach two days after D-day:
We drove the lorry through the water and headed north to Belgium. I remember clearly parking by the side of the road and a German shell hitting a first aid post in the middle of the road killing four people. It is an emotional time. I come back for the fellas that got killed. I was lucky, I got away with it.
Roland Armitage, 89, from Ottawa, Canada, came ashore on Juno Beach on 18 June with the Royal Canadian Artillery:
We were supposed to be in Caen in three days; in fact we weren't there until July 15. Those Germans were tough fighters. We were against the 12th Panzer division, who were Hitler Youth boys and trained to be ferocious fighters. You couldn't make them give up.
I volunteered to go. We though Hitler was going to take the world and he was going to take England. We were loyal to England, we wanted a free world, and men are men. Everybody went. I never thought about being scared. I thought if anyone was going to die, it wouldn't be me. I lost one of my ears, and my officer was killed, but I made it.
Updated at 19.38 CEST6 Jun 201414.34 CESTThis is wonderful: news of D-day reaches New York – in pictures
despite the restrictions on the media at the time (both in terms of speed and censorship)
the BBC was able to offer "eye-witness reports" just hours after the landings began:
The BBC broadcast its first 'eye-witness report from above the battlefield of France' during its 1pm radio news
a recording sent back by an Air-Commodore Helmore from a plane that had returned from its mission that morning to bomb a railway bridge
Helmore reported during the flight across the English Channel that it was busier 'up here than Piccadilly Circus' with the air 'full of aircraft of all kinds going and coming'
while down below 'I've just seen a great flock of our invasion fleet'
The 1pm bulletin also carried reports from BBC correspondents including Frank Gillard 'with troops in the South of England'
and Richard Dimbleby – father of Question Time presenter David – reporting the night before from an English airfield as aircraft carrying paratroops took off for France
1.12pm: Correspondents reports on the preparations for the invasion followed the news bulletin #DDay70 pic.twitter.com/p9dFQZtldt
6 Jun 201414.05 CESTLunchtime summaryAs veterans and world leaders sit down to lunch in Normandy ahead of this afternoon's events
My mind is always on those that never came home.'
US president Barack Obama has given a speech at the US war cemetery near Omaha beach in which he talked of the events leading up to the invasion:
French president Francois Hollande spoke of the debt owed to the men who landed on the Normandy beaches:
A service was held at Bayeux cathedral by the Royal British Legion
at which a new bell was blessed to mark the 70th anniversary
World leaders, along with some 6,000 veterans and Normandy residents, will come together this afternoon at Sword beach, the most easterly of the D-day beaches, for an international ceremony of remembrance. That will be at 2pm BST.
It is followed by a number of smaller ceremonies and events, across Normandy and further afield, to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings. I'll be following as many of them as I can in this live blog.
6 Jun 201413.45 CESTMy colleague Caroline Davies sends this report from commemorations in Bayeux:
No more would Britain's Normandy veterans walk in their hundreds through its white serried rows of headstones
Never again would they encircle en masse the Cross of Sacrifice
a British shine and last resting place for 3,935 whom age would never weary
provided a fitting backdrop to this emotive swan song
Today was a last rally of the blue- blazered brigade as D-day passed into history
The Normandy Veterans' Association will exist no more from November
laying up its standard as age defeats its ranks
more stooped of shoulder than their younger selves
For those that needed there was a discreet arm to lean on
Others paid their respects from wheelchairs
bars groaning with medals hanging from their chests
a Dakota and a Lancaster bomber – brought gasps and announced the arrival of the Queen
she is of this generation and they connect with her
So it seemed fitting she was present at this last hurrah in Bayeux
the first French town to be liberated from the Nazis
national chairman of the Normandy Veterans Association
read the exhortation: 'They shall not grow old
'We will remember them' came back the chorus of elderly
Heads dipped during the two minutes' silence; some eyes were closed
Earlier Cameron had joined a procession of veterans as they walked from the town's cathedral to this commonwealth cemetery, led by a piper and accompanied by the catheral's bells. The veterans were applauded by crowds lining the route, and Cameron spoke of his “sense of awe and gratitude” for what had passed so many decades ago.
6 Jun 201413.37 CESTThe world leaders at the Chateau de Benouville are posing for their group photograph; I've grabbed this from the BBC
but we should have the official version shortly:
Today is the day. We had a meal at 2300 and I gave my men their final briefing at midnight.
0515. Day is breaking. The wind seems to be very strong for a landing.
1510. Landed on French soil. Pretty grim. Mines. Sniper. Bombs.
6 Jun 201413.29 CESTBarack Obama has now arrived at the Chateau de Benouville for lunch with the other heads of state: Merkel, Putin and the Queen among them. He's brought a US veteran with him, which should help ensure that everyone is on their best behaviour.
Most of the British veterans are having their lunch in Bayeux, before they head to Ouistreham for this afternoon's ceremonies.
We must never forget the bravery, courage and sacrifice of those thousands of soldiers who fought and for the many who ultimately gave their lives for all of us. It is right that those veterans are central to today's commemorations.
Northern Ireland provided a staging platform for allied forces prior to the D-day landings.
We are all eternally grateful to the men and women of Northern Ireland who played their part in one of the most significant engagements in military history.
6 Jun 201413.16 CESTPeople have taken to Twitter to commemorate relatives involved in the D-day landings. Do share your memories of relatives in the comments or via GuardianWitness:
Thank you Charles Burdett. My grandad and D-Day vet. #DDay #DDay70 pic.twitter.com/IKi1cOR3Nn
My dad, 20, (centre) with his comrades on the eve of D-Day. He was wounded on Gold Beach in the first wave. #DDay70 pic.twitter.com/IvZc6i6wVd
Seventy years ago today my dad was part of the D-Day landings. He never spoke of that time, but he was still my hero. RIP Papa #DDay70
Thinking of all involved in D-Day 70 years ago today including my dad
George Williams,was on Sword beach 70 years ago today
Linda's dad, D-Day veteran George Williams, in 1994. pic.twitter.com/ytWc6ytvOK
At approx 7.45am,70yrs ago D-Day,my dad & many other young men landed on gold beach,Arromanches.Thnx for the freedom Dad!
#Essex Regiment
Wonder how dad/others of #Essex regiment felt 70 yrs ago.Did they realise enormity of what laid ahead next morning? pic.twitter.com/u1xXzVPbGP
D-Day-Never forget!
3 generations of Lakemans on Juno beach, Normandy. Centre is our D-Day hero grandad, Ken.#D-Day70 pic.twitter.com/CBKWG18Nbb
6 Jun 201413.11 CESTRussia's president Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Chateau de Benouville in Normandy for lunch with other leaders ahead of the ceremony at Sword beach
My colleague Kim Willsher reports from Normandy:
Putin has just arrived at the Chateau de Bénouville for lunch with the other heads of state
He was greeted on the red carpet by François Hollande who shook his hand
Hollande has a habit of putting his hand on someone's back to guide them
on Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings in the second world war
Barack Obama honours veterans at Colleville-sur-Mer cemetery – video GuardianYou can read the report of Obama's speech here and Hollande's here.
6 Jun 201413.00 CESTAt noon on 6 June 1944
British prime minister Winston Churchill announced to MPs that D-day had begun
Winston Churchill interrupts House of Commons business
and speaks for 15 minutes about the capture of Rome
the first Axis capital to fall to the Allies two days earlier
He says little about the success or failure of the day – it is too early to call – but tells a hushed House: 'This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place.'
6 Jun 201412.55 CESTThe news of the Normandy landings was first relayed to the British public by the BBC in a special midday bulletin
Early this morning the Allies began the assault on the north-western face of Hitler's European fortress
The first official news came just after half-past nine when Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force – usually called SHAEF from its initials – issued communiqué number one."
The BBC midday bulletin from 6 June 1944. Photograph: BBC Photograph: BBCYou can read – and hear – the full bulletin on the BBC site here.
6 Jun 201412.54 CESTA pair of Spitfires, painted in the black and white stripes of D-day aircraft, are taking part in a flypast over the Normandy beaches. Some 12,000 aircraft were in operation on D-day.
6 Jun 201412.44 CESTWorld leaders in Normandy are now meeting at the Chateau de Benouville
before this afternoon's centrepiece ceremony at Sword beach
German chancellor Angela Merkel has just arrived and was greeted by French president Francois Hollande
6 Jun 201412.31 CESTThe Manchester Guardian (that was us
Manchester received the long-awaited news with tempered elation
Everywhere there was a 'standing to' at wireless receivers such as had no parallel since the first hours of the war or the anxious days of 1940
Long queues formed to buy the evening papers as each edition was due to appear
Seventy years after Allied troops stormed the beaches at Normandy
President Barack Obama returned Friday to this hallowed battleground and said "the tide was turned in that common struggle for freedom" on D-Day and now lives on in a new generation
to the inherent dignity of every human being – that claim is written in blood on these beaches
and it will endure for eternity,' Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery on a morning that dawned glorious and bright over the sacred site he called 'democracy's beachhead'
Obama spoke from the Normandy American cemetery and memorial
where nearly 10,000 white marble tombstones sit on a bluff overlooking the site of the June 6 1944 battle's most violent fighting at Omaha Beach
He described D-day's violent scene in vivid terms
blood soaked the water' and 'thousands of rounds bit into flesh and sand'
We come to remember why America and our allies gave so much for the survival of liberty at its moment of maximum peril
And we come to tell the story of the men and women who did it
so that it remains seared into the memory of the future world.'
The president mentioned that his grandfather served in Patton's Army and his grandmother was among the many women who went to work supporting the war effort back home
in her case on a B-29 bomber assembly line
Obama also singled out from the audience Sgt
an Army Ranger who served 10 deployments and was severely wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan
Obama recognized Remsburg at the emotional high-point of his State of the Union address earlier this year
after first meeting him five years ago at the Normandy commemoration
The two reunited Friday as Obama met with veterans at Omaha Beach before his speech
'For in a time when it has never been more tempting to pursue narrow self-interest and slough off common endeavor
have chosen to do their part as well,' Obama said
will gather at places like this to honour them and to say that these were generations of men and women who proved once again that the United States of America is and will remain the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.'
You can see a video of Obama's speech here.
Updated at 13.09 CEST6 Jun 201412.05 CESTThe Press Association has filed this report on the events of this morning:
British veterans of the D-day landings honoured their fallen comrades during a poignant service of remembrance in Normandy attended by the Queen
sailors and airmen gathered with senior members of the royal family and prime minister David Cameron in the town of Bayeux to pay their respects
The event marked 70 years to the day that Allied troops stormed Normandy beaches in the largest amphibious assault in history
described by wartime prime minister Winston Churchill as 'undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place'
1944 was the beginning of an 80-day campaign to liberate the region which involved three million troops and cost the lives of 250,000
was the first to be freed from Nazi control during the campaign
The town's military graveyard was a fitting place to stage the open-air service as it is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery of the second world war in France
In bright summer sunshine the service of hymns and prayers was staged with military clergy conducting proceedings
were joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall
deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband were among the congregation for the open-air service at the cemetery
as was foreign secretary William Hague and Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott
Moments after the Queen arrived a fly-past of historic aircraft – two Spitfires
a Dakota and a Lancaster bomber – roared overhead as they flew in formation
View image in fullscreenBritish bomber Avro Lancaster (L) and SuperMarine Spitfire fly over Normandy. Photograph: Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty ImagesAt the start of the service the Reverend Patrick Irwin, the Royal British Legion Chaplain to Normandy, told the congregation:
Here in this cemetery we are reminded of the true cost of D-day whose 70th anniversary we mark today. We pay tribute to the dead and welcome enthusiastically the veterans for whose courage and devotion we are most grateful.
This is a British cemetery and most of the graves in this place are British but D-day involved many nations and many nations are represented here.
Here in this cemetery men from many nations lie together united in death, and together, united in gratitude, sorrow and respect, we honour their memory. May they rest in peace.
Updated at 12.10 CEST6 Jun 201411.59 CESTAt this time on 6 June 1944
Staff at his mountain retreat had refused to rouse him when first reports of paratroop landings and a potential invasion came in through the night
he disregards the reports of an Allied invasion in Normandy
He lunches with the new Hungarian prime minister
telling him: 'The news could not be better … Now we have them [the Allied armies] where we can destroy them.'
Hitler's behaviour during the day is critical: only he has authority to launch the Panzer divisions held in strategic reserve against the landing beaches
A row between Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt
is resolved by Hitler with a fudge: he will control the Panzer reserves
and they can go into action only on his command
no command is sent to the 21st Panzer Division waiting around Caen with engines running
The Allied deception plan has worked so well that Hitler and many senior German commanders are convinced the main invasion will come in the Pas de Calais
The Panzers remain idle and more than half a million German soldiers wait in the Calais area to repulse what Hitler believes will be the real invasion
You can read the full hour-by-hour report here.
6 Jun 201411.56 CESTAbout 100 Canadian veterans are in Normandy today
to commemorate Canada's role in the landings
Canadian troops landed on Juno beach on 6 June 1944; about 350 of them died that day
Reader George Sanders sent us this story of his father's role at Juno:
My father was a captain of an LCT boat on Juno beach in the first wave
taking "Hobart's funnies" onto the beach at Courseulles sur Mer
but was a Royal Engineer Warrant Officer first class (WO1)
I understand that 24 boats were in the first wave and only 4 made it
I have a picture in a book of photos showing him on the beach next to the ramp he and his crew had placed onto the promenade to enable the tanks of various kinds to climb onto the streets
who had volunteered for the army as he was in a reserved occupation and did not have to serve
He survived and later took barges full of food up Dutch canals and the Rhine to Remagen to help the invasion further
and he and his comrades came in an hour later than most because of the tides in that area
You can share stories and photographs with us via Guardian Witness
the Queen is talking to veterans and those who care for the cemetery
The gardeners ensure that at any time of the year
Here is a selection of those we've been sent so far:
My dear departed Dad was a Squadron Leader, DFC , in the RCAF, No. 411 Squadron, in 1944. He flew Spitfires, which he absolutely loved. He flew over Juno Beach on D Day with his little black Scottie, Gael, with him in the plane as a good luck mascot. (She was apparently fearless and used to ride on the back of my Dad’s motorcycle.) Dad survived the war unscathed and married a lovely English girl. They came back to Canada in 1945 and lived happily ever after.
6 Jun 201411.32 CESTIn the Commonwealth war cemetery at Bayeux
6 Jun 201411.25 CESTAt Omaha beach
View image in fullscreenUS President Barack Obama, centre and French President Francois Hollande stand at Normandy American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP Photograph: Charles Dharapak/APHe pays tributes to the troops from other nations involved, including the UK and Canada.
6 Jun 201411.23 CESTWe are not here just to celebrate victory, Obama says.
We come to tell the story of the men and women who did it, so it remains seared into the memory of the future world.
We tell this story for the old soldiers who pull themselves a little straighter today for those who never made it home.
6 Jun 201411.22 CESTObama thanks the people of France. They have taken care of the fallen troops whose tombs are here, he says: "We are forever grateful."
6 Jun 201411.20 CESTObama says:
More than 150,000 souls set off to this slither of sand which held not just the course of a war, but the course of history.
He is "humbled" by the presence of veterans here today, leading a lengthy round of applause.
6 Jun 201411.16 CESTBarack Obama is speaking now at Colleville-sur-Mer of the events leading up to 6 June 1944:
6 Jun 201411.13 CESTHollande says he was born in Normandy, in Rouen. Obama, he adds, was born in Hawaii, which also saw suffering during the war. This should never be forgotten, he says.
Normandy, which is hosting the whole world … today we are united here.
6 Jun 201411.10 CESTHollande says 6 June 1944 was the most important day in the second world war.
He mentions the names of some of the men lost: a father and son, one killed in Normandy, one in Italy; brothers who are buried in the Normandy cemetery.
6 Jun 201411.07 CESTHollande says every man who set foot on Omaha beach on 6 June was a hero.
They ran, armed with courage, towards the lines of the enemy.
More than 20,000 Americans paid with their lives here in Normandy.
They were your parents, your brothers, your friends.
6 Jun 201411.06 CESTThe French-US ceremony at Colleville-sur-Mer has begun.
Today we commemorate a memorable date in our history, where our two peoples merged in the same fight … the battle of liberty.
6 June 1944 was a horrendous battlefield. That is what we try to remember here, 70 years later.
On that morning, everything started on the wrong footing. On Omaha beach, the artillery missed its targets. The tanks that should have supported the infantry drowned.
Scores of them were killed, massacred. They were faced with a sea of blood.
[But] in democracies, a great ideal gives rise to great bravery.
6 Jun 201410.58 CESTA moving story from reader Helen Dodd who has commented below – her grandfather was at the service at Bayeux cathedral this morning:
My Grandfather, Joe Hoare is at Bayeux Cathedral today, with my Mum. At the age of 92, he survived the Atlantic and Arctic convoys, as well as the Battle of the Atlantic.
It was many years before he spoke about his difficult times in the war: he always spoke fondly of the friends he'd made in the Navy and in America, many of whom became lifelong friends .
It is only recently he's spoken to us about the horrors of the war: the raging waves of the atlantic, the freezing conditions of the arctic, and of course the horrors of the U-boats. He was on Omaha beach that day, ferrying men back and forth from the beaches, with bodies floating by in the water
He is now a Grandfather of six, and Great Grandfather of eight. We are all immensely proud of him- to look at all the survivors in Normandy today makes me so proud of the difference they made to the world on that horrendous day.
6 Jun 201410.53 CESTObama and Hollande are now arriving for the ceremony at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer
I am very pleased to be able to join veterans here in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings.
On June 6 1944, after months of planning and training, the largest amphibious assault in history was launched to secure freedom in Europe.
Hundreds of thousands of servicemen made the journey across the Channel by sea and air, and through their brave actions and dogged determination, established a vital foothold in occupied Europe.
This immense and heroic endeavour brought the end of the second world war within reach.
I am sure that these commemorations will provide veterans of the conflict and their families gathered here in France, along with their hosts, the people of Normandy, with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and the incredible sacrifices that were made.
6 Jun 201410.49 CESTThe helicopter of French president Francois Hollande has also now arrived at Colleville-sur-Mer.
6 Jun 201410.38 CESTBarack Obama's helicopter, Marine One, has just landed in Colleville-sur-Mer, where the president will give a speech as part of the D-day commemorations
will attend a ceremony at the cemetery for the US war dead
Some 9,387 American troops are buried at the cemetery close to Omaha beach
A number of US veterans who took part in the Normandy landings have also travelled to France today
supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe:
Allied naval forces supported by strong air forces
began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France
Among those at Bayeux waiting for the dignitaries is Australian Michael Pirrie
who died on his 24th birthday on Juno beach
He was clutching a black and white photograph of his uncle
to show Australian prime minister Tony Abbott
said: 'It is incredibly humbling to be here.'
was credited with saving many life on Juno beach before his was claimed by German artillery on D-day
Richard's job was to lead the invasion force in a small spotter boat
He was to get as close to the shore as he could to identify the Nazis on the cliffs and radio back to the ships so they could get their guns on them and blast them to provide cover,' he said
'He got so close to Juno he was able to radio back great information
which was extremely helpful and which meant the beach had the lowest casualty rate.'
who was a well known footballer in Melbourne who volunteered to fight
was mentioned in dispatches for his actions on D-day
'Just being here is an emotional experience,' he said surveying the graves
'These were the men who had willingly entered a situation they knew they would have to die for
and sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the world and their families
I don't think anybody has put it as well as Bill Clinton when he said: We are the children of their sacrifice.'
He is heading to Colleville-sur-Mer, where he will give a speech later.
6 Jun 201410.07 CESTMy colleague Caroline Davies is in Bayeux this morning
veterans are gathering ahead of a service of remembrance which will be attended by the Queen and prime minister David Cameron
This is one of the most emotional events for many of the veterans as they parade past the neat rows of 3,935 uniform white headstones
A stone plaque commemorates the 1,807 British and Commonwealth soldiers
sailors and airmen whose bodies were never found
He had been asked to place the crosses by the daughter of one of those resting here
It was something I was happy to do,' said Smoothy
who served with the Royal Navy aboard LST215 – one of the many landing craft used to ferry soldiers to the beach and later bring back German prisoners of war
Traditionally the veterans march through the cemetery behind their standards and encircle the Cross of Sacrifice.
6 Jun 201410.00 CESTMy colleague Philip Oltermann reports from Berlin that
although chancellor Angela Merkel will attend commemorations in Normandy today
the 70th anniversary of D-day " is unlikely to register much with the wider public"
Merkel will today visit the Commonwealth cemetery of Ranville
where 133 German soldiers were laid to rest
View image in fullscreenAngela Merkel pictured in Brussels yesterday
Photograph: Isopix/Rex Photograph: Isopix/REXPhilip reports:
Few other countries have actively engaged as much with the crimes of their past as the second world war's chief aggressor, but in a year in which the first world war, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler are commemorated, D-day has inevitably been marginalised.
Even without other anniversaries to compete against, the Normandy landings fail to have the same symbolic resonance in Germany as they have in Anglo-American memory.
According to the military historian Peter Lieb, whose book on the landings was published this month, the main reason for this is the overpowering role in German memory played by the eastern front: 'Between 1940 and 1943, all eyes in Germany were on the Soviet Union,' Lieb said.
Even on the day, it didn't feel like a turning point: Adolf Hitler reportedly enjoyed a lie-in at his holiday home in Berghof, and when he heard the news at 10am, he welcomed it, announcing that he was 'absolutely certain' the Wehrmacht would smash the enemy.
6 Jun 201409.57 CESTThe dedication of the new cathedral bell at Bayeux is taking place now. Prince Charles, on behalf of the Queen, tells the Archbishop of Paris, who is making the blessing, that the bell is to be named "Thérèse Benedicte".
The bell is blessed in French, English and German.
Updated at 10.00 CEST6 Jun 201409.46 CEST70 years ago at this moment:
From his command HQ on the battleship USS Augusta
contemplates abandoning the disaster of Omaha beach
Supporting waves of US troops were about to be ordered to land on other beaches
leaving a vast hole in the centre of the invasion
US destroyers risk beaching themselves by going close inshore to fire their 5-inch guns directly on to the German gun positions
Brigadier General Norman Cota rallies his men
and encourages them to begin the assault that at last overwhelms the German defences
Cota wins a Distinguished Service Cross for getting his men to advance.
6 Jun 201409.41 CESTThanks to readers who are contributing comments below and sharing their stories of D-day:
My Granddad and my Wife's Granddad were both off the beaches of Normandy D-Day. Neither of them spoke much about it; but I know my Granddad who'd survived both Arctic convoys and the Battle of the Atlantic would have been somewhere off the North East of the Landings in the Destroyer screen looking to defend the fleet from U-Boats and E-Boats.
My Granddad Died in 1972 with bits of metal still in him from an explosion (he survived two singings)
My Wife's Granddad died in 2009 - taking most of his experiences of the war to the grave.
6 Jun 201409.38 CESTThe service pays "special tribute" to those who took part in the Normandy landings and are still living. A number of them are in the cathedral this morning. The congregation is hearing this address to the veterans:
that private moment when an elderly serviceman stands beside the grave of a fallen comrade …
You are witness to the high price that had to be paid to rid this continent of a tragic evil.
6 Jun 201409.34 CESTThe service taking place now in the cathedral at Bayeux is one of the two UK-French national ceremonies of commemoration for the 70th anniversary of D-day.
The Royal British Legion, which has organised the ceremony, says in the congregation are "veterans and the people of Bayeux as well as senior UK, Australian, New Zealand, French and European allied political representatives".
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are also there.
The service includes the blessing of a new cathedral bell to mark the 70th anniversary of D-day. The Queen is to be one of the bell's "godparents".
6 Jun 201409.19 CESTThe Royal British Legion service at the cathedral at Bayeux is beginning
Many veterans from many different countries are in attendance
along with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cambridge
French prime minister Manuel Valls and Australian prime minister Tony Abbott
My mother heard about the Normandy landings on the radio just before going into labour. She remembered seeing 'all the planes flying very low overhead with special Allied markings on the wings'.
'I was worried as the matron kept coming in to inquire what I was going to call my son,' my mother told me. 'I thought that something must be wrong with the baby – but the press had been calling to see if any boys had been born that day, and was I going to christen him Bernard [after Montgomery] or Dwight [after Eisenhower]?' Monty might have been even worse.
6 Jun 201408.51 CESTAs my colleague Jason Deans reports
the BBC's 8am news bulletin on 6 June 1944 carried no confirmation of the D-day landings that had begun an hour-and-half earlier – the official nod came later in the morning – but did warn that "a new phase in the Allied air offensive" had begun
It quoted German reports that "Allied airborne troops have been landed" and naval forces were "engaged with Allied landing-craft"
This morning at 8am Radio 4 is beginning to rerun its broadcasts of the BBC's original 1944 news reports, starting with actor Benedict Cumberbatch reading the bulletin during the Today programme in a few minutes' time. The tribute runs until Sunday evening; all the bulletins, along with some original recordings, can be heard here
At 0800: news bulletin from D-Day read by Benedict Cumberbatch
#tomorrowstodaytonight pic.twitter.com/Mo7MrYkHu0
Here's what it has to say about what was happening at this time
H-Hour on the British and Canadian beaches
as the low tide is one hour later further east
The British use their armour far more effectively than the Americans
with many floating tanks coming ashore to provide vital assistance to the infantry
On Gold beach there is stiff resistance around the seaside town of Le Hamel
British troops advance three miles inland by the end of the day to the edge of Bayeux
with its tapestry of the Norman invasion of England
On Sword beach flail tanks clear routes through minefields for the infantry
Lord Lovat and his commando brigade lands to the sound of bagpipes and capture Ouistreham
link up with the tiny force at Pegasus Bridge
On Juno beach the Canadians have a much tougher time with heavy German shelling of their landing craft – 20 out of 24 in the first wave are lost
It takes the Canadians three hours' bitter fighting to capture the town of St-Aubin-sur-Mer and crush resistance.
As we gather on the beaches of Normandy to remember the extraordinary sacrifices made for peace, there has never been a more important time to underline our belief in collective defence.
Through the searing experiences of moments like D-day, we learnt how much more we could achieve by working together as allies than by fighting alone.
The Nato alliance was born out of this commitment to increase our collective security and to ensure that the common cause we found through shared hardship would prevent conflict on this scale threatening our world again.
Just as British and French soldiers fought for victory against a common enemy on the beaches of Normandy, today France and the UK stand shoulder to shoulder against the threats of the modern world. We remain united against international terrorism and extremism – and in recent times our armed forces have served together in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and elsewhere around the world.
Cameron said the "shared hardship" of the second world war had "forged our unique relationship and created a shared determination to work together for a safer, more prosperous future for us all":
That future is why so many of our servicemen gave their lives - and protecting the peace they fought for is the greatest way we can honour those who fell.
I've taken the quotes from the Press Association.
Reader Phill Burrows sent this story about his father who landed on D-day near Pegasus bridge
It was the first time he'd ever left Northern Ireland:
Readers are very welcome to share their stories with Guardian Witness here.
My colleague Richard Nelsson sends me these examples of how Australian newspapers reported the start of the "vast sea and air operation"
Airborne troops … had been been landed behind the enemy's lines on a scale far larger than ever before seen
with great accuracy and extremely little loss
View image in fullscreenThe Sydney Morning Herald front page
Photograph: Sydney Morning HeraldThe Argus
reported on the day after the landings began:
Massed airborne landings in France have already been successfully effected … Fire from German shore batteries had already been largely quelled
Obstacles constructed in the sea had not been as difficult as expected.
At midnight there was a vigil at the Pegasus Bridge, marking the first assault of the D-day invasion when airborne Allied soldiers landed in the dead of night 70 years ago
At 12.16am on 6 June 1944 a team of six Horsa gliders carrying 181 men from the Glider Pilot Regiment and the 2nd Battalion
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
landed silently to capture the strategically vital bridge and another nearby
paving the way for soldiers landing on the Normandy beaches to move inland and reinforce their airborne colleagues
but here are some of the best from the Guardian this week
This interactive, showing D-day landing scenes in 1944 and the present day.
Veterans of D-day revisit the places where they fought: in pictures.
the former naval meteorologist whose weather forecasts by determined the timing of the Normandy landings
Kim Willsher heard vivid testimonies from veterans at Pegasus Bridge
I got there at 9am and it had been partially destroyed
Caroline Davies sent this moving report from Normandy yesterday, as she visited Sword Beach with veterans including Gordon Smith, 90:
Those poor kids, running up the beach. Just 18- or 19-year-olds …
We did what we did, what we had to do. This is the final time for me. I am not coming back any more. It's just too much.
6 Jun 201407.59 CESTMy colleague Caroline Davies describes the ceremonies and tributes we will see today:
Friday's international ceremony is at Sword
and assaulted by the 3rd British Infantry Division with some 29,000 men landing there
Its location serves as a fitting tribute not just to the 156,000 men who made up the Allied invasion force
but also the 177 Free France commandos who took part in ground operations on D-day alongside the British
up to 20,000 civilians killed mainly as a result of allied bombing
are to be recognised with a national memorial service at the Caen memorial on Friday morning
President Obama will join French president François Hollande at a service later in the morning at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
US forces bore the brunt of allied casualties on that day
Casualty figures on cliff-fringed "Bloody" Omaha
where difficult terrain allowed German machine gun fire to tear into troops
A huge dawn gathering on Omaha beach is planned
Many of the British veterans will visit Bayeux
for a Royal British Legion service at midday on Friday at the cathedral followed by an service of remembrance at the war graves cemetery where 4,144 second world war soldiers from the Commonwealth are buried
Shortly before sunset, the Normandy Veterans Association will perform its final parade at Arromanches on Gold beach, where, on 6 June 1944, nearly 25,000 men from the British 50th division landed.
Elsewhere, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper will pay tribute to the 21,000 Canadian troops who secured a heavily-defended Juno at a service nearby, accompanied by five veterans invited as his guests.
Nine veterans have officially been invited to attend the commemorations from New Zealand.
6 Jun 201407.55 CESTWelcome to rolling coverage of commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings
My colleagues Caroline Davies and Kim Willsher are in France throughout the day
and this blog will draw together their reports with coverage of commemorations taking place around the world
The first Allied airborne troops began landing in France shortly after midnight on 6 June 1944
with the main assault on the Normandy beaches beginning at 6.30am
Most of the men who landed on the beaches were from the UK
but troops from across the world took part in the ongoing Battle of Normandy: from Australia
Some 4,413 Allied troops are thought to have died on D-day; German casualties numbered between 4,000 and 9,000 dead
You can see how the Manchester Guardian – as we were then – reported the Allied invasion in the newspaper of 7 June 1944 below:
co-founder of the grassroots NGO Vents Contraires
we have been supporting a displaced community from Sudan who are desperately trying to reach the UK through an irregular route
They currently survive in an informal settlement in Ouistreham
A lawsuit in 2023 allowed us to force the state to set up sanitation facilities
and it's essential that the people living in this informal camp have the same access to their basic rights
we will introduce an emergency request to the Administrative Court in Caen
We are asking state authorities to organise access health provision on the living site
We are also requesting that they set up outreach services to go on site and provide information about asylum
Those teams will be accompanied by Arabic translators
and responsible for driving people to local institutions in Caen
We believe that is essential that the state authorities provide this sustained support : simply responding from time to time in situations considered to be "emergencies" is not always enough
We are raising £2,000 to pay for the legal proceedings
and we will need to pay a lawyer to work on the case and follow up on the case
We are also at risk of having to pay a legal penalty to the administration if the judge considers our request is illegitimate
Our organisation's budget is fully dedicated to financing our weekly distributions of hygiene items and phone equipment; we do not have provision for legal fees
Accessing information is essential to access basic human rights
We ask the state to take their responsibility and make sure that those who have fled conflict in their home country are made aware of existing social support structures here
we will introduce our case in court and send documentation to the judge
Because we are triggering an emergency procedure
a hearing will take place 2 to 3 days after the request is being registered
meaning we should have a response by the beginning of June
There are no public comments on this case page
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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Jean will travel to Ouistreham in Normandy this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the WWII Normandy landings.02/06/2014Share(CS) Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Jean will travel to Ouistreham in Normandy this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the WWII Normandy landings
The Allied invasion of Normandy began on June 6
The operation was key in the liberation of Europe from Nazi forces
with the Second World War coming to an end in Europe less than a year later in May 1945
Veterans and heads of state and government from around Europe and the world will mark the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings this year
with commemorative events hosted at the landing sites between June 5 and 7
Luxembourg's royals will join US President Barack Obama
as well as the UK's Queen Elizabeth II
at the main ceremony on June 6 in Ouistreham
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are also set to attend the event
Grand Duke Jean himself landed in Normany on June 11 as a volunteer in the Irish Guards
and took part in the liberation of Brussels and the liberation of Luxembourg
before his unit joined the battle to liberate Germany
Around 200,000 visitors are expected to travel to the Normandy memorial sites over the course of the weekend
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You can read this article in 3 minutesDorota Piotrowska-Pełka
The current scanners used by the Border Force officers are not enough to fight the increasingly advanced methods used by gangs to smuggle migrants in lorries bound for the UK
The government appealed to high-tech companies to come up with a solution
The Home Office informed that migrants are finding new ways to cheat the system which detects humans in trailers
The current technology captures a digital image of the radiation the human body emits
Although the authorities do not provide the details on how the gangs that smuggle people bypass the detectors
the recent appeal shows that the system in place is failing
The authority requires a next generation fast screening technological solution to screen between 200 to 250 freight vehicles per hour which is capable of responding to changing patterns on concealment where persons illegally stowed are increasingly hidden deeper within trailer loads,” reads the document sent to high-tech companies by the Home Office
Migrants are not only finding new ways to hide in trailers
where they feel more at ease to “catch a ride” because the security measures are not as tight as they are in Calais
Last month the Road Haulage Association (RHA) informed about the attacks on truck drivers in the Caen area and at the port of Ouistreham
The organization appealed to the authorities in France to intervene
are now focusing their attention on another coastal weak point
Every 10 minutes migrants were caught trying to cross the border to the UK last year according to information revealed thanks to a Freedom of Information request, reports the Telegraph.co.uk. In 2013, 56,000 illegal migrants were seized
which means that around 153 people were caught every day
Those numbers include migrants who were found in lorries and others trying to get to the UK by different means
Luxembourg's head of state, Grand Duke Henri, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa joined other royals at the special 70th anniversary commemoration. Also invited as a special guest was Henri's father, Grand Duke Jean, who landed in Normandy on June 11, 1944, as a volunteer in the Irish Guards and fought in Caen, before joining troop in the liberation of Luxembourg.
Government representatives also attended the ceremony, including Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Vice-PM Etienne Schneider and Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.
President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo was also in Normandy to mark the historic day.