The Fleet flagship HMS Bulwark led a Royal Navy contingent of five ships and an international flotilla to the beaches of the coast of Normandy, France as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. These began on 5 June with a public demonstration of the ship’s amphibious capability, with an assault by the Royal Marines onto the beach at Southsea in front of the Naval War Memorial.
There were also ceremonies across the Channel at Sword Beach, near Caen, on 6 June and at Port-en-Bessin on 7 June, with services of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Bayeux and a parade of veterans, drumhead service and laying of wreaths at Arromanches-les-Bains. Prior to participating in the remembrance of Allied Forces at D-Day, HMS Bulwark made a five-day visit to Greenwich in support of activities to mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines.
