THE Harwich Beacon will be lit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day following a day of services.
The day will start at 8am with a reading of the Proclamation outside Guildhall by Town Crier Richard Bench while Harwich Town Council will fly a flag especially dedicated to D-Day 80.
At 10.30am there will be a civic service at St Nicholas Church and poems will be read out by local school children.
At 9.15pm, the Harwich Beacon will be lit in an event organised by the Harwich Society on behalf of the town council.
The lighting will take place at the Barrack Field next to Cliff Park with the International Tribute to be delivered by the Mayor Pam Morrison.
D-Day, on June 6 1944, was the largest seaborne military invasion in history, involving 150,000 soldiers, 5,000 vessels, 11,000 planes, and 30,000 vehicles.
Five beaches in Normandy were chosen for the assault, with the day being a success for the Allies and a major turning point in the Second World War.
Many historians say D-Day was coined due to ‘D-’ and ‘H-’ being used for day and hour respectively by the allied forces but the precise coinage is unknown.
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