Letter: Portsmouth remembers D-Day

Sir: As chair of the events committee, I would like to assure veterans of D-Day that the 50th anniversary of the Normandy invasion is, as far as this city is concerned, a time of commemoration, not celebration. To this council, the real VIPs are the veterans, rather than the heads of state and royalty due to attend services in the city.

Our priority is to give the warmest and most sensitive welcome to the thousands of ex-service personnel joining us in June. We have organised 30 free events for them to meet old comrades, and hundreds of Portsmouth families are offering free lodging to veterans for the D-Day weekend. A veterans' centre is running for two weeks in the city, dedicated to putting men and women in touch with people they may not have seen for 50 years.

We have asked the people of Portsmouth not to hold street parties, but to join us in honouring those who fell in 1944 and those who survived.

Yours faithfully

RICHARD COLE

Chair, Events Committee

Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth

19 April