Events have been taking place across the West Midlands to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings
On 6 June 1944, Allied troops landed in Normandy and attacked German forces
The landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with troops from the UK, the USA, Canada, and France
Some veterans from the region and their families have travelled to France to mark the anniversary
Among those in Normandy is 100-year-old Bernard Morgan
That's all for our live coverage today
This page was edited by Trystan Jones. It was written by Lee Bottomley and Andy Giddings.
There will be more D-Day coverage, including from the service at the National Memorial Arboretum, on BBC Midlands Today at 18:30 on BBC One in the region.
You can also follow national coverage of D-Day commemorations here.
Bill Redston: 'We knew it could have been us killed'
Bill Redston was a First Lieutenant of Motor Launch 191 during World War Two as part of Naval Coastal Forces.
The now 99-year-old, who lives in Wolverhampton, was due to guide US soldiers on to Utah Beach during the D-Day landings.
But an 11th-hour decision may well have saved his life and that of his crew.
He spoke to us as part of the BBC's We Were There project.
More than 60 locations in the West Midlands will be hosting beacon lighting events today to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
You can see the full list and find a site near you here, external.
Among those holding events today are villagers in Salford Priors, near Alcester.
Dozens of people who attend the Salford Priors Warm Hub marked the 80th Anniversary of D-Day this morning at the memorial hall.
Image source, Salford Priors warm hub
A former Coventry pub landlord has been reflecting on the life of one of his late customers, who was a D-Day veteran.
Cecil Jeffcoate was one of a small number of troops flown into battle on Horsa gliders as part of the mission to take Pegasus Bridge - a story which was reflected in the film The Longest Day.
"He was a very humble person from Coventry, but he played a giant part in our history," said Leigh Watts, who used to run the Greyhound Pub at Sutton Stop, and is in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the landings.
Mr Jeffcoate was in a machine gun platoon with the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Regiment, and flew in alongside the actor Richard Todd, who went on to star in The Longest Day.
"He would say to me he wasn't a hero, everyone else was," said Mr Watts, who added that the late veteran told him he was scared, and anybody who said otherwise was lying.
"He was a giant of a person," said the former landlord.
Hereford's Cathedral Choir sang at the Normandy Cathedral, marking 80 years since D-Day.
The director of music at Hereford Cathedral said it was a great honour for the choir to sing at Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy last night.
The group sung at a service of remembrance organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and attended by HRH The Princess Royal, veterans, and their families.
"The atmosphere was quite extraordinary," said Geraint Bowen.
The choir were privileged to be invited to be part of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, said Mr Bowen, and to be asked back for the 80th had been a "wonderful experience".
The service at the National Memorial Arboretum has just been hearing from 97-year-old Alfred Booker, who was just 16 when he joined the Royal Navy.
He was involved in landing troops at Sword Beach and said it was the smoke he remembered most at first, with his battleship shelling the German defences.
Image source, Royal British LegionLater, he remembered the horror of seeing Allied soldiers killed on the beaches.
"I can still see them young men getting killed right left and centre," he said.
Of course these lads wherever these shells landed, if they were near them, they would tear them to pieces, so you didn't see a man lying there."
But Mr Booker, who became a painter and decorator after the war, said: "They had to be stopped and we did, we helped stop them."
Image source, Revd Michelle WardAn act of remembrance for the 80th anniversary of D-Day was held at Broadway War Memorial, Worcestershire.
Crosses marking the occasion were made by one of the local schools.
Image source, Revd Michelle WardKaren Kearney from Tenbury Wells is remembering her uncle, Donald Taylor, today.
She was at a D-Day exhibition at the Guildhall in Worcester earlier and said he landed on Omaha beach two days after the US troops.
He then continued the fighting across Europe into Germany and was involved in the liberation of Belsen.
The Royal British Legion service is getting under way at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
A reminder that you can watch live on the link above.
Image source, Newcastle Borough CouncilA tree carving paying tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of all those involved in D-Day 80 years ago has been unveiled in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The 9ft-high (2.7m) sculpture represents the Allied troops, boats and aircraft that landed in Normandy in 1944, said Newcastle Borough Council, which commissioned it.
The carving, created by local artist Anthony Hammond using a sycamore tree stump, has been unveiled in the town's Brampton Park.
"I’ve done a small thing to highlight a massive thing that they did," Mr Hammond said.
A man from Warwickshire has designed and created a beacon to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Stephan Couture from Hurley said the base was made out of steel and decorated with the names of the D-Day beaches, jeeps to represent the allied nations that took part and flowers of remembrance.
Image source, Stephan CoutureIt took two months to design and it was built with the help of Bullfinch Gas in Tyseley, Birmingham, where it now stands.
The 5ft-wide beacon will be lit at points throughout the day so that staff can stand outside and pay their respects.
And it's not the first time he has taken on a project like this - he also designed beacons for occasions including Armistice Day and the Queen's birthday too.
Image source, Stephan CoutureMr Couture's grandfather was Canadian and was one of the soldiers to land in France on D-Day.
He said it was important to remember all those who fought "because we can do what we can do today because of them".
BBC Radio Shropshire
While most of the memories we are hearing are those of British servicemen and women, there are also other stories to tell of course.
Connie Lischmann-Prestwood from Shrewsbury got in touch to tell us about her father, Lt Ernst Lischmann, who fought for the Germans in Normandy.
"He was fighting in a mad, mad war where so many people on both sides died," she said.
Her father, who was in his 30s, had previously fought on the Russian front, although she said he was "very lucky he didn’t have to march to Stalingrad".
Image source, FamilyAfter being injured twice he found himself stationed at the Normandy beaches and Connie said her father was horrified to see the Allies arriving and "he just knew his comrades would be dead".
He was one of only two men from his company to survive the assault and she said "it was just horrific and he couldn't speak about it for many a year".
It took him 30 years to eventually open up about it to her, she added.
Image source, FamilyAt 14:00 today all eyes will be on the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire.
A Royal British Legion service of remembrance is due to take place there, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
They will be joined by veterans and their families and we'll bring to coverage of the event.
You can watch by clicking on the Watch Live link above.
Image source, PA Media
Richard Williams
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
When Richard Woods appeared on BBC Midlands Today last year to tell the story of Pte George Brueton, he was not expecting the soldier's nieces, Lyn and Sue to be watching.
Sue said: "We'd just had our tea and the television was on, the news, and up flashed this lovely photograph and I said 'that's George' to my husband."
With the help of her sister they confirmed it was their uncle and called Mr Woods to get in touch.
Image source, Family photoA couple of months later they met up, with their mother Doreen, who was Pte Brueton's sister.
And later further research by Mr Woods led to Doreen being reunited with her sister Beryl, who she had not seen in 60 years.
Lyn said there had been lots of hugs and the meeting had been "very, very emotional".
Image source, Family photoBill Redston from Wolverhampton has been telling how a last-minute change of plan almost certainly saved his life on D-Day.
He was only 19 at the time and had joined the Royal Navy in 1942, becoming one of its youngest officers.
The First Lieutenant was due to arrive on Utah beach with his supply vessel as part of the first wave, but its place was taken by a US ship instead.
Image source, Chris RedstoneBill later said: “I was told that the American boat that had taken our place in the first wave was blown out of the water by the Nazis in the first half hour of the invasion and everyone on board had died.
"So, if our boat had been in the first wave, I would certainly have died that day.
"I was lucky to survive the war, I dedicate my medals to the memory of those who did not.”
Richard Williams
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
Veterans and their families come together to remember the landings 80 years ago.
This is the moment that veterans, their families and hundreds of others came together on Sword beach in Normandy to remember the D-Day landings 80 years ago.
It was one of many events taking place on Thursday to mark the landings and commemorate those who died.
Choristers from Hereford Cathedral were in Bayeux last night, to sing at a service of remembrance organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The service at Bayeux Cathedral was be attended by HRH The Princess Royal, veterans, and their families.
Dr Michael Gray, Headmaster of Hereford Cathedral School, said it was a privilege "to be singing at this poignant and historic occasion".
He said it was something the members of the choir would never forget.
"The significance of D-Day and the level of sacrifice that was made transcends description, and both the cathedral and school are so delighted that the choristers are able to make such an important contribution to the commemorations," he added.
Image source, Hereford Cathedral ChoirToday, the choir is due to perform in the Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux and later will sing Choral Evensong in L’église St-Pierre de Caen.
There is a sense of pride today that we can keep the memories alive of those who went before us, said Nigel Fish, who was part of a D-Day parade in Worcester.
He is chairman of the Worcester branch of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association.
"This is a very important day in history," he said, and "sort of unbelievable it (D-Day) happened" with all the planning involved.
"It's very poignant with the stories coming out, with people remembering their loved ones that were lost in that campaign," said Mr Fish.
Last month the King and Queen hosted a small group of World War Two veterans at Buckingham Palace.
Among them was Bernard Morgan from Crewe. The 100-year-old was the youngest sergeant in the RAF when he landed in Normandy back in 1944. Listen to his story.