Ottery St Mary commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6 with a parade and the lighting of a beacon.

The Normandy landings on June 6 1944 were the largest seaborne invasion in history and the most significant event of WWII. D-Day ultimately tipped the course of the war in the Allies’ favour, and began the liberation of France and western Europe from Nazi occupation. But the death toll was heavy; more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the operation.

Last week royals, world leaders and veterans gathered in Normandy for a series of ceremonies and events, paying tribute to those who served during the 1944 beach invasion.

And in the UK, veterans and current service personnel gathered in towns, cities and villages to remember the sacrifices made 80 years ago to defeat the Nazis.

At 9.15pm on June 6, as darkness was falling, hundreds of beacons were lit across the UK, coinciding with the five being lit along the beaches of Normandy.

In Ottery St Mary the Flag of Peace was raised at the town council offices at 10am on June 6. The Mayor Richard Grainger was joined by Cllr Vicky Johns, several Ottery veterans, children from Ottery Primary School and members of the public.

At 8.45pm the Ottery St Mary Carnival and Tar Barrels held a torchlit parade complete with a flaming barrel from Broad Street to the Millennium Green, where the Lighting of the Beacon took place at 9.15pm.