ARMY reservists from 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment have been preparing for their part in the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
At Everleigh Dropping Zone on Saturday they practiced the parachute drop they will make at Granville in France, alongside more than 300 soldiers and accompanied by 89-year-old DDay veteran Jock Hutton.
Their jump will be followed by a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The Paras were jumping alongside United States Airborne forces, replicating the allied cooperation that was the key to success 70 years ago in Normandy.
Troops from Bulfordbased 3rd Division are also playing a key part in the Normandy 70 commemorations in France.
The event, which will be attended by world leaders and heads of state including the Queen, will include a joint British and French service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral followed by a ceremony at the Bayeux Commonwealth War Grave Commission Cemetery.
Personnel from all three services will provide logistical and ceremonial support during the three days of commemorations.
The 3rd UK Division led the assault on Sword Beach 70 years ago and 43 Wessex Division was one of the supporting formations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here