The Cayman Islands will commemorate the 80^th anniversary of D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy, on Thursday, 6 June with a special ceremony on the great lawn of Pedro St. James, starting 8:15 p.m.

Her Excellency Governor Jane Owen, Premier Honourable Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and other Government officials will participate in Thursday evening’s celebration. The event will also include President of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association (CIVA) Andrew McLaughlin, as well as CIVA members and relatives.

The Islands will join more than 200 beacon locations to remember the tens of thousands of allied forces who gave service on D-DAY eighty years ago to secure peace and ending the second World War in Europe. The 80^th D-Day Anniversary ceremony is an important reminder of those who served during World War II from the British West Indies and particularly the Cayman Islands. During the War, a company of the Jamaica Home Guard was established on Grand Cayman in June 1942, and the men carried out their duties until the end of the campaign in 1945.

To mark this important milestone, large fires, or beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom (UK), Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories. Special Lamp Lights of Peace will also be lit on each of the five beaches in Normandy in keeping with the longstanding tradition in Britain during that time.