That the Parliament commends a group of Clackmannanshire military veterans, who described themselves as "honoured" to have attended the 80th D-Day anniversary commemorations in Portsmouth during the 80th anniversary in June 2024; understands that the four former members of the armed forces, three representing Clackmannanshire and one from Falkirk, are believed to have been the only veterans attending from the region as the UK marked eight decades since the start of the combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France; acknowledges that possibly the most famous military operation of all time and the largest seaborne invasion in history, the Normandy landings took place on 6 June 1944; considers that, on 5 June 2024, which was the date in 1944 that many troops set off from Portsmouth, a commemoration took place at Southsea Common with high-profile guests including His Majesty The King, D-Day veterans and guests, including Clacks Royal Navy veterans Andy Roxburgh and Bernard Severin, as well as army veterans Murdoch McGregor and Billy McWilliams from Falkirk; understands that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the ex-services personnel, three of whom are members of support group Wee County Veterans, was a chance to hear first-hand from the still surviving few who were on the beaches eight decades ago; concurs with Andy, as chair of the group, who was quoted in local press that "It was quite an honour to, first, be selected to attend and secondly to represent the Wee County, Wee County Veterans and all the ex-service personnel who live in this area"; welcomes the group’s attendance; sends its gratitude to the group and all the veterans for their service, and commends SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, for its organisation of what it considers to be this excellent opportunity for the group.
Supported by:
Clare Adamson, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Jackson Carlaw, Foysol Choudhury, Sharon Dowey, Annabelle Ewing, Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Pam Gosal, Jamie Greene, Dr. Sandesh Gulhane, Craig Hoy, Bill Kidd, Fulton MacGregor, Edward Mountain, Ash Regan, Douglas Ross, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance, Sue Webber, Annie Wells, Tess White, Brian Whittle