As Caen was the first major French city to be liberated after the battle of Normandy and D-Day in 1944 and as these battles were made possible by the D-Day launches which for a large part launched from Portsmouth and Gosport, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth is always invited to mark D-Day in Caen.
This year, however it was a great honour that the city of Caen invited a small delegation across to Caen to mark the 100 years since the end of World War One on November 11th 1918.
I was also invited to attend this event and the very moving ceremony which took place on the morning on November 11th 2018. This ceremony also marked the unveiling of a series of glass plates engraved with the names of the fallen of Caen in World War One. The first time all names were collected together. The fallen numbered more than 1,200.
In France it is not a poppy that the people wear to remember the fallen, but rather a cornflower. This flower is known as 'Le Bleuet de France'
Some footage of the main ceremony taken on my iPhone here and the cornflower laying ceremony here
The Galleries below show a series of images taken during the 11th November weekend in Caen in 2018.
General views of Caen
Pegasus Bridge - We were honoured to be invited on a private tour by the curator of this museum.
Caen by night Sat November 10th 2018
The Armistice 100 Event Caen November 11th 2018.
