BARNSLEY commemorated the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings at a special ceremony outside the town hall yesterday.

The D-Day landings along the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944, were the largest seaborne invasion in history and ultimately led to the liberation of Europe.

A two-minute silence as well as a special wreath-laying service led by Mayor of Barnsley John Clarke took place.

He said: “I’m honoured to lead Barnsley’s D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations - the poignant day that saw the gates to our freedom opened.

“Our borough has a tremendous history of championing remembrance to ensure we remember those who have sacrificed so much to protect our democratic freedom and way of life.

“Commemorating and remembering significant milestones like D-Day is such an important part of this and provides an opportunity to come together and respect our Armed Forces - past and present.”

Barnsley North’s prospective Labour MP candidate Dan Jarvis, who has served in the Armed Forces, added: “This week we have remembered those who fought and fell 80 years ago on D-Day.

“This included a number of local men from Barnsley, of whom we should be incredibly proud.

“Their selfless heroism stands as a shining example to us all.

“They served and sacrificed so that we could live in freedom.

“We will forever be in their debt, and we will always remember them.”