A South Coast has continued its coverage of the D-Day anniversary with a second successive front page commemorating the landings.
Seventy years ago today, thousands of soldiers left the Portsmouth area to attack Hitler’s grip on Europe, ultimately changing the course of the Second World War.
City daily The News kicked off four days of coverage yesterday with an anniversary from page and eight pages of inside coverage, including a message from Princess Anne.
It has followed it up today with another front page featuring a fly-past by the Red Arrows to mark the anniversary.
The News front page on 5 June launching four days of D-Day coverage
Friday's follow-up front page featuring the fly-past
Editor of The News Mark Waldron said: “On 5 June 1944, ships and landing craft packed with men left the Portsmouth area to take part in the largest amphibious landing in history in an operation which heralded the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Many of those men did not return.
“Seventy years on it is right that we remain immensely proud of the selfless sacrifice they made, while also honouring the dwindling few veterans who remain with us.
“We hope that our front page – including the words of Cyril Crain, who survived the first assault wave on June Beach – reflects the thoughts of our readers as we commemorate the heroes of Normandy.”
Other papers to cover the anniversary include the Eastern Daily Press, which raised £20,000 to send 15 Norfolk veterans to the Normandy beaches this week.
It also sent award-winning feature writer Stacia Briggs and photographer Denise Bradley to France to accompany the veterans and cover the commemorations.
The EDP published a special wraparound D-Day edition today at the start of a week-long series of articles.
The Leicester Mercury featured the story of journalist Jim Mapham who worked for the paper and who was actually present at the landings in June 1944.
Jim captured an image of the landings that was hailed at the time as “the greatest photograph of the war” and has been reproduced in today’s paper. The full story can be read here.
The Tindle Newspapers-owned Petersfield Post in Hampshire also published a poster front page to commemorate the anniversary – together with 25 pages inside on the part the area played in the invasion.
Editor Graeme Moir said: “We set out by wanting to produce a fitting tribute for the 70th anniversary of D-Day – telling the untold story of what happened in Petersfield and East Hampshire as there were restrictions on what was allowed to be reported at the time.
“We visited Normandy to get pictures and stories from the beaches beforehand and we worked hard to get in stories which had not been featured in the paper before. The editorial team worked extremely hard to produce this fantastic edition, which has had plenty of favourable comments.
“I am extremely proud of the newspaper we have produced this week and my staff deserve a lot of praise for their hard work and excellent writing.”
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Where was the photo taken? Normandy or Hayling Island? it looks more like the latter
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Could be Hayling, I’m no history buff, but didn’t the troops leave Hampshire on June 5th?
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The News has done some great showpiece fronts in the past but this isn’t one of them. It’s done on the cheap. As the first comment points out, the pic is nothing like Normandy (pebbled beach with a sharp camber? I don’t think so). The very poor ad for a bee gees tribute night is inappropriate and tacky, in look and content. The text in the editorial is also hackneyed, cliche-ridden and preachy. There was a time when the Editor of this great paper would never allow such a poor and shoddy effort. But they seem to have convinced themselves it’s a good piece of work.
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Just to answer the comments above – the picture is taken at Stokes Bay in Gosport. Our coverage yesterday was to commemorate those who left these shores on June 5, hence the shot of a local embarkation point. It is certainly not supposed to be a ‘cheaper’ representation of Normandy (where we have two reporters to cover today’s events).
The ad was unavoidable as all editors who work in the commercial realities of today’s world know.
I think it’s a great piece of work and I remain proud of all The News team who have worked so hard to plan and carry out our coverage of the D-Day70 commemorations which peaked yesterday and today and carries on in Portsmouth across the coming weekend.
Mark Waldron, Editor, The News
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Come off it guys.
There aren’t many of those guys left these days. Staying alive was just one of their achievements and they should be remembered in this way with a respectful tribute.
And there’s a DJ until 1am.
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Mark is right to defend his paper and I wasn’t attacking the coverage as a whole, just the front. The “point of embarkation” angle was lost on me and will be lost on the readers, as will the use of a cross (most of today’s readers, as the eds market research will have told him, are not Christians. They are other faiths or “nothings”.) the page could have been much cleverer, with perhaps merged digital pic and artwork of an embarkation point, now and then. Instead we get a religious symbol plonked on a particularly nondescript beach. And as for the commercial point about the front page ad, any experienced journo knows that if an ed digs in his heels about a crass ad like that spoiling his showpiece front of the year, then the ed wins. Bee gees nostalgia night at the Marriott, mark, for flip’s sake! You couldn’t stop that if you wanted? Of course you could.
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Respect to Confused. Very funny post.
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Once upon a time (maybe 20 years ago), ads could have been taken off the front page for special stories. These days… you must be joking.
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I have sympathy for Mark Waldron, many of the most recent statement front pages that were published by The News were designed by an award winning designer. Who, under JP’s cost cutting was deemed an unnecessary expense. As for his statement about having to carry the front page ad, that is true but sure through conversation with the ad department a more appropriate advert would’ve been carried. This practice happens when a front page story is of a car crash and the ad is from a car dealer…..
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Editor plans ahead and sees there is a ridiculously poor ad for a bee gees nostalgia night on his signature front page of the year. He whispers sweetly into the ear of the ad manager, calls in a favour or two (he’s always helping them out if he’s a good ed), and the ad manager melts under the charm offensive. The ad is dropped (sorry, eds decision is final, the advertiser is told) and the advertiser gets two ads instead for the price of one. ‘Beenthere’ if you had truly “been there” at a high level then you would know that’s how it happens. This is not the Piddingstone Press, it’s the group’s flagship daily. And yes, Spin, clearly the award-winning designer has left. Compare the News to the EDP front. Enough said. Let’s stop pretending that despite cost cutting things are just as good as they always were. We can see the difference.
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@idle rich
I’m guessing from your repeated posts that you were deemed surplus to requirements by JP or another company at some point?
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My current status, Kipper? The clue is in the name. Keep up the good work.
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