Royal Marines re-enact WWII raid in Cornwall – as beachgoers let loose with a football

ROYAL Marines re-enact a daring Second World War raid in Cornwall as beachgoers brag about a football.

Men from 47 Commando stormed Tregantle Beach, near Torpoint, in an inflatable raiding craft to recreate a D-Day mission carried out by the Allies in France.

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Next month, 31 Marines from the unit will land on Normandy’s Gold Beach to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that two planes have now been made available for Paras to jump on to mark the anniversary.

I said yesterday that only one was spare, prompting Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to intervene.

Defense Secretary James Cartlidge confirmed that two A400s would now take part, with 181 people taking part in the massive parachute drop.

He told the Commons: “The truth about the D-Day position, we will have two A400Ms available for June 5.

“The number of people who will be let go is 181 and there is a very good reason for that.

“It’s 181 because that’s the number of paratroopers who, at 16 minutes past midnight, on D-Day itself, landed and took the bridge we called Pegasus.”

Former Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois later raised a point of order to tell Mr Cartlidge: “The Pegasus Bridge was captured in a glider assault by the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry, not a parachute assault.

“I know this because for D-Day 70 I was there with the then Prime Minister David Cameron at 12.16pm to commemorate the attack.”