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Toronto Mayor John Tory and city council members commemorated the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy outside Old City Hall early Thursday morning.

The anniversary marks the beginning of the yearlong Battle of Normandy during the Second World War and D-Day, part of Operation Overlord, which was the plan for the liberation of Europe. Many Canadians were part of the Allied Forces’ invasion of Normandy, France, in 1944.

Tory and council members were joined by members of the Consular Corps and the Canadian Armed Forces to welcome veterans, their families and the public to honour those who fought in the Battle of Normandy.

“Their courage and their determination led to some successes in those early-morning hours, but that success came at a huge price,” said Tory, noting that 359 Canadian soldiers lost their lives on D-Day, including 50 from Toronto.

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The ceremony included a story from Captain Martin Maxwell, who was one of just a few soldiers to land in Normandy the night before D-Day.

Captain Maxwell was of the Glider Pilot Regiment, British 6th Airborne Division. He assisted in capturing the bridges behind enemy lines, which stopped the enemy from sending reinforcements.

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In an interview, Maxwell urged Canadians to keep the lessons of the Second World War in their daily thoughts – especially given the dwindling number of living people who experienced it firsthand.

“When I look at the world and see mosques, synagogues, churches have been attacked and people murdered, I think back of what I saw…and they may say, ‘What the hell have you done with the tomorrows we gave you?”‘

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Maxwell urged new generations to take over the torch of freedom and hold it high. Freedom, he said, is precious.

“Once it is lost, it’s almost impossible to get back.”

The ceremony is one of many events being held across the province to commemorate the historic battle. Others will take place in Hamilton, Port Colborne and Ottawa.

— With files from The Canadian Press