Images

A photograph showing British commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade attacking Sword Beach on D-Day 6 June 1944. The brigade was led by Lord Lovat (seen in the photo on the right of the column wading in the sea). (Imperial War Museums)

Rank badge with qilin, silk and metallic thread embroidery on plain-weave silk patterned in gauze, by an unknown artist, China, late 17th century China. This embroidered rank badge is from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was used...

Rank badge with qilin, silk embroidery on silk gauze, unknown artist, 16th to early 17th century. This embroidered rank badge is from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was used to indicate military rank. Badges with a qilin, a Chinese...

Giraffe with Two Keepers, ink and colour painting on silk, by an unknown artist, from China, 17th century or later. This image depicts a giraffe brought to China and is from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Giraffes were considered an auspicious...

Kirin (Qilin), bronze statue at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Here, the qilin has a dragon-like head with two horns, cloven hooves, and fire emanating from its chunky, scaled body. Throughout history, the qilin can be found...

Charger with a qilin from China, c. 1350. This porcelain dish is painted with a cobalt glaze to depict a qilin, a mythical creature, in the style of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

A view of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. The cemetery commemorates U.S. soldiers who died during the D-Day Normandy Landings of June 1944 and subsequent fighting in the Second World War...

A photograph showing sections of a Mulberry Harbour at the Normandy Landings which began on D-Day 6 June 1944. The Mulberry Harbour was a floating structure which allowed vehicles and supplies to be landed without the need to capture a port...

A photograph showing a British armoured column moving inland from Gold Beach following the Normandy Landings of D-day 6 June 1944. (Imperial War Museums)

A photograph showing a British pursuit tank about to land at Gold Beach the day after D-day 6 June 1944. (Imperial War Museums)