News Archive - recent events and activities at the D-Day Museum

Armed Forces Day, Sunday 4 July 2010

On this Sunday there was free admission to the D-Day Museum to mark Armed Forces Day. There was an impressive display of around 40 model warships, put on by the Surface Warship Association. The largest was a 7ft long model of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, with a variety of other models representing naval forces from across the twentieth century. Veterans from the Portsmouth branch of the Normandy Veterans Association also attended to talk to visitors, and several historic military vehicles helped to recreate the wartime atmosphere. It was a successful day, with 2,150 visitors to the Museum.

Gold Beach model at the D-Day Museum

From 29 May to 2 June 2010, Mark, John and Bunty Votier displayed their huge model of Gold Beach at the D-Day Museum (shown below). The model is 17ft (5m) long and 6ft (2m) wide! It accurately depicts King Red sector of Gold Beach, including the seafront village of La Rivière, where infantrymen of 5th Battalion, The East Yorkshire Regiment, were the first Allied troops to land.

The highly detailed model shows the beach area, and the French houses and German fortifications running along it. The Votiers consulted museums and historic photographs to ensure that every detail is as accurate as possible. The model gives a good idea of how strong the German defences were on D-Day, and the risks run by the Allied troops in landing in the face of heavy enemy fire. If you missed seeing the model it should hopefully return to the museum around the same time in 2011!

Dunkirk Evacuation display at the D-Day Museum

A small display about the Dunkirk Evacuation of May-June 1940 opened on Friday 21 May 2010 at the D-Day Museum. It marks the 70th anniversary of the Evacuation, in which British and other Allied troops were brought back to the UK following the German invasion of France. The display features photograph albums and other memorabilia from the Portsmouth and District branch of the Dunkirk Veterans Association (which disbanded in 2000). There is also the war diary of a Royal Artillery unit that was caught up in the fighting, and uniform badges and photographs from people from German-occupied countries who came to the UK at the time of Dunkirk or after and served with the Allied forces against the Nazis. The display will be in place until at least the end of September 2010.

"Yellow Kite" opens new café at the D-Day Museum

Yellow Kite, Portsmouth's new community catering social enterprise, has launched its first café at the D-Day Museum, offering healthy food with a twist. The café serves a selection of themed options on its all-new menu including Doodlebug sausages, a Monty sandwich, Land Army pie and wartime favourites such as bread pudding, alongside traditional teas and homemade cakes.

Gambol Parker, Director of Yellow Kite, said: "Everyone involved in the Yellow Kite project is excited to be opening our first venue. Our menu will offer something a little bit different at this popular seafront venue - but what you can be assured of is good food at a good price." The café is open to all and you don’t need to buy a museum ticket to visit the café. It is equipped with a cappuccino machine to serve high-quality Fair Trade coffee, and also sells organic ice cream. The café is open from 10am-5pm between 12 April and 31 October 2010.

Update: Portraits of Normandy veterans from 2009

During May-June 2009 the D-Day Museum worked with Solent Camera Club to take portrait photographs of Normandy veterans and people involved in the preparations for D-Day. The photographs will form a permanent record that will be kept in the museum's archives, and will be displayed inside the museum.

The photographs of the veterans are now available on our website: click here to see them.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2010 at the D-Day Museum

On Sunday 24 January 2010, 801 visitors attended our Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations. Admission to the D-Day Museum was free for the day, and there was a poster display about the history of the Holocaust. Two short films were screened: 'Survivors', consisting of interviews with Holocaust survivors, and 'Wasted lives', telling the story of the genocides in Armenia, the Holocaust, Bosnia and Rwanda.

There were readings of poetry relating to the Holocaust, by Edmund Matthews and Maggie Sawkins, local members of the Poetry Society. Dr Gavin Schaffer gave two talks on "Understanding the Holocaust”. Dr Schaffer is a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth’s School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an international event to mark the suffering of victims of Nazi persecution during the Holocaust, as well as other genocides before and since. The day also aims to raise awareness of broader issues such as racism and genocide, and acts as a reminder that intolerance, persecution and genocide are not just issues from the past.

Presentation of landing craft model to the D-Day Museum

On 30 September 2009, a model Landing Craft, Mechanised (LCM) was presented to the D-Day Museum on behalf of members of the Aldershot Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. The 1/16th scale model was donated by its maker, Peter Williams. The model is now on display in the D-Day Museum. The LCM could carry a light tank, up to 60 troops, or a large quantity of supplies, and they played a significant part in the D-Day Landings. The number on the model - LCM 644 - does not belong to a specific landing craft, but represents the date of D-Day.

Above: veterans Lou Trindler and Eric Miles inspect the model.
Below: The presentation of the model to the D-Day Museum. Peter Williams, who made the model, is holding it in this photograph.
(Photos: Lt Rolf Williams RN)

Portraits of Normandy veterans

During May-June 2009 the D-Day Museum worked with Solent Camera Club to take portrait photographs of Normandy veterans and people involved in the preparations for D-Day. The photographs will form a permanent record that will be kept in the museum's archives, and will be displayed inside the museum. In due course the photographs will be available here on our website.

For more information, click here (press release). Photo: Normandy Veteran Frederick Lee was one of those photographed for the project.

65th anniversary of D-Day

6 June 2009 was the 65th anniversary of D-Day. A range of events took place both inside the D-Day Museum and elsewhere in Portsmouth.

Right: D-Day tank off Selsey, Sussex. On 6-7 June 2009, Southsea Sub Aqua Club put on a display about several tanks and bulldozers that had been bound for Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day, but did not make it over there and are now resting on the sea bottom not far off the Sussex coast. (Photo: Martin Davies)

Pegasus Bridge model at the D-Day Museum

During the May 2009 half term, Mark, John and Bunty Votier displayed their huge model of Pegasus Bridge in Normandy at the D-Day Museum. The model is 12ft long and accurately depicts Pegasus Bridge at Benouville as it was on 6 June 1944. This vital bridge was seized by British airborne troops in the first minutes of D-Day.

Visit by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, Thursday 30 April 2009

On 30 April 2009, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited the
D-Day Museum and Overlord Embroidery. They met Normandy veterans and young people from local schools and youth groups, including some who had taken part in the Discovering D-Day project. They also met some of the people who made the Overlord Embroidery (artist Sandra Lawrence and embroiderers from the Royal School of Needlework), and some of the Embroidery's trustees. (photos: Matt Sills)

Right: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by a crowd as they arrive at the
D-Day Museum.

Below: The Queen meets Normandy veterans Frank Rosier and Eddie Wallace from the Portsmouth Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association, infront of the Overlord Embroidery.

In Stitches

"In Stitches" festival of Stitching, April-May 2009
The “In Stitches” Festival of Stitching and Embroidery celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the D-Day Museum, and the 35th anniversary of the completion the Overlord Embroidery, which is housed in the museum at Portsmouth. Activities included an artist in residence, drop-in family embroidery events, and workshops with artists June Heap and Clare Proctor.