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Plymouth to commemorate D-Day 80
20th May 2024
Plymouth will be honouring the memory of thousands of British and Allied Servicemen who were based in the city as part of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June.
To commemorate and remember those who served, there will be a memorial service at Saltash Passage on 6 June from 10.30am, which will be organised by the Federation of Ex-Services Associations. The Federation is a small group of local people with a desire to support local Veterans and service-related organisations.
The Lord Mayor will lead a delegation of Civic Leaders together with the Royal Navy and ex-service personnel in a ceremony at the American War Memorial, Saltash Passage beneath the Tamar Bridge. This is to mark the 80th Anniversary of the troops leaving their camp to board their ships.
In Plymouth a beacon will be lit on the evening of 6 June at the Royal Citadel, at 9.15pm. The Lord Mayor and military personnel will attend the event and members of the public will be able to see the beacon from the Hoe.
In November 1943, the US Navy set up an advanced amphibious base in Plymouth ahead of the Allied invasion of Europe. In January 1944, a temporary camp for around 2,000 men opened on Vicarage Road as a training camp in preparation for the Normandy Landings and remained operational until August 1945.
Codenamed Operation Neptune, the Normandy landings made up the largest seaborne invasion in history.
On 6 June 1944, an estimated 36,000 soldiers of V and VII Corps left from Saltash Passage for Omaha and Utah Beaches. The concrete slipway or landing hard that was built for the US soldiers to join their landing craft remains.
Councillor Tina Tuohy, Lord Mayor of Plymouth said: “It is so important that we as a city stop to remember those who made those sacrifices 80 years ago. The location of Saltash Passage to hold a memorial service is crucial in remembering those soldiers who departed for Normandy from this very spot, some of them never returning.
“We will be lighting a beacon on the evening of the 6 June, to remember and honour those who served for their country.”
Events in Plymouth
Plymouth will be hosting a series of events on and leading up to D-Day, and the days after, from a memorial event lead by a local veterans’ association to a beacon lighting at the Royal Citadel.
Ceremony at the Plymouth Naval Memorial
Location: Plymouth Naval memorial - Commonwealth War Graves
Date: Monday 20 May, 11am
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) torch of commemoration will appear in Plymouth with a ceremony designed to engage younger people and inspire them to play their part in marking the sacrifices of the fallen. The Lord Mayor will be at the event.
Codenamed Obstacle: The Exercise Tiger tragedy of 28 April 1944
Location: Plymouth Atheneum
Date: Thursday 23 May, 7.30pm
Dr Harry Bennett discusses the operation Exercise Tiger tragedy of 28 April 1944.
On the night of 28 April, German motor torpedo-boats attacked a convoy of American tank landing ships in Lyme Bay during a practice invasion exercise (Exercise Tiger) for the landings on Utah Beach.
D-Day displays
Location: Plymouth Libraries
Date: Monday 3 June to Saturday 15 June.
There will be D-Day displays in all our libraries.
Plympton Library staff have prepared displays and life histories on all the servicemen from Plymouth killed in the first week after D-Day, as well as another display on the American army 29th Division based in the city.
Saltash Model Club will also be creating a D-Day display at Plymstock Library, and will be on site all day on 6 June to chat with anyone who has questions.
D-Day Memorial Service organised by the Federation of Ex-Services
Location: Saltash Passage
Date: Thursday 6 June, 10.30am.
The federation is a small group of local people with a desire to support local Veterans and service-related organisations. The event is organised and financed solely by the Federation.
The service will be taking place at Saltash Passage by the war memorial.
D-Day 80: Antony and D-Day walk and talk
Location: Antony House, Torpoint - National Trust
Date: Thursday 6 June, 1pm.
A walking talk and tour highlighting the role of Antony and Torpoint during D-Day.
The business of D-Day: Cashing in on Operation Overlord
Location: The Plymouth Athenaeum
Date: Thursday 6 June, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
In this lecture to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Owen Ryles uncovers the transformation from the battlefield to the business of D-Day, how cashing in on Operation Overlord became a multi-billion dollar industry.
D-Day talk with Bridging the Tamar visitor centre
Location: St Budeaux Library
Date: Thursday 6 June, 2pm.
There will be a talk which will include background history to the event and local context, with the Bridging the Tamar visitor centre. This will be delivered in the performance space along with images and a small book display. More information on Bridging The Tamar.
D-Day Beacon Lighting
Location: Royal Citadel, Plymouth Hoe
Date: Thursday, 6 June, 9.15pm.
Joint event between Plymouth City Council and 29 Commando.
A beacon will be lit on the evening of 6 June at the Royal Citadel in Plymouth. The Lord Mayor and military personnel will be attending the event and members of the public will be able to see the Beacon from the Hoe.
D-Day event in Saltash - Saltash Town Council
Location: Saltash Waterside
Date: Thursday 6 June, 9.15pm.
Local people are being invited to commemorate the day by lighting a beacon on the evening of 6 June. The event will take place on Saltash Waterside at 9.15pm, to remember all those who took part in and were affected by D-Day 80 years ago. Everyone attending will be asked to shine a light in a display of peace.
D-Day 80 Family Fun Day
Location: Hele’s School Sports Dome
Date: Saturday 8 June, 10am to 3pm.
An event held by the MKC Heroes and Future Fit Junior Field Gun for all serving military and veteran families across the city. There will be field gun displays, bouncy castle, food and much more.
