Pupils from Holbrook Primary School, Coventry, travelled to Portsmouth as fourth prizewinners in the Their Past Your Future D-Day and Beyond Competition, commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the D-Day Landings. The group visited Portsmouth museums to learn more about the key role played by the city in the planning of Operation Overlord, and participated in a wide range of celebratory events to commemorate D-Day on Portsmouth seafront and across the city. These included the 60th anniversary D-Day Parade of Veterans and commemorative service of remembrance, and viewing of the symbolic ceremonial Channel crossing by a military flotilla, including naval warships that took part in the real D-Day Landings.
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D-Day Portsmouth Itinerary
D-Day Portsmouth Itinerary
Below is the itinerary that was followed by pupils on their four-day visit to Portsmouth.
If you would like to find out more about places to visit on an educational tour of D-Day Portsmouth, please see the ‘Places to Visit’ section below.
D-Day Portsmouth Itinerary
Day 1
- Travel to Portsmouth
- Education session: Pupils meet D-Day Veterans at D-Day Museum for a question and answer session about D-Day and the Second World War
Day 2
- A visit to the Royal Marines Museum
- A visit to Explosion! The Museum of Naval Firepower
- A visit to Portsmouth Harbour for the Symbolic Crossing of the Channel, where a convoy of British, French, American and Canadian warships accompanied the Brittany Ferries ship, Normandie, as it set sail for beaches to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of D-Day.
- Official commemorative events in Portsmouth including witnessing veterans recreating the journey they made 60 years ago from Portsmouth harbour to Caen. Finale was a display by two spitfires and a Lancaster Bomber from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Day 3
- A visit to the Royal Naval Submarine Museum
- Service of Remembrance on 60th Anniversary of D-Day – 6th June – D-Day Stone in Southsea, attended by 400 veterans and invited dignitaries.
Day 4
Places to visit in Portsmouth
If you are planning a visit to Portsmouth to learn about D-Day and the Second World War, you could visit some of the places described below. You could also visit the following websites:
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/
http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/WfS/Tourism/Portsmouth/NavDef/DDay
Disclaimer:
All the sites listed are checked regularly. However, the changing nature of the Internet means that some sites may alter after we have visited them. Their Past Your Future is not responsible for the content of external websites.
D-Day Museum
Address: Clarence Esplanade, Portsmouth, PO5 3NT
Tel: 023 9282 7261
Web: http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk
The D-Day Museum on Southsea seafront was opened in 1984 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy D-Day landings. In 1994 the museum was expanded to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day. It houses the Overlord Embroidery which, based on the idea behind the famous Bayeux Tapestry that illustrates the Battle of Hastings of 1066, was commissioned as a tribute to the sacrifice and heroism of those men and women who took part in the D-Day landings. The embroidery depicts the progress from 1940 of plans and events leading to the eventual Allied invasion of France in June 1944. The museum also houses displays and exhibitions about the D-Day landings and the people involved, including large exhibits such as a D-Day landing craft and other vehicles. The D-Day museum also provides resource packs and handling and role-play sessions for schools.
Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower
Address: The Museum of Naval Firepower, Priddy's Hard, Gosport,
Hampshire PO12 4LE
Tel: 023 9250 5600
Web: http://www.explosion.org.uk
Explosion! is an award winning museum of naval warfare created within 18th century buildings at the Royal Navy's former armaments depot of Priddy's Hard, in Gosport, Hampshire. The museum traces the development of naval armaments from gunpowder to the Exocet missile and the displays exploring the 18th century origins of Priddy’s Hard, its historic buildings and earthworks, bring alive the site’s rich history. It describes the role that Priddy’s Hard played in naval operations worldwide for over 200 years, as well as its importance to the local Gosport community.
Mary Rose
Web: www.flagship.org.uk
The Mary Rose was the flower of Henry VIII’s fleet and was lost defending Portsmouth in July 1545. On 11 October 1982, it was raised to the surface after surviving 4 centuries in the Solent mud. It is now in a special dry dock in Portsmouth and was opened to the public exactly a year after it was raised.
HMS Victory
Web: www.flagship.org.uk
HMS Victory is situated in the Naval Base in Portsmouth and is the world’s oldest surviving ship of the line of battle, which wore the flags of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Today, she is the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command and is manned by servicing officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines
HMS Warrior
Web: www.flagship.org.uk
HMS Warrior is the world’s first and only surviving iron-hulled, ironclad warship. She was the largest, fastest and most formidable naval vessel of her time and is now fully restored to how she was for her first commission between 1861 and 1864.
Royal Naval Museum
Address: Flagship Portsmouth, Porters Lodge, 1-7 College Rd, Historic Dockyard,
Portsmouth, Hants P01 3LX
Tel: 023 93 839766
Web: www.flagship.org.uk
This is the only museum in Britain devoted exclusively to the history of the Royal Navy. Housed in beautiful Georgian storehouses, it portrays the history of the Navy from Tudor times to the South Atlantic Campaign of 1982. Amongst the exhibits the group will have the opportunity to see figure-heads, ship models, uniforms, medals, commemorative silverware and pottery. Part of the museum’s recent 5 million refurbishment is the stunning new Victory gallery. This features the Story of HMS Victory and ‘Trafalgar’ – a multi-sensory experience, which places you on the gun deck of HMS Victory during the battle.
Royal Naval Submarine Museum
Address: Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 2AS
Tel: 023 9252 9217
Web: www.rnsubmus.co.uk
Trace the history of Submarine development from the age of Alexander the Great to the present day and the history of the British Submarine Service from the tiny Holland 1 to the nuclear powered Vanguard class – the Navy’s present day peacekeepers. A film show depicting the history of the Submarine Service starts your submarine experience. Follow this with an evocative tour of HMS Alliance, guided by an ex-submariner. In the Museum’s historical and modern galleries, trace the history of the submarines and the men. Learn how nuclear fission drives today’s submarines, and use the Geiger Counter. Sweep the panorama of Portsmouth Harbour through the periscope of HMS Conqueror of Falklands War fame.
Royal Marines Museum
Address: Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 9PX
Tel: 023 9281 9385
Web: http://www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk
The Royal Marines Museum is situated in the former Royal Marines Officers’ Mess at Eastney Barracks, near Portsmouth. The museum tells the story of the Royal Marines - the ‘sea-going soldiers’ of the Royal Navy - from 1664 to the present day, including their role in the 1939-45 war at sea and the role of the Royal Marine Commandos during the Second World War. Many of the items in the collections came from the original Royal Marines bases at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham, and much more has been added to the story since the museum began in 1975. The Royal Marines Museum has a dedicated Education Centre and an education pack is available – entrance is free for pre-booked school groups.
