Marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day where it all began, at the embarkation point here in Portland, Dorset, a service of remembrance was held at 11am.
On this momentous day, over 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying more than 150,000 troops descended on five Normandy beaches. The landings saw the start of a long and heavy campaign in North-West Europe which ultimately led the German command to accept that defeat was inevitable. Between 6th June 1944 and 7th May 1945, an incredible 517,816 troops and 144,093 vehicles embarked from Weymouth and Portland harbours alone. Many of the troops who embarked via Weymouth on D-Day were part of the US 1st Division (the ‘Big Red One’) who were destined to land on Omaha Beach. A memorial dedicated to the American troops can be found in Victoria gardens, Portland, where todays service was held.