D-Day anniversary: Dorset to commemorate WW2 landings

Weymouth Town Council is planning events at Nothe Fort to commemorate D-Day

Plans are under way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in a town where thousands of troops departed to take part in the Allied invasion.

Troops set off from Weymouth Harbour as they headed for Normandy as part of World War Two's large-scale military operation.

A series of events is being organised, including outdoor big screen broadcasts of TV coverage of the commemorations.

Aircraft from the time will also be on display.

Weymouth Town Council, which has put £12,300 aside for the events, said a "D-Day immersive soundscape" was being prepared for Nothe' Fort's observational tower.

It is also planning walking tours and boat tours around the town.

Other events include:

• Weymouth Museum presentation for school assemblies

• Family-friendly exhibition at Nothe Fort highlighting the human cost of D-Day

• Beacon lighting at Nothe Fort

A total of £3,500 is available for grants to go towards community-based events or activities.

The authority said it had also put bids in for an RAF flypast and a static display of military vehicles.

Valentine tanks were tested at Studland Bay

Elsewhere, commemorations are taking place at Studland Bay where thousands of troops took part in a dress rehearsal for the beach landings.

Several tanks sank when they were launched too far from shore, and six men died. The tanks are still on the sea bed.

Events planned include:

• Exhibition at Studland Village Hall of photographs, original pathe reels, physical ordnance and tank apparatus

• Guided walks

• Visit on Knoll Beach by the last remaining duplex-drive Valentine tank

Plans are also under way to create an immersive theatre trail around Dorchester.

The Dorchester Community Plays Association said Dorchester Town Council was in the process of looking for scriptwriters for the theatre project after stories had been unearthed from the town's historical archives.

D-Day on 6 June 1944 saw American, British and Canadian troops land on the beaches of Normandy.

The Germans were unprepared and it proved to be a turning point in the war.

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