D-Day: the parties go on

THE Queen and President Obama have been and gone, but hop across the Channel and until the end of the summer you can immerse yourself in D-Day and 40's fever with liberation balls, parades, open-air film screenings, firework displays, exhibitions, and concerts.

The Battle of Normandy raged for 100 days and to mark the 70th anniversary, the special events calendar will last the full 100 days. Many of the region's towns and villages will be holding events to commemorate the date of their liberation

Event highlights:

• The Lights of Freedom - Bayeux, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays until August 23, (except 1st, 2rd and 5th July). From nightfall until 12.30am, a sound and light show extravaganza will see the city's magnificent 12th century cathedral light up in a rainbow of colours. 

• 51st Highland Division Tour of Normandy – Various locations, August 16-24. In memory of the Scottish regiments which liberated several Normandy towns and villages in the summer of 1944, the French 51st Highland Division Memorial Pipe Band will tour the region. There will be exhibitions about the Scottish Regiment, haggis tasting, live pipe band music, parades, commemorative ceremonies, film screenings, and BB’s.

• Overlord Jazz Concert and Cocktail party –Touques, August 22. As part of the 'Jazz and Cocktail Fridays Festival,' the Overlord Octet, an ensemble of six musicians, will give a D-Day70 special concert. The group offer an original spin on Glenn Miller's music.

www.normandy-tourism.org

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Free things to do … in Devon

Go crabbing in .Dittisham

Build sand castles at Blackpool Sands.

Spot the wildfowl and wading birds at the Dawlish Warren Nature and Wildlife Reserve.

Look for The village that collapsed into the sea at Hallsands.

Walk the South West Coast Path across the South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Go Trail Running across South Devon’s diverse landscape.

Spot the famous Black Swans in Dawlish.

Visit Slapton Sands and Torcross and see the Sherman Tank from the D-Day Landings.

Enjoy the South Devon Sea Shanty Festival in Dartmouth and Teignmouth – July 6-7

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Wartime Kent

This year sees three momentous anniversaries: 100 years since the outbreak of World War One, 75 since the outbreak of World War Two, and 70 since D-Day. 

Kent has a wealth of connections to these significant periods in British and European history, including the house that hid code breakers, the coast where bouncing bombs were tested, the tunnels from which Operation Dynamo was masterminded, and the airfields from which Spitfires and Hurricanes flew.

A programme of events and activities in Kent marking these anniversaries includes:

Ramsgate Blitz Walks – A guided walk around the heaviest bombed seaside town in the UK. Various dates through to December.

Open air classical concert, Leeds Castle – The concert features The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Military Wives Choir, a military band, field guns, and air displays. July 12. www.heritage-events.co.uk

The War & Peace Revival, Folkestone Racecourse – The Greatest military show on earth is at Folkestone Racecourse for the second year. Highlights include the Vintage Village, an RAF camp, the Women's Voluntary Service providing tea to bombed-out householders, and even cows at the Land Army display! July 16-20. www.warandpeacerevival.co.uk

Valour, Loss & Sacrifice: Chatham, the Royal Navy, and the War at Sea, 1914-1918, Historic Dockyard Chatham – Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the WW1, this exhibition portrays the significant role played by Chatham Dockyard, its workers and the Chatham Port Division of the Royal Navy, shown through the eyes of those who served.  Four years of sacrifice and loss will be depicted using objects and artefacts drawn mainly from The Historic Dockyard's own collection. July 26-November 30. www.thedockyard.co.uk

www.visitkent.co.uk/frontlinekent

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Kent at war

2014 sees three momentous anniversaries: 100 years since the outbreak of World War One, 75 since the outbreak of World War Two, and 70 since D-Day. Kent has a wealth of connections to these significant periods in British and European history, including the house that hid code breakers, the coast where bouncing bombs were tested, the tunnels from which Operation Dynamo was masterminded, and the airfields from which Spitfires and Hurricanes flew.

A programme of events and activities in Kent marking these anniversaries includes:

Ramsgate Blitz Walks – A guided walk around the heaviest bombed seaside town in the UK. Various dates through to December.

WWII Weekend, Dover Castle – Witness an explosive battle and soak up the atmosphere as the castle returns to the 1940's. Walk through military encampments and get up close to a full size replica Spitfire. Step inside Mr Smith's bombed-out shop and discover the austerity of the war years. Get tips on the latest period fashion. Witness the firepower display. With a live band playing music from the 40's and plenty of hands-on activities for children. May 24-26. www.english-heritage.org.uk/dovercastle

Plant a REAL Poppy Day, Kent-wide – A unique campaign has been started to plant real poppies to coincide with the centenary of the start of WW1. Bright red Flanders poppies, also known as corn poppies, will be planted by thousands of people across the nation during spring 2014, for flowering late July/early August. The 2014 Real Poppy Campaign is the brainchild of The Greenhithe (Kent) Royal British Legion. Seeds are available direct from the Royal British Legion or from B&Q and many garden centres nationwide. Plant a REAL poppy day is Sunday, June 1. http://realpoppy.co.uk

Ramsgate Tunnels Explorer – Ramsgate's Tunnels Explorer takes visitors on a journey into a network of tunnels which became a town below the town. As World War II approached, the borough council embarked on plans to construct more than two miles of bomb-proof deep shelter tunnels to protect the town’s civilian population. Learn about life underground from recordings of those who took refuge from the bombardment of a front line town. June 1. www.ramsgatetunnels.org

Open air classical concert, Leeds Castle – The concert features The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Military Wives Choir, a military band, field guns, and air displays. July 12. www.heritage-events.co.uk

The War & Peace Revival, Folkestone Racecourse – The Greatest military show on earth is at Folkestone Racecourse for the second year. Highlights include the Vintage Village, an RAF camp, the Women's Voluntary Service providing tea to bombed-out householders, and even cows at the Land Army display! July 16-20. www.warandpeacerevival.co.uk

Valour, Loss & Sacrifice: Chatham, the Royal Navy, and the War at Sea, 1914-1918, Historic Dockyard Chatham – Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the WW1, this exhibition portrays the significant role played by Chatham Dockyard, its workers and the Chatham Port Division of the Royal Navy, shown through the eyes of those who served.  Four years of sacrifice and loss will be depicted using objects and artefacts drawn mainly from The Historic Dockyard's own collection. July 26-November 30. www.thedockyard.co.uk

 

www.visitkent.co.uk/frontlinekent

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Allies honoured

WAR veterans and visitors will gather on the beach and in the gardens at Trebah in Cornwall May 31 to celebrate and remember the 7,500 American servicemen of the 29th Infantry Division who embarked on landing-craft bound for the Normandy Beaches and the D-Day landings.

The day will be rich in history, featuring military vehicles, aircraft, music and song, and Red Arrows display.

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The D-Day story

PORTSMOUTH’S unique D-Day Museum is dedicated to all aspects of the decisive Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. Archive film footage shown in the museum’s theatre captures the wartime mood with personal accounts and stories of people who took part. A special gallery houses the 272 foot Overlord Embroidery, which has 34 panels depicting the story from the dark days of the early 1940s to the successful Allied landings, a major turning point in the Second World War.

Southsea Seafront and Portsmouth Harbour were embarkation points, and Southwick House, just north of the city, was where Allied commanders met, close to the headquarters of General Eisenhower, during the operation.

TV historian Dan Snow is an advocate of the museum. ‘Some 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on D-Day. The museum in Portsmouth is the only one in Britain that focuses solely on this vitally important event.’

The museum is holding a two-day conference over the weekend of May 10/11 taking a fresh look at D-Day and the Battle of Normandy from experts in the field. Speakers will include military historian Max Arthur, author of Forgotten Voices of the Second World War and Dr Simon Trew from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

The D-Day Museum is at Clarence Esplanade, Southsea.

www.ddaymuseum.co.uk ,or call 023 9282 6722

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