Community Gathers to Mark 75th Anniversary of D-Day

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At Hammersmith's St Paul's Gardens where Normandy Landings plans were finalised

 

Members of our local community have marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day on the site in Hammersmith where Operation Overlord was finalised.

The special event, on Saturday 8 June, was held in the gardens of the former St Paul’s School in Hammersmith Road.

As the plaque on the site, now known as St Paul's Gardens, explains: "The Normandy landings were planned by General Montgomery and others in St Paul's School, which occupied this site from 1884 to 1968. On 16 May 1944 the final invasion plan was presented to General Eisenhower and senior allied commanders in the school lecture theatre, in the presence of King George V1 and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill."

The D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944 was one of the most complex military operations ever undertaken, with 160,000 troops crossing the English Channel in a day, supported by hundreds of warships and planes.

The only building surviving from those day is the old school’s High House, now the St Paul’s Hotel, the front garden, today known as St Paul’s Gardens and the surrounding walls.

At the event, attended by Commander Corey Bursey of the Canadian High Commission and Mr Jody Hunt, the United States Assistant Attorney General along with H&F Mayor Cllr Daryl Brown and Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan, there were displays of military vehicles, plus a children’s obstacle course and a board showing the history of the WW2 operation.

Vintage singer Bunny Nightingale sang old-time war songs at the event, which was organised by Cllr David Morton.

Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, said: “It was an honour to speak at the 75th anniversary of D-Day in remembrance of those who fought to bring about the liberation of Europe from fascism."

You can read more about the history of St Paul's Gardens on this historical board and see more pictures from the event here.

 

June 14, 2019