On 6th June 1944, about 156,000 British, American and Canadian soldiers landed on beaches in Normandy - this marked the largest military invasion in history and signalled the dawn of the end of the Second World War. It is now known as ‘D-Day’.
Around 55,000 of the soldiers for D-Day embarked from Southampton and its people were the unsung heroes behind the scenes, playing a pivotal role in the preparations and subsequent activities of D-Day. This included the diligent factory workers, shipyard craftsmen, and dock labourers who constructed landing crafts, manufactured munitions, and loaded the countless tons of supplies.
This short film introduces the role that Southampton played in this pivotal moment during World War Two.