REMEMBRANCE ❘ WAR SITES OF FRANCE
“A NEW D-DAY MUSEUM WILL OPEN IN MARCH 2023 IN ARROMANCHES-LES-BAINS, SITE OF THE CELEBRATED PRE-FAB MULBERRY PORT”
including the destruction of the current building, which will close to the public on November 1 – is set for completion in January 2023.
The €10m museum will use state-of-the-art technology to bring the artifi cial port back to life, though the current showpiece will also have pride of place – an original model from 1954 explaining the construction, transport and operation of the artifi cial port, set up by British engineers to allow the landing of men and equipment after the establishment of the bridgeheads on the Normandy front.
Another is the excellent Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, which showcases the parachute drops and brave fi ghting by US paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. (
www.airborne-
museum.org/en). See this issue’s Museums Guide for more on this and other superb historic and cultural centres to explore. Those planning a trip to the D-Day beaches next year, as well as for what promises to be a massive 80th anniversary commemoration in 2024, should start thinking about their trip now – event planning is already well under way.
From top: Pegasus Bridge;
the Thiepval Museum; people jiving in period costume as part of the annual D-Day
Parade; the British Normandy Memorial; veteran Joe Cattini pauses to reflect at the British Normandy Memorial
Among the other events in Normandy this summer was a moving gathering at The British Normandy Memorial (
www.britishnormandymemorial.org) in Ver-sur-Mer. The memorial, which opened a year ago, records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944. With the public able to attend for the fi rst time (due to Covid restrictions), proceedings commenced with Retired Wing Commander Steve Dean, Project Manager for the British Normandy Memorial, and Myles Hunt, Head Gardener, raising the Union Flag at sunrise, just as the fi rst troops would have landed 78 years ago. Wreaths were laid, D-Day Veteran and Trust Ambassador Joe Cattini was on hand for a live BBC interview, plus there was a memorial service, a Spitfi re fl y-past and music from the band of the Yorkshire regiment with the Jedburgh Pipers, all in the presence of veterans and their families, plus the British Ambassador to France Dame Menna Rawlings. In other developments in Calvados, a new D-Day Museum will open in March 2023 in Arromanches-les- Bains, site of the celebrated pre-fab Mulberry port. Construction is well under way, with the concrete frame in place and soon to be covered with glass. The building is 44m long and 28m wide and will be completed in October this year. The second phase –
78 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Aug/Sep 2022
Meanwhile, the German battery at Longues is getting a spectacular facelift, due for completion imminently, to better welcome visitors. The old wooden hut that housed the tourist offi ce and sanitary facilities are being given a €2.8m upgrade in the form of a vast new reception area with glass walls. Finally the Wings museum (www.ddaywingsmuseum. com) in the historic aeronautical hangars in Caen -Carpiquet opened in May 2021. It looks at the role of D-Day planes and the bold missions undertaken by their skilled pilots. It has an educational yet fun ethos – youngsters can get into cockpits and play at being tail-gunners. The museum has just taken delivery of a Beechcraft 18 (a C-45 in military parlance).
CONTACTS We recommend adding the Calvados, Manche and Normandy regional tourist offi ce websites to your internet favourites to keep abreast of all events and travel options:
www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk
www.manche-tourism.com
en.normandie-tourisme.fr
WORLD WAR I
The sheer scope of death and destruction wrought upon the people, landscapes and, of course, serving soldiers from both sides across swathes of north and eastern France (including the Somme and Verdun) during the First World War is unimaginable. There
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