Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee Item: 11

11 March 2004

Hampshire County Council D-Day 60 Commemorations

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Andrew Bateman 5478

1. Corporate Aims

1.1 The D-Day 60 commemorations support the following corporate aims:

    1 Building Strong and Safe Communities. They encourage communities to become more aware of the important part played by the county in D-Day

    2 Maximising life opportunities. They promote participation in learning and increase people's awareness and enjoyment of Hampshire's natural and cultural diversity

    3 Stewardship of the environment. They help ensure that Hampshire's characteristic built and natural environments are recognised and encourage effort to manage their protection.

    4 Achieving economic prosperity. They assist in promoting Hampshire as a location for tourism

2. Background

2.1 The 6 June 2004 will mark the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings. This event was a turning point in history and was the beginning of the end of World War II. Hampshire played a key role in this operation. Thousands of troops from the Allied forces were encamped in the county's towns and countryside prior to the embarkation. This event had a considerable impact on the host communities of the county and there are many legacies both man-made and memories

2.2 Hampshire County Council played a major role in the 50th anniversary commemorations in 1994. Although the 60th anniversary events will not be as high profile, there is still considerable interest and enthusiasm to ensure that the anniversary is remembered and respected appropriately. The main focus for heads of state will be Normandy where there is an expectation that senior members of the Royal family and representatives from governments will attend ceremonies. However, the anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to educate young and old in Hampshire about what took place.

2 HMS Cricket Memorial Dedication

2.1 HMS Cricket was a Combined Operations base situated in what is now Manor Farm Country Park (Hampshire County Council Countryside Service) on the banks of the River Hamble. It was operational between 1942 and 1946 and was the training establishment for many of the landing craft crews that took part in D-Day. At one time some 4,000 personnel served on the base.

2.2 Veterans and the Botley and Curdridge Local History Society have worked with the manager and staff of Manor Farm Country Park to develop a memorial to those that served at HMS Cricket.

2.3 The dedication of the memorial will take place on 2 June 2004. This event will be the County Council's main D-Day 60 commemoration and will be hosted by Cllr Thornber. Invited guests will include Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Chairman of Hampshire County Council, senior military officers, veterans and councillors. The Royal Marines, Royal Armouries Fort Nelson and the King Alfred's Bus Company will be assisting with demonstrations and logistics on the day.

2.4 Manor Farm Country Park will also be hosting a `living history' week between 29 May and 6 June, where the site will have a WWII theme. There will also be a special display within the main building that will feature exhibits and material from HMS Cricket as well as informative displays on farming in Hampshire during WWII and the D-Day landings.

4. Additional D-Day 60 displays and events

4.1 The following special D-Day 60 displays will also feature at Recreation & Heritage sites

    · Aldershot Military Museum - figure of a Royal Signals officer of the 11th Armoured Division and refurbished static self-propelled gun (June onwards)

    · Gosport Museum - `D-Day! Gosport's Role in The Great Enterprise' (5 April - 26 June)

    · Hampshire Record Office Cinema, Winchester - `Operation Overlord': a selection of D-Day film and sound recordings from Wessex Film and Sound Archive (24 June)

    · Lepe Country Park - new D-Day interpretive panels featuring the links with the Mulberry Harbours (June onwards)

    · Manor Farm Country Park, Bursledon - `Back to the 40s' - Manor Farm in Wartime (29 May - 6 June)

    · Red House Museum, Christchurch - `D-Day and Christchurch' (4 May - 20 June)

    · SEARCH, Gosport - Wartime House Workshops for Key Stage 2 Groups in Gosport Schools (24 May - 11 June)

    · St Barbe Museum, Lymington - `D-Day in the Western Solent' (22 May onwards)

    · Westbury Manor Museum, Fareham - `D-Day Remembered' exhibition (5 June - 3 July)

    · Willis Museum, Basingstoke - `D-Day and Beyond': Basingstoke and Deane's Story (17 May - 3 July)

4.2 Portsmouth City Council are also developing a series of special D-Day 60 events and displays, focussing on the D-Day Museum and Southsea Common. These will include a veterans march past, ceremonial sailing of a passenger ferry carrying veterans from Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy, and traditional services. We have liaised with Portsmouth City Council to ensure that activities do not conflict and that opportunities for joint promotion of activities are exploited.

5. Finance

5.1 The funding for the D-Day 60 activities has come from the following sources:

    5.1

    5.2

    Item

    Source

    Amount

    HMS Cricket Memorial and Dedication (2 June); Manor Farm D-Day exhibition

    Local Heritage Initiative Grant

    £8,455

    Policy and Resources Grant

    £4,000

    Recreation & Heritage special events fund

    £8,500

    HCC Museum and Countryside Service displays/events

    Tourism budget

    £8,000

    Total

    £28,955

6. Publicity

6.1 The Defence of the Realm military heritage site consortium which is co-ordinated by Hampshire County Council, will be one of the main mechanisms used to promote the special events and displays to members of the public. Promotion via a special D-Day 60 website (www.hants.gov.uk/discover/d-day) and through the press office will also be undertaken.

6.2 Hampshire will also have a four-page feature in the D-Day Normandy Landings Commemorative album. Published in May this will promote the main links between Hampshire and the D-Day landings in a high quality publication that will be distributed to MPs, VIPs, veterans, FTSE 100 companies etc

Recommendations

1. That the D-Day 60 displays and events organised by the Recreation & Heritage department be supported.

2. That comments are invited from Members on the nature and scale of the proposed activities.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

    1. Published works

    2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the act.

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