The plaque is located on a building on The Quay and reads as follows:
'On 5th June 1944 over 300 craft left the quays of Poole for the Normandy Landings OPERATION OVERLORD.'
There are remains all along this coastline of the war and at the nearby Studland beach Operation Overlord was rehearsed with great success for the real effort. This website details this operation (
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The Poole Tourism website describes D-Day:
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'Poole played a crucial part throughout the D-Day preparations. It was the third largest embarkation point for U.S troops leaving Britain for the Normandy shores. Poole also provided several training bases, designated practise areas and shipyards building many of the landing craft, motor gun boats and launches for use in the invasion. Poole town avoided much of the bombing with only three hitting the town itself, however thirty mines were dropped in Poole Harbour. Despite these disturbances, little interference to the invasion preparations were caused and today Poole takes pride in what the town contributed to the D-Day period.'
There is even a newspaper article all about another missing plaque:
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'Quay plaque to be back ‘in time for Armistice Day’
Monday 17th August 2009
By Diana Henderson
POOLE’S precious D-Day plaque has been shipped off to specialist restorers and is expected to be installed back on the quay in time for Armistice Day in November.
Failure to display the scenic Poole Pottery plaque, which commemorates the role the town played in liberating France from the Nazis in 1944, had been labelled “shameful” and a “disgrace” by residents.
The metre-square plaque was displayed on the old Poole Pottery building on the quay but disappeared from view before it was demolished in 2000.
A condition of planning approval for Dolphin Quays was that the plaque, along with others, one of which is 30 feet long, should be in public view on the building.
The D-Day plaque, which incorporates symbols from all of the Armed Services, was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary in 1994 of Operation Overlord, for which Poole was a major embarkation port.
Poole council has now sent the plaque, along with a smaller cracked one explaining its significance, to the Jackfield Tile Museum at Ironbridge, where the work is expected to take six weeks.
Stephen Thorne, the borough’s recently arrived head of planning and regeneration, who until January was commanding officer of the 3,000-strong Royal Navy Reserve, is overseeing the project.
He said he understood the importance of the plaque to the town and because of his military connections, it was equally significant to him.
Mr Thorne said he had found a suitable position for it at the entrance to the arcade, where it would be sheltered and out of the wind but on the quay and accessible.
“Transporting the plaque to Ironbridge is a significant event and demonstrates our commitment to acknowledge and celebrate our town’s heritage and the contribution it made to the liberation of Europe all those years ago,” he said.
“I am confident the plaque will be superbly restored and back on display by November 11 for Remembrance Day.” '
The Cockle Trail is a historic walk around Poole town taking you past many important places. This plaque is one of these places. Their website describes the role Poole played in the war:
'Poole played a crucial part throughout the
D-Day preparations. It was the third largest
embarkation point for Normandy and was HQ
to the US Coastguard. Poole also provided
several training bases, designated practise
areas and shipyards building many of the
landing craft, motor gun boats and launches
for use in the invasion. Poole avoided much of
the bombing with only three hitting the town
itself, however thirty mines were dropped in
Poole Harbour. Despite these disturbances,
little interference to the invasion preparations
occurred and today Poole takes pride in its
contribution to the D-Day period.'
The plaque is near the HM Coastguard building and lookout tower right by the quay. This is a busy and popular area with great views across Poole harbour. On the opposite side of the water the Sunseeker factory can be seen where very expensive boats are produced then bought and taken all over the world.
Poole Harbour is the second biggest natural harbour in the world and contains islands including Brownsea Island where Lord Baden-Powell founded the Scout Movement.