D-Day Memorial - Weymouth Dorset - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

60TH ANNIVERSARY D - DAY

1st panel
28 APRIL 1944
LYME BAY

749 DIED DURING D- DAY
TRAINING EXERCISE 'TIGER'
WHEN A CONVOY OF LST'S
WAS ATTACKED BY E - BOATS
OFF PORTLAND

24 DECEMBER 1944
ENGLISH CHANNEL
802 DIED WHEN THE TROOPSHIP
'LEOPOLDVILLE' WAS SUNK BY
A TORPEDO OFF CHERBOURG

2nd Panel
1-2-3 RANGER-5-6

11th OCTOBER 2002
Prior to 6th JUNE 1944 The 2ND ARMY OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DEPENDED HEAVILY ON THE MEN AND
EQUIPMENT OF THE LANDING CRAFT ASSAULT [LCA] FLOTILLAS
DURING TRAINING AND WHILE DEVELOPING
SPECIAL ASSAULT TECHNIQUES
ON D - DAY, THESE SAME MEN OF THE ROYAL NAVY DEMONSTRATED
THE FINEST TRADITIONS OF THEIR SERVICE, THROUGH THEIR COURAGE,
STEADFASTNESS, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY.
THE SUCCESSES OF THE ASSAULTS AT POINTE DU HOC AND THE OMAHA BEACHES
OF DOG GREEN, RED AND WHITE WERE
MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SKILLS AND BRAVERY.
ALL WORLD WAR II RANGERS ARE PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE VETERANS OF THE LCA FLOTILLAS OF THE ROYAL NAVY
AND REMAIN GRATEFUL TO THEM
AND THEIR VESSELS BOTH LARGE AND SMALL.

3rd Panel

AMERICAN RANGERS MARCHING ALONG THE ESPLANADE PRIOR TO D- DAY
6 JUNE 1944
OMAHA BEACH, FRANCE
SHOWING COURAGE AND ENDURANCE BEYOND BELIEF
3,000. DIED IN D- DAY WHILE FIGHTING TO SECURE THE
BEACH HEAD AND STRATEGIC
POINTE HOC, SPEARHEADING
THE INVASION OF NORMANDY

AS THIS MILLENNIUM CLOSES WE COMMIT
THIS MEMORY TO HISTORY JUNE 1999.



History :
The war memorial situated in front of Number 90 The Esplanade in Weymouth. It is made of Portland stone and was erected in 1947. The memorial comprises an octagonal pedestal with fielded panels
. On the east panel is the following inscription: "Unveiled / December 3rd / 1947" and an attached plaque presented by the 14th Major Port, United States Army, in memory of American servicemen. On the pedestal and base is a pillar, which is decorated on four sides by inset bronze decorative grilles.
The pillar is square on its lower part and octagonal on its upper part. It is surmounted by a lamp which is never extinguished. The memorial was erected on 3rd December 1947 in memory of the more than half a million American servicemen who passed through Weymouth and Portland to reach the beaches of Normandy between 6th June 1944 and the end of the war on 7th May 1945.

In recent years several plaques commemorating the involvement of American troops during World War II have been added to the memorial (1999, 2002 and 2004).

During the second world war, Weymouth suffered heavy damage, with Chapelhay being the worst hit. Weymouth in World War 2 - Air Raid Data (Dates & Locations) Weymouth also featured prominently in the participation of the D-Day landings in Normandy with many British and American soldiers having left the shores of England here.

A memorial erected on the esplanade, opposite the Royal Hotel, records that 517,816 troops and 144,093 vehicles embarked at Weymouth between 6th June 1944 and 7th May 1945.
The 24 Hour Museum has some interesting D-Day Trails around the country and the Roll of Honour website gives the names of those listed on Weymouth's war memorials.
An interesting account of life during wartime is: Cider's War - the story of Tom Vine of Poole in WWII

Date of Dedication: 06/06/2004 Property Permission: Public Access instructions: 24/7 Website for Waymark: [Web Link] Location of waymark: The Esplanade Weymouth, Dorset United Kingdom none Commemoration: D - Day Access times: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/15/2013 MKGees visited it