© Copyright Kevin Hale and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Americans join Plymouth to remember the D-Day Landings

Plymouth will be honouring the memory of thousands of Americans who were based in the city as part of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Saltash Passage on Sunday 8 June (1.30pm).

A number of events are taking place to mark the anniversary and Saltash Passage, one of the areas most associated with the American presence in the city has been given a spruce up. The memorial gardens will be rededicated as part of the event.

Council leader Tudor Evans said: "This area is incredibly important in the city's history. It was the last sight many American soldiers had of British land as they headed off to begin the liberation of Europe.

"Many of them never returned and we owe it to them to remember their sacrifice."

An American delegation from Plymouth Massachusetts will be visiting the location to see where 60,000 men of the V and VII Corps of the United States Army left for the beaches of Normandy.

In November 1943, the US Navy set up an advanced amphibious base in Plymouth ahead of the Allied invasion of Europe. In January 1944, a temporary camp for around 2,000 men opened on Vicarage Road.as a training camp in preparation for the Normandy Landings and remained operational until August 1945.

On 6 June 1944, soldiers of V and VII Corps left from Saltash Passage for Omaha and Utah Beach. The concrete slipway or landing hard that was built for the US soldiers to join their landing craft still remains.

Earlier in the day here will be a service of remembrance at the Minster Church of St Andrew's at 10.30am. Part of the City of Plymouth Lord Mayor's Service, it will also include the Commemoration and Thanksgiving for the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. This is a ticketed event but the public are welcome. The service will be followed by a Civic reception at Number 3 Elliot Terrace, former war-time home of the Americans Waldorf and Nancy Astor.

Council staff and contractors have been tidying up Saltash Passage. A dilapidated toilet block that was closed a number of years ago has been demolished.

Weathered and battered signs commemorating the 60th anniversary of D-Day have been replaced with new signs to honour the 70th year since the campaign which helped turn the tide of the war.

Other work includes:

Timber boards installed and equipment painted
Replanting at Memorial Garden
Replacing flag poles
Tidying up the path and repainting railings
Replacing memorial signs, due to be installed next week
Benches cleaned and graffiti removed from plaques
Road along the passage resurfaced
Normandy Hill resurfaced and signs replaced
A new interpretation sign giving people a potted history of the American's departure from Saltash Passage combined with a history of the bridges across the Tamar will be going up shortly.