To mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, an event is being held on Saturday 8 June in the gardens of the former St Paul’s School in Hammersmith Road, where ‘Operation Overlord’ was finalised. This family-friendly day is open to everyone who would like to attend.
The D-Day invasion was one of the most complex military operations ever undertaken, with 160,000 troops crossing the English Channel in a day, supported by hundreds of warships and planes. Montgomery chose his magnificent old St Paul’s School building to be his Supreme Allied HQ for 21st Army Group and General Eisenhower (who became US President) later wrote that “during the whole of the war I attended no other conference so packed with rank as this one”, with King George VI and Winston Churchill amongst those present. Pupils had previously been evacuated to Berkshire and the building had 700 windows shattered by German bombing.
The only building surviving from 6 June 1944 is the old school’s High House (now the St Paul’s Hotel), the front garden (today known as St Paul’s Gardens) and the surrounding walls. But on Saturday 8 June there will be a commemorative anniversary gathering in the gardens with military vehicles, wartime music, food and drink, a children’s obstacle course and fun for all the family. Schools in Hammersmith & Fulham are invited to enter paintings, drawings and models to a competition on the theme, ‘What happened on D-Day?’
Saturday 8 June will provide a day of fun for all the family, with music and entertainments as well as a children’s Obstacle Course provided by the Army, interesting military vehicles and an Art Competition and exhibition as well as some interesting stalls with displays of photos and films about the site and School and the planning for D-Day there.
For more information on the day, please click here.