Being the home of the Royal Navy, and a relatively short distance from London, the city found itself right in the centre of the efforts to turn the tide in favour of the Allied Forces. In particular the area played a key role in the Normandy Landings with staff working diligently in a network of tunnels underneath Fort Southwick on Portsdown Hill which was the Underground Headquarters for Operation Overlord – the codename for the military operation. This provided a bombproof, comprehensive Naval, Army and Air Force Operation Control and Communication Centre where reports from radar stations were crossed-referenced with messages from shipping to provide an accurate picture of what was happening in the English Channel.
This information was then plotted on a large table map at the Fort, and was passed to the Allied commanders nearby at Southwick House to which it was connected by a series of underground tunnels. On D-Day itself on June 6 1944 there were 700 staff working underground.
Ahead of D-Day, troops were also camped nearby in areas just outside of the city including in Creech Wood in Denmead and in Stokes Bay in Gosport where they trained and prepared for the operation which turned the tide of the war. On the seafront the area was also transformed with temporary piers and landing platforms constructed – and a huge quality of ships and craft in the Solent. Local people often said it looked like you could walk to the Isle of Wight by going from ship to ship.
However Portsmouth’s role also saw it become a target for the Nazis with the city officially suffering 67 air raids between July 1940 and May 1944, three of these being categorised as major attacks which took place on August 24 1940 during the Portsmouth Blitz, January 10 1941 and March 10 1941. The most devastating of these was on the night of January 10 and 11 1941 which killed more than 170 people, and severely damaged landmarks large areas of the city including Portsea, Landport, and Southsea.
As a consequence much of the city was rebuilt after the war and a large number of children were evacuated for safety to the countryside. However Portsmouth remains incredibly proud of the city’s contribution to the war effort – and its role in the Normandy Landings.
Many thanks to The D-Day Story for supplying and assisting with the captioning of many of these images.
1. Portsmouth during the second world war: D-Day - preparations
Soldiers walk along South Parade Pier to embark for Normandy. Photo: -
2. Portsmouth during the second world war
Buses have played such an important role over there years, including in the second world war. Here we see Portsmouth children being evacuated in 1939 at George Street, Portsmouth as part of 'Operation Pied Piper'. Photo: The News archives
3. Portsmouth during the second world war
Portsmouth during the Blitz - The Bishop's House in Edinburgh Road adjacent to St John’s Cathedral. During the devastating Portsmouth Blitz on January 10-11, 1941 it was destroyed by high-explosive bombs. The collapse killed six people sheltering in the cellar, in part of a city-wide attack which killed 172 people and caused extensive damage. Photo: The News archive
4. Portsmouth during the second world war
The plotting room in the underground headquarters at Fort Southwick, 1944. Tunnels beneath the fort housed the Combined Operations Underground HQ which played an important command and communications role in the D-Day Landings. In the plotting room, Wrens (members of the Women's Royal Naval Service) plotted naval movements in the English Channel on a map. In the background can be seen the unofficial coat of arms of the plotting room. The coat of arms was designed by Wren 3rd Officer Dorothy C.P. Ward who worked on the main plot, and is now on display at The D-Day Story. It is believed that the artist was Dorothy Cordelia Phyllis Ward (1909-1994). She was born in Plymouth and did an art degree at the Royal College of Art in 1933. In later life she lived in Tavistock, Devon, and was well-regarded for her paintings of local scenes. (Not to be confused with the actor of the same name who lived around the same time.) Photo: -