Castletown D-Day Centre Portland UK

Castletown D-Day Centre is a recreation of the Portland Dockyard in 1944. Thousands of US troops of the 5th US Corps and US 1st Infantry began their brave and treacherous journey to Normandy.

I stopped by after visiting Weymouth on my way back to the cruise ship. The local shuttle bus stops at the nearby Portland Castle.

The real equipment and full size figures give a sense of the action in the Spring of 1944.

Before embarking at Portland, many Americans were encamped  about 20 miles away at Wardon Hill, Dorset where my father and others had built camps.

Related Links

Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial

HMS Belfast, a D-Day ship on the Thames in London

Imperial War Museum- Manchester

Imperial War Museum- London

Index to World War II sites

Learn more at ddaycentre.com

Visit notes

There is an entrance fee

Storyboards are on the walls.

You can get in or on a lot of the equipment.

There's a small snack bar.

In 2022, toilets were in a nearby building-request the key.

Nearby

Portland Castle

Weymouth Town and Beaches

See more Places in the UK

Visit my website  suttong.com

Enjoy the cultural differences between the UK and the USA in language and activities.

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Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial England UK

I was honoured to visit Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial with my cousin's husband, John McClaran who served with the US Air Force. 

Inside, we followed the story of the American forces in England during World War II.

Outside is a stunning and sobering memorial to those who died. 

On the right is a wall with 5,127 names of those who are missing. Most of these died in the Battle of the Atlantic or bombing raids over Europe.

On the left are the remains of 3,811 Americans who died during the war.

Thank you America.

A chapel offers a chance to reflect and remember their sacrifice.

About the Cemetery and Memorial

Land: Donated 30.5 acres to the United States by the University of Cambridge

Dedication: 1956

Addition: 4,000 square-foot visitor center, May 2014

Address

 Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial

 Madingley Road

 Coton CB23 7PH

 Cambridge, UK

Tel +44 1954 210 350

Learn more

website: https://www.abmc.gov/Cambridge#cemetery-info-anchor 

App information

Visiting notes

Open daily

Free entry

About 1 hour from London by train to Cambridge

Bus service to the cemetery

Visiting the city of Cambridge

YouTube Video

LINKS

Places to visit in the UK

World War II Remembered

World War II Memorial, Washington DC

American Memorial, Meuse, France

Chateau-Thierry American Monument, France

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

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HMS Belfast on the Thames London England UK

 The HMS Belfast is a World War II Royal Navy warship on the Thames River in London. It is an IWM (Imperial War Museum) site on the Queen's Walk near Tower Bridge. I took the photo above in 2021.

After paying for my visit at the dockside office, you walk past the small gift shop and down a ramp to the main deck and the commemorative bell. My photos are from 10 November 2021.

The tour route is marked with arrows. Entering a door, I arrive at one of the many gun turrets. HMS Belfast was one of the ships firing over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

As you walk about the ship, you glimpse life 

as it was for the sailors decades ago.

Toilets

Workroom

A massive kitchen...

Stores (a nice look back at old products)...

a dentistry

and a bunk for some kip

There's plenty of ammo below.

Of course, there's a ship's cat.

I took a break for a light lunch before seeing a few more rooms and guns.

You can walk about nine decks.

Get a pilot's view...

and appreciate an amazing experience.

So, it's easy for me to recommend a visit to HMS Belfast and the other IWM locations.

Here's a view of HMS Belfast and the area from the Shard, which I took in 2018.

Photo: HMS Belfast on the Thames with the

 Tower of London upper right and Tower Bridge to the Right (East)

Notes

On board HMS Belfast

  Arrows mark the tour route.

  Numbers indicate what numbers to press on the included audio guide

  Some areas require ladders or small steps.

  There are toilets on board

  There is a café on board

  There are activities for families--see the website

Tube stations:  London Bridge, Tower Hill

Google Map of the area

Address: The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2JH

The 5 IWM (Imperial War Museums)

IWM LONDON

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, LONDON

IWM DUXFORD

IWN NORTH- MANCHESTER

HMS BELFAST, On the Thames in London

 Visit Places Nearby

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

the Shard

Cruise the Thames

Learn More About HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast at D-Day

HMS BELFAST 1938-2018: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary.

HMS Belfast Books Google Link

Models of HMS Belfast on AMAZON