Day outing to Portsmouth

This November twenty-two members of the Surrey branch made the trip down the A3 to Portsmouth to visit a couple of interesting locations. The day started with a visit to the World War 1 Remembrance Centre situated on the outskirts of Portsmouth. Situated in a restored Palmerston Fort this small but fascinating museum has been created from scratch by a dedicated team of volunteers with the goal to promote remembrance through education and commemoration, to ensure that present and future generations never forget the sacrifices made by past generations. As well as a wide-ranging display of memorabilia the group was treated to an amusing ‘Did You Know?’ presentation from the Centre’s founder Charles Haskell.

In the afternoon we broadened our horizons to visit the D-Day Map Room and the Royal Military Police Museum, both located in the Southwick Park military site and only accessible by prior arrangement. The Royal Military Police Museum is a little gem that is well worth a visit, but the highlight of the trip was undoubtably the historic D-Day Map Room, where the curator Richard Callaghan gave a highly engaging presentation. Southwick House was the forward headquarters of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHEAF) where D-Day was planned and launched in June 1944. In the iconic D-Day Map Room, General Dwight D Eisenhower, surrounded by the Supreme Commanders, took the decision to first postpone and then to launch D-Day, with the words “OK – Let’s Go!”.

The day was deemed a great success by all, and our thoughts have now turned to a relaunch tour on the Western Front in 2025. Many thanks to branch member Nick Yellop for organising a Grand Day Out!

Alan Leakey, Branch Chairman