June 6th marks the anniversary of the D-Day landings, the largest seaborne invasion in history. To commemorate the occasion there will be a series of events happening in Richmond upon Thames to honour the brave personnel who risked their lives for freedom and peace.
Here you will find the Shaef Gate and Plaque, marking the spot where Eisenhower's office stood in Camp Griffiss. It was in this camp that he and his staff planned the invasion of Europe prior to the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944. The plaque is in memory of those gallant men and women who served in Camp Griffiss during World War II and the gate is dedicated to the brave men who cleared the Normandy beaches prior to the main D Day landings.
Bushy Park was turned into a vital military base in the Second World War playing an important role in the build-up and preparation for the D-Day landings in 1944 known as Operation Overlord. It provided an excellent base during the war as facilities could be well-disguised amidst the leafy parkland and scenic boating lakes.
For three months from Camp Griffiss, SHAEF staff took the overall Operation Overlord strategy and plotted the final plans which eventually saw over 150,000 allied troops storm the beaches of northern France on 6th of June 1944 to start the fight back across Nazi-occupied Europe.
In Bushy Park you will also find a five pointed bronze star on Portland stone USAAF memorial on the site of Camp Griffiss. The plaque on top says: This tablet marks the site of the European headquarters United States Army Air Forces July 1942 – December 1944 and is dedicated by the Royal Air Force to their comrades-in-arms. It is through fraternity that liberty is saved – Victor Hugo
Teddington Lock
In 1940 Teddington Lock was the assembly point for an enormous formation of small private vesselsalso known today as the 'little ships' which were to be used in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
In 1940 Teddington Lock was the assembly point for an enormous flotilla of small ships from the length of the River Thames to be used in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
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