#Story - United Kingdom
Portsmouth during the Second World War
During the Second World War, Portsmouth, a small south coast city in England, played a crucial role in Allied operations and campaigns. It therefore became a hotspot for German raids, enduring 67 official attacks over a four year period.
Portsmouth has been home to the British Royal Navy for centuries and has witnessed and assisted in key maritime events, from the Battle of Trafalgar to D-Day.
It’s longstanding strategic importance as a naval city made it a prime target for the Luftwaffe, resulting in 6,625 destroyed properties and nearly 70,000 damaged properties. By the end of the war it was remembered by Winifred Osbourne, a resident of Portsmouth, as ‘just a lot of big pieces with holes in them’.
Portsmouth became an industrial hub, helping refit, repair and house symbolic ships such as HMS Hood. Throughout the war it continued to provide support to military operations. For example, during the evacuation of Dunkirk, Portsmouth, alongside surrounding coastal areas such as Southampton, volunteered small crafts to rescue British troops following the fall of France in May 1940.
When the city was elected as a base for Operation Overlord preparations, Portsmouth residents increasingly felt the impact of military needs. Allied ships gathered in the Solent (the stretch of water between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight). On the main island, Southsea manufactured components for Mulberry Harbours which we later shipped to Normandy. Workers on these constructions, such as Reg Pinwill, were withheld from knowing their own role, which in Reg’s case was building the harbour ‘beetles’ parts. This demonstrates the extent of secrecy around the activities. Reg recalled increased precautions with the use of barbed wire and armed guards at Clarence Pier. Nearby, HMS Vernon (now Gunwharf Quays), housed part of Force S and motor torpedo boats to be used at Sword Beach during the Normandy landings.
In 1940, all Hampshire beaches banned visitors from sunset to sunrise. By 1943, Southsea seafront was declared a restricted zone and in 1944, security methods intensified further with 10 miles of Southsea coastline closed to all visitors. Residents, such as Elsie Gwendoline Gorman, required special permit passes to enter these highly regulated areas.
Slightly north of Portsmouth island, General Eisenhower used Southwick House as the headquarters building to oversee D-Day preparation. The surrounding woodland provided strategic hiding places for more troops and military vehicles. It was here that Eisenhower gave the go ahead for D-Day to start, following a 24 hour delay.