Towns One Off Veterans Week Festival Lasted 25 Years

A one-off tribute to veterans focused on a D Day event 25 years ago has turned into a major annual festival for Weymouth and its sister town of Portland.

This Dorset seaside resort wanted to honour the 50^th anniversary of D Day. The then local council planned to organise a large event to do that. However, today still that event is going from strength to strength.

Thousands come to march on the annual parade for veterans week in Weymouth and Portland.

The event proved so popular in 1994 and many of the veterans wanted to do it again the following year and so started the Weymouth and Portland Veterans Week Festival series of events.

Following on from remembrance service at the town’s cenotaph the several thousand veterans march along the esplanade to the location near to where in June 1944 many US GI’s left for Normandy from.

The close connection of the town to the USA has grown over the years with many former World War II veterans making the journey back to Weymouth to see again the port that they left from back in 1944.

Re-enactors and vehicle drivers take part in the veterans week event in Weymouth each year.

This year’s event had nearly 100 military vehicles in the parade from ‘Willy’s’ jeeps to a rare Valentine (floating tank) taking part.

Re-enactors dressed in period uniforms also marched with the veterans adding some extra colour to the day.

Re-enactors march and ride in the parade.

Certainly, a gasp of approval went around the town’s seafront when it was announced over the public address system that a Spitfire was to make a special fly past at the start of the parade on the Sunday morning.

Both Weymouth and Portland played a key role in providing points of embarkation for the 500,000 US troops that left through the ports and the 100,000 vehicles that made the trip to Normandy with them.

US Army vehicle from World War II one of nearly 100 in the parade.

Weymouth Town Clerk Jane Biscombe said “Veterans Week is an important part of the town’s calendar and it was important in this its 75^th anniversary of D Day to make it special”.

As the British and US veterans marched along the seafront it was reminiscent of 75 years ago when US troops used the same route along the esplanade.

A former US Army GMC lorry bringing the sounds of 1944 back to the Esplanade.

The marchers were followed by dozens of World War II vehicles both US and British in tip top condition all saved by enthusiasts and were driven in the parade bringing to it an audio remembrance for those whom were there.

A rare Valentine Tank (floating tank) in the parade at Weymouth.

A museum has recently been dedicated to the US involvement at Portland and the Castletown D Day Museum is proving very popular with visitors from around the world.

One local woman Poppy Butcher was a young teenager at the time and recollected the time when Portland went quiet after the thousands of US troops that had been in the whole area suddenly left.

Poppy Butcher who was at Portland in June 1944.

She had no idea why! It was later that day when she found out when the news came on the radio that D Day had happened.

It was June 6^th 1944!