Where
On the seafront in Southsea, Portsmouth. Some of the D-Day troops embarked for the invasion of France, on 6 June 1944, just a few hundred yards away. The museum is in the grounds of Southsea Castle, a fortress built by Henry VIII. It is one of six museums run by Portsmouth Museums and Records Service.
What
"Our aim is to tell the story of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion," says the museum's military history officer, Andrew Whitmarsh. The museum has three distinct parts: an archive film; displays of military equipment, maps and personal accounts of D-Day; and the massive Overlord embroidery.
This 83-metre work, consisting of 34 panels, was made by artist Sandra Lawrence. "It is," says Whitmarsh, "a modern-day equivalent of the Bayeux tapestry. It's so large it stops people in their tracks."
Opened
1984, on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. This year marks the museum's 25th anniversary, which it is commemorating with various special events, including free entry on 6 June.
Collections
There are three tanks, uniforms, photographs and maps, plus written memoirs from service veterans and people on the home front and a lot of oral history testimony. There are also a number of vehicles, including a landing craft that researchers working on Saving Private Ryan studied.
Help at hand
A mixture of full-time and part-time staff, some of whom also work at Southsea Castle. "Volunteers are important, especially the members of the local branch of the Normandy Veterans' Association," says Whitmarsh.
Budget
Funded by Portsmouth City Council. Admission fees for adults are £6 each. Last year the museum got a £25,000 grant from Arts Council England for its In Stitches festival. The museum was recently awarded £50,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Discovering D-Day, a project aimed at 8-18 year olds that uses mobile technology with "tagged" objects that are read by handheld devices.
Visits
50,000 in 2008.
Highlights
"Definitely the Overlord embroidery. We've also got a Dickin, a medal that's often called the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It was awarded to a pigeon for its services on D-Day."
Survival tips "D-Day was a world-changing event, which works in our favour - people are interested," says Whitmarsh.
Sticky moment
"There was a moment some years ago when a group of very senior retired Soviet army officers visited. As they approached us in full uniform and medals clanking, I remember being terrified that we didn't have enough to show them about the USSR's contribution to the second world war. They didn't complain, though."
Current projects
Lots of redisplays of the home front material and work on interactive touchscreens.
On the seafront in Southsea, Portsmouth. Some of the D-Day troops embarked for the invasion of France, on 6 June 1944, just a few hundred yards away. The museum is in the grounds of Southsea Castle, a fortress built by Henry VIII. It is one of six museums run by Portsmouth Museums and Records Service.
What
"Our aim is to tell the story of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion," says the museum's military history officer, Andrew Whitmarsh. The museum has three distinct parts: an archive film; displays of military equipment, maps and personal accounts of D-Day; and the massive Overlord embroidery.
This 83-metre work, consisting of 34 panels, was made by artist Sandra Lawrence. "It is," says Whitmarsh, "a modern-day equivalent of the Bayeux tapestry. It's so large it stops people in their tracks."
Opened
1984, on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. This year marks the museum's 25th anniversary, which it is commemorating with various special events, including free entry on 6 June.
Collections
There are three tanks, uniforms, photographs and maps, plus written memoirs from service veterans and people on the home front and a lot of oral history testimony. There are also a number of vehicles, including a landing craft that researchers working on Saving Private Ryan studied.
Help at hand
A mixture of full-time and part-time staff, some of whom also work at Southsea Castle. "Volunteers are important, especially the members of the local branch of the Normandy Veterans' Association," says Whitmarsh.
Budget
Funded by Portsmouth City Council. Admission fees for adults are £6 each. Last year the museum got a £25,000 grant from Arts Council England for its In Stitches festival. The museum was recently awarded £50,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Discovering D-Day, a project aimed at 8-18 year olds that uses mobile technology with "tagged" objects that are read by handheld devices.
Visits
50,000 in 2008.
Highlights
"Definitely the Overlord embroidery. We've also got a Dickin, a medal that's often called the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It was awarded to a pigeon for its services on D-Day."
Survival tips "D-Day was a world-changing event, which works in our favour - people are interested," says Whitmarsh.
Sticky moment
"There was a moment some years ago when a group of very senior retired Soviet army officers visited. As they approached us in full uniform and medals clanking, I remember being terrified that we didn't have enough to show them about the USSR's contribution to the second world war. They didn't complain, though."
Current projects
Lots of redisplays of the home front material and work on interactive touchscreens.
Links
www.ddaymuseum.co.uk
Airborne Assault, the new museum for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces is reviewed in this month's issue
Museums Journal June 2009, p52
www.ddaymuseum.co.uk
Airborne Assault, the new museum for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces is reviewed in this month's issue
Museums Journal June 2009, p52
