Castletown D-Day Centre in Portland opens for the summer on Wednesday 19th May with staff and volunteers looking forward to a busy season ahead at the award-winning visitor attraction.
The Centre delivers an immersive experience, offering young and old a unique chance to discover the important role played by the Port of Portland during the allied invasion of Northern France on D-Day in June 1944.
The exciting family attraction features an authentic recreation of the busy wartime dockyard where thousands of American troops departed for the heavily defended beaches of Nazi occupied France.
Manager John Davis said:
“Castletown D-Day Centre is a moving tribute, not only to the bravery of the thousands of troops who defended our freedom, but also to the people of Weymouth and Portland.
“The Centre is a fantastic family visitor attraction that offers an unrivalled opportunity to take a trip back in time to discover the great wartime sacrifice made by a heroic generation.”
Visitors encounter a wartime harbour scene where men and equipment are being loaded onto a landing ship moored alongside the dock, making ready for its imminent departure for the occupied beaches of Normandy.
The Centre includes an impressive array of authentic World War 2 (WW2) artefacts and vehicles, including a full-size replica Spitfire, a Bofors 40mm gun and even a restored Sherman tank, plus interactive audio-visual displays, tank tours and a D-Day bunker.
To enhance the D-Day experience, visitors are encouraged to get hands on with the equipment, climb on the vehicles and even dress up in authentic WW2 uniforms – it really is history you can handle.
The centre features new and improved displays for 2021 as well as a new addition to the vehicle collection.
Staffed by true enthusiasts, donning military costume, the Centre’s friendly and highly
knowledgeable staff and volunteers help visitors enjoy a truly immersive WW2 experience.
A collection of pre-war and wartime vintage cars from Transport of Yesteryear will also park up at the Centre on the first Saturday it opens (24 May) for visitors to discover the type of cars that would have been around in the period.
As well as five-star reviews on Google and Facebook, the D-Day Centre has also been awarded a prestigious Travellers’ Choice Award by TripAdvisor.
The centre is always looking for volunteers to join its ranks to help with a variety of roles from driving the vehicles and hoisting the flags, to welcoming visitors, delivering tank tours and much more.
From 19 May the D-Day Centre opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
The Centre is easy to find, it has a Sherman Tank parked outside Admiralty Buildings in Castletown, Portland, with free parking nearby.
Visit information, event news and contact details can be found on the Centre’s Facebook page @castletownddaycentre and website www.ddaycentre.com
