In 2024, Nothe Fort revealed an exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The exhibition commemorates the role of Nothe Fort and Weymouth’s residents in the preparations for the D-Day operations of 1944.

Working with an interpretation designer, the fort’s volunteer curatorial team created a visual story that allows fort visitors to get a feel for the experiences of soldiers and local people alike in the build up to Operation Overlord, the codename given to the Battle of Normandy, the WWII Allied operation that launched the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.

Local residents generously came forward to share their memories of this pivotal point in WWII when Weymouth became a key location for the arrival and departure of Allied forces preparing to invade Nazi occupied France.
The fort’s volunteer curatorial team recorded residents’ memories for posterity, and their memories are available to visitors to listen to and enjoy in a specially designed Weymouth at War section of the exhibition.

The exhibition features a series of specially edited films full of rarely seen still and moving images that capture the energetic atmosphere of Weymouth when American forces arrived and prepared for their departure to Omaha Beach in Normandy.

The exhibition includes a host of family-friendly displays carefully curated to share the story of Weymouth’s role in D-Day.

Nothe Fort is delighted to have partnered with Weymouth Museum to share their photographic collection.