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| © IWM (IWM FLM 4015) HMS Belfast at anchor off the Normandy beachhead |
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| 'I REMEMBER FEELING SO SORRY FOR THOSE MEN ON THE LANDING CRAFT' |
HMS Belfast led the fleet responsible for supporting the British and Canadian assaults on Gold and Juno beaches. She first opened fire at 5.27am on 6 June 1944.
The ship is sometimes misreported to have been the first to open fire on D-Day. She was in fact meant to fire the first shots of D-Day, but another ship stole her thunder by about a minute.
Ted Cordery was Leading Seaman Torpedoman on board HMS Belfast when the Allies launched the invasion of France. He recounted watching landing craft pass the ship, knowing the dangerous task the troops they carried would face once they landed on the beaches.
'I remember feeling so sorry for those men on the landing craft, because they were loaded up with guns and material packs. Like the army do, they tend to load their men up. A lot of them were probably very sea sick, because the flat bottom boats were very bumpy.
I was looking at them as we were passing and thinking, some of those men are probably having a terrible time now and when they’re dropped off they’ve got to start fighting! It’s asking a lot isn’t it.' |
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D-DAY 75 ON
HMS BELFAST |
| From 1 – 9 June we will retell the extraordinary land, air and sea story through our three historic sites. Come on board HMS Belfast and explore her D-Day history, through special collections items and activities. |
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HMS Belfast came under occasional fire from German artillery and dive-bombers, but was unscathed as it continued to bombard German positions. She was targeted by German aircraft once, but their bombing run missed.
As one of the larger warships present at D-Day, HMS Belfast had a fully equipped sick bay staffed by surgeons. This meant it also played a medical role on 6 June 1944, beginning to take on board casualties from 1pm.
HMS Belfast was almost continuously in action over the five weeks after D-Day, and fired thousands of rounds from her guns in support of Allied troops fighting their way inland.
On 8 July 1944, she fired her last rounds of the war in European waters in support of heavy fighting for the city of Caen.
Two days later the battle lines had moved beyond the range of HMS Belfast’s 6-inch guns, and she set sail for Plymouth Devonport for a refit.
Get HMS Belfast's full D-Day story. Book your visit today. |
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| BLOCK UNIVERSE |
22-28 May, 2-6pm daily at IWM London. Artist Alexandra Pirici presents the artwork Leaking Territories (2017).
Bringing her ongoing action to London for the first time as part of Block Universe, London's leading international performance art festival. |
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