Wakefield and the D-Day Landing Craft
With the 80th anniversary of D-Day on the 6th June being much in the news this week, did you know that Wakefield played a crucial part in preparing for the D-Day landings? The Wakefield company Drake and Warters were contracted to build 72 of the needed Landing Craft. 800 girls were taken on to provide the labour.
There is a downloadable article by Paul Dawson can be found on our pages about the Waterfront, and some images of a landing craft being launched in 1943
A short news film by British Pathé showing the landing craft being made can be found at:
https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/188057/
The last surviving D-Day landing craft is at Portsmouth:
https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/last-surviving-d-day-landing-craft-opens-portsmouth – :~:text=Six-year project to restore,Day Story museum in Portsmouth.