Exhibition on The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and D-Day opens at Warwick military museum

To mark the role played by the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the D-Day Landings in Normandy June 6 1944 80 years ago, a new exhibition has opened at the Fusilier Museum, which is on the first floor of Pageant House in Jury Street.

‘Ashore We Stumbled– The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and D-Day’ showcases 70 objects and original accounts linked to the 2nd Battalion and 1/7th’s Battalion in Normandy 1944.

Artefacts, photographs, and personal and official documents of the events help to create a picture for museum visitors of the highs and lows of the Normandy campaign.

These reveal poignant and powerful stories of bravery, tragedy, and humanity amongst soldiers of Birmingham, Coventry, and Warwickshire against the backdrop of the key turning point of the Second World War.

On June 6 1944, nearly 1,000 soldiers from the Warwickshire regiment arrived in Normandy to push the Axis forces out of then occupied France.

‘Ashore We Stumbled’ were the words recalled by Captain Harry Illing of ‘A’ Company aptly describing the nervous but determined young soldiers commencing the land invasion of occupied Europe.

A spokesperson from the Fusiliers Museum in Warwick said: “The exhibition provides fascinating insight into the experience of individual soldiers with some events which will surprise the visitor, for example, after fighting their way from the coast towards the city of Caen and losing 154 men at Lebisey Wood, the regiment stopped at Emieville for rest and ended up having a football competition wearing a football strip sent from home.

“The exhibition contains a number of striking and rare artefacts including an original ‘Rupert’ a decoy paratrooper made out of a hessian ‘man’ and cotton parachute.

"500 of these were dropped on D-Day to divert the enemy and were successful in drawing the attention of several German units away from the beaches.

"Particularly poignant is a steel helmet from D-Day with a large hole created by shrapnel from a mortar bomb.

"Also on display is a map of Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire that was discovered by the Allies in the German Headquarters in Caen – a powerful reminder of what was at stake if D-Day had failed.

“The exhibition will intrigue many, from military enthusiasts to the casually interested alike.

"It is a fascinating journey through the most critical period of WW2. It explores the personal history of soldiers in Warwickshire through one of the most widely captivating eras of recent history.”

‘Ashore We Stumbled– The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and D-Day’ exhibition is free to enter as part of the general museum admission.

Tickets to the museum are as follows: adults cost £5, concessions such as veterans, over 65s and students cost £4 and children aged under 16 can enter for free.

Tickets are valid for 12 months.

The ‘Ashore We Stumbled – The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and D-Day’ exhibition will be running at the Fusiliers Museum until September 19.

For more information go to: https://fusiliermuseumwarwick.com/

About the museum

The Fusilier Museum moved from St John’s House and reopened on the first floor of Pageant House in Warwick town centre at the end of January 2023.

One of the experiences at the museum is a replica WW1 trench where visitors can experience the sights and smells of what it was really like to be in the trenches.

The newly curated exhibition spaces include original artefacts from the 18th century through to both World Wars and most recent campaigns as well as engaging interactives and audio visuals.

The Fusilier Museum, Warwick is home to the collections of 6th Foot, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. It spans 350 years of the Royal Warwickshire’s history, from its inception in 1674 right through to the Fusiliers of today including stories from more recent conflicts in Northern Ireland, The Balkans and Afghanistan.