D-Day anniversary and Titanic memories in super Southampton

Ask most people about Southampton and eyes light up at the thought of a couple of dreamy weeks spent cruising to some exotic places, whilst enjoying the food and entertainment on a floating luxury hotel.

More than two million people pass through Europe’s cruise capital each year - but few linger long enough to enjoy the delights of a city awash with surprises.

And they are missing a treat.

Where else could you enjoy a classy Full English breakfast in a historic hotel where Titanic passengers stayed the night before some sailed to their doom?

Where could you examine a brick wall where scores of US troops scratched their names before heading off to D-Day 80 years ago and wondered if they would ever return?

And where, too, can you savour a bygone trip on a 1950s chugging steamship as you pass by some of those giant cruise liners that now ply the world’s seaways?

During three fascinating days, I took a deep dive with my partner and photographer Sue Mountjoy into the Southampton that cruise passengers often miss - and I came up utterly entranced.

Our base was the White Star Tavern, now a well-appointed and characterful boutique hotel, where – in its previous guise as the Alliance Hotel – some of those ill-fated second and third class Titanic travellers awoke on April 10, 1912, and carried their luggage to the ‘unsinkable’ liner that went down in an Atlantic ice field just four days later.

Their tragic story is one of so many historic events that are engraved – like the names of those Second World War soldiers on the poignant ‘American Wall’ – in the very fabric of a city shaped by the deep waters that kiss its toes.

At the fascinating SeaCity Museum, as well as in the glorious Tudor House and Garden and on one of guide Nigel Philpott’s See Southampton tours, we learned of the countless Invaders – from the Romans to the Normans – who have sailed up its sheltered approaches to batter its buildings and subdue its people while, in the other direction, have gone countless armies, from the longbowmen of Agincourt to the 3.5 million Allied troops who passed through in the Second World War.

Much of that past is unsung. Who among us knew the Spitfire was designed and built there (see the big aviation collection at the Solent Sky Museum)? Or that the Pilgrim Fathers first set sail for America from there in the Mayflower? Or that literary giant Jane Austen lived there for a couple of years, or that Shakespeare himself may have had a drink in its ancient Red Lion pub?

Easily walkable, the city is awash with superb parks and gardens (we enjoyed a picnic in the one named after local notable Lord Palmerston, the 19th century statesman) as well as having remarkably intact medieval city walls and wine vaults (which saved thousands of sheltering locals during the heavy Nazi blitz).

Yet, it was the modern city that also grabbed our attention: a sunny evening cocktail can be had at the Ocean Village yacht marina; and the luxurious West Quay shopping centre (think John Lewis, Apple and Victoria’s Secret) is the best on the south coast, but also throws in plenty of food and entertainment (like Kwackers Kitchen and Sports Bar where we dived into a rice bowl and a Katsu curry while watching Spurs hammer Nottingham Forest on the big screens!).

Out on the water too, you can enjoy a fun trip with a few hours on the 75-year-old SS Shieldhall, the largest working steamship in Europe, which will be one of the stars of D-Day 80 when it will operate two themed cruises about the Normandy mission this June.

As we enjoyed a classic final night dinner at the White Star Tavern, we imagined those Titanic passengers who had also dined there, filled with excitement and anticipation of their voyage to America, 112 years ago. Just like those nervous D-Day soldiers in 1944, many would never return.

We raised a glass to their memory and we pledged that to Southampton, a place with so many hidden fascinations, we certainly would come back.

D-Day operation

On D-Day, 80 ago on June 6, Allied forces swept ashore on the beaches of Normandy in the biggest amphibious invasion in history.

A vast armada of warships had set sail the previous day and night from Southampton and other British ports, carrying hundreds of thousands of troops, tanks and artillery in Operation Overlord.

Elderly D-Day veterans will join the commemoration ceremonies in Southampton and across Europe, notably on Normandy's Omaha Beach, where world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, will be present.

Fireworks, marching bands and military parades will be among the services to be held on the day, which is expected to be the last major anniversary event marking this momentous campaign.

Factfile

For plenty of information about the city’s attractions and booking your stay, go to https://visitsouthampton.co.uk

Check out the short-break deals at the central and very comfortable White Star Tavern: https://www.whitestartavern.co.uk (Tel: 0203 80821990).

If you want to take a guided D-Day or other themed walk: https://www.seesouthampton.co.uk

To book a D-Day or other steamship trip: https://ss-shieldhall.co.uk

SeaCity Museum: https://seacitymuseum.co.uk

Solent Sky Museum: https://www.solentsky.org

Tudor House: https://tudorhouseandgarden.com

Kwackers Kitchen and Sports Bar: https://kwackers.co.uk