The Normandy Memorial Wall

The D-Day landings in June 1944 were the single largest seaborne assault ever undertaken, involving 156,000 Allied soldiers being put ashore with countless sailors and airmen at sea and in the air. The men and women of the Normandy campaign of June to August 1944 hold a special place in the nation’s heart. With your help they will be honoured and treasured forever at The D-Day Story. To help raise funds for an ongoing education programme and in conjunction with the re-opening of The D-Day Story, Portsmouth, a memorial wall has been created on which the names of those who took part, regardless of nationality and arm of service, can be recorded.

Families and friends of those who took part in the campaign are invited to commission the engraving and installation of a brick bearing the name and unit of the person they wish to honour and remember.

In addition, the participation and sacrifice of military units can be recorded by having their crest or badge installed on a larger plaque.

We request a minimum donation of £100 (for individual names) or £500 (for unit badge plaques) to cover the cost of engraving; installation and maintenance; and enable the Trust to support The D-Day Story. All contributions are much appreciated. Larger donations will enable us to further support the work of The D-Day Story.

Normandy Memorial Wall bricks and unit badge plaque

Application Form

Open as a PDF or Word Document.

How to register your interest

If you would like your brick to be installed before the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6 June 2024, please make your application and donation by 15 April 2024. Due to the high number of applications for bricks that we are currently receiving, it may be several weeks before we are able to confirm the wording on your brick. We still welcome applications made after 15 April, but it is likely that the bricks will be installed later than 6 June.

Applications, together with your donation, may be made by downloading and printing a copy of the Application Form, and sending it to the Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust as described below.

On receipt, arrangements will be made for an engraved brick slip (for individual names) / plaque (for unit badges) to be engraved and you will be notified once it has been installed.

How to make your Normandy Memorial Wall donation to the Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust

• In person at The D-Day Story.
  Please complete the form and hand it to staff at The D-Day Story during normal opening hours. You can donate by credit card, cash or cheque (cheque payable to ‘Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust’).
• By email.
  Download the form as a Word Document and, once completed, email it to mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
• By bank transfer to Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust (sort code 56-00-64, account no. 41322487).
  Please give the veteran’s name as the payment reference.
• By post.
  Please make your cheque payable to ‘Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust’ and send to: Portsmouth D-Day Museum Trust, c/o Portsmouth Museum, Museum Road, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ. Please write the veteran’s name on the back of the cheque for reference and enclose a completed Application Form.

Further information

Whose names are eligible to go on the wall?

The Normandy Memorial Wall is intended for the names of anyone who took part in the Normandy campaign and for members of civilian supporting organisations, regardless of nationality and arm of service.

What format should be used for the person’s name?

Due to space limitations and for consistency we can only include the person’s first name (or nickname) and surname, no more than 17 characters in total including spaces. Please contact us in advance of your donation if you want to discuss this. Also contact us to discuss designs if you’re enquiring about a unit badge plaque. Ranks or post-nominal letters such as medals are not included.

What does the “killed in action” question mean?

A mark on the brick will indicate those individuals who were killed in action or who died of wounds sustained during the fighting from D-Day onwards.

I am not sure what unit my friend/relative served with

If you want to check the unit that an individual was serving with in Normandy, see the Family History section of our website. For individuals who served in British units, we recommend you obtain a copy of their service record from the UK Ministry of Defence, as explained on that web page (for other countries, comparable records are held elsewhere).

How quickly will the brick or plaque be in place?

New bricks and plaques will be installed at regular intervals once they have been engraved. You will be notified once yours has been installed. Please contact us in advance of your donation if you are hoping that the brick or plaque will be installed by a specific date.

We reserve the right to refuse donations if the proposed details may offend.