The Overlord Embroidery

~ beetleypete

For D-Day, I wanted to feature this embroidered work commemorating D-Day, as it has come to my attention that not many people seem to be aware of it.

The Overlord Embroidery, echoing the Bayeux Tapestry created 900 years before to commemorate the reverse invasion of England from Normandy, is a narrative embroidery that depicts the story of the D-Day Landings of 6 June 1944 and the subsequent Battle of Normandy. The story is told across 34 hand stitched panels running in total to 83 metres in length.
The embroidery was created between 1968 and 1974, and is now on permanent display at The D-Day Story, Southsea, Portsmouth.

Overlord Embroidery

The embroidery tells the story of Operation Overlord, which was the code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The narrative begins well before the invasion, with war-time production and The Blitz. It continues through the entry of the United States into the war, and the planning and preparation of the invasion. The majority of the work covers the crossing of the English Channel by the invasion fleet and the combat once the troops landed on the French coast. The embroidery ends with a scene of British infantry advancing as German troops retreat across the Seine.

Here is a You Tube video which is not very good quality. Someone filmed it on their phone to give an idea what it is like.

It is not possible for me to do justice to this huge work on my blog, so if you are ever in the Portsmouth area of southern England, try to get to see it for yourself.

36 thoughts on “The Overlord Embroidery”

    1. No single person is credited for the embroidery, this was the official statement.

      ‘The Overlord Embroidery was stitched by a team of highly skilled women at the Royal School of Needlework in London. They used a technique called appliqué, stitching smaller pieces of fabric onto a larger background piece to recreate the pictures in Sandra’s designs.’

      Thanks very much for your comment. Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Thanks, I had never heard of it to my shame really, considering we have been to Portsmouth a good many times, been on board HMS Victory and to the Mary Rose and accidentally seen Royal Yacht Britannia sailing out on her last voyage!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You live close enough to be able to make a special trip to see this wonderful embroidery, Janet. I think it is only about one hour from Bournemouth by car, a bit longer by train.

      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. According to Wikipedia, the story is told across 34 hand stitched panels which together measure 272 feet (83 m). It’s 33 feet (10 m) longer than the Bayeux tapestry. To be honest, I’d never heard of this embroidery, so thanks for enlightening me!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Pingback: D-Day –06 June 1944 – In Saner Thought
  14. Pingback: The Overlord Embroidery | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

All comments welcome

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.