British troops storm Sword Beach, Normandy, 6 June 1944 (©IWM)
We are delighted to announce a programme of two talks in May 2024, leading up to the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
D-Day, or the Normandy landings, was the launch of Operation Overlord – the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on 6 June 1944. It was the greatest land, sea, and air operation in history and was crucial to ending the Second World War in Europe less than one year later on VE Day, 8 May 1945.
Both talks are free and in person, and take place in the museum’s historic Assembly Room. Booking is required. Doors open at 6.30pm for tea and coffee on arrival, and talks start promptly at 7pm. Please note there is no allocated seating for this event.
22/05/2024 – ‘Lisburn and the Second World War’, by Scott Edgar
Want to find out what life was like in Lisburn during the Second World War? As we near the 80th anniversary of D-Day, this talk discusses the role of Northern Ireland in the war effort and the experience of everyday people – from rations to manufacturing, airfields to the blitz, and American GIs to Dad’s Army!
Scott Edgar has been the driving force behind WartimeNI for the last 10 years, sparked by a love of local history and an inspiring visit to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014. His digital platform is the go-to place for info on all things Second World War-related in Northern Ireland.
29/05/2024 – ‘We fought on D-Day: Ulstermen in Normandy … their own words’, by Mark Scott
As we approach the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Europe, this talk draws on testimony from Northern Ireland veterans who took part in the D-Day operations. After researching their statements, never before disclosed details are revealed of action, triumph, and tragedy experienced by the men who were there.
Mark Scott is a researcher and author of two publications, ‘The man who shot the Great War’ (2016) and ‘Among the kings – the unknown warrior, an untold story’ (2020). This talk is drawn from content used in his latest book, ‘We fought on D-Day’, which is due for release on 6 June 2024.