Second World War (1939-1945)
The Navy in European Waters  - D-Day and the Normandy Landings

Over 100 Canadian warships and some 10,000 Canadian sailors supported D-Day, the 6 June 1944 landings in Normandy. Canadian ships and sailors helped protect the invasion fleet, cleared German minefields, and ferried Allied troops across the Channel.

Southampton Pub, D-Day Plus One

Tom Wood's watercolour depicts civilians and Allied sailors celebrating in Southampton, England, on 7 June 1944, the day after the D-Day landings.

Among the sailors are Canadians (far left and far right), an American (at the piano), and a Free French sailor (centre, with red pom-pom on cap). Ports like Southampton, on England's south coast, were essential to the success of the landings and subsequent campaign in Normandy. They were often visited by sailors from Canada and other Allied nations.

Southampton Pub, D-Day Plus One
Painted by Tom Wood in 1944
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-4911