Impact of war

Southampton remembers Post war rebuilding Send this story to a friend Printer-friendly version

Southampton remembers

Dock memorial

In total over 600 civilians died in Southampton in air raids and over 900 buildings were destroyed. For instance, near the Art Gallery in the Civic Centre many children lost their lives when a bomb landed. The War left a scar on the city that is still visible. 

Today you can visit the plaques commemorating Operation Overlord and the presence of troops in Southampton. You can even see graffiti written by troops waiting to embark for war carved into a wall preserved at the Grand Harbour Hotel.  

A memorial book can be seen in the Civic Centre of Southampton. In its pages are the names of all the civilians that died during raids on the city. A different page is displayed every day. The dead are also honoured and remembered at the annual Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph. It was originally built for the fallen of the First World War by the same artist that created the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Edward Lutyens. In recent years two plinths have been added to commemorate all those that died in the Second World War.

The Cenotaph, Southampton

Southampton remembers Post war rebuilding Send this story to a friend Printer-friendly version