Final Preparations for D-Day

19th May 1944: Last minute inspections combine with demonstration exercises as US troops begin to move to embarkation areas - and listen to 'Axis Annie'

HM King George VI and Princess Elizabeth, accompanied by RAF and Airborne officers, inspecting the detachable fuselage of Horsa I LG850, of No 22 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit at Netheravon. Part of an A-type hangar is visible in the background. 19th May 1944

Parachutists dropping before their Majesties

The King, Queen and Princess Elizabeth with camouflaged troops.

Preparations for the launch of the 'Second Front' were now well advanced and most units were as ready as they would ever be. A programme of visits to all of the troops involved, by senior officers and dignitaries, had been underway all year. Eisenhower and Montgomery had been a the forefront of such visits but the Royal Family and Prime Minister Churchill were also very busy.

Churchill demonstrating the zipper on his famous siren suit to General Dwight D Eisenhower. Photograph taken during their tour of troops preparing for D Day near Lydd and Hastings in Kent.

The 19th May 1944 was a proud day for Major General Richard 'Windy' Gale¹, who had taken charge of the newly formed 6th Airborne Division only a year before. Since then they had had to develop a wide range of new military techniques for their role in both parachute and glider landings behind enemy lines.

Their objectives for 'Overlord' had only been learnt a couple of months before and they had been engaged in intensive planning and more applied training ever since. The opportunity now came to show the Royal Family how ready they were:

I think the King and Queen and the Princess enjoyed their day with us. To us all it was a great occasion, one that I am sure none of us will ever forget. Their Majesties had tea at the Royal Air Force station at Netheravon, Air Vice-Marshal Hollinghurst’s headquarters. The whole occasion was so happily informal and gay. This, too, at the end of a long day of inspections and endless walking along lines of troops which, in spite of all the interest that there undoubtedly was, must have been tiring to the Queen.

I remember one incident. We were demonstrating to them a new method of unloading guns from the Horsa glider. Something had evidently gone wrong inside and the gunner concerned, unaware that all he said could easily be heard outside, made one or two colourful remarks about the gun lashings with which he was having difficulty.

The Queen chatting to a parachute officer in full kit just before taking off.

The King inspects glider borne lorry.

Eventually the job was done, really much quicker than it had seemed to me, who was so anxiously waiting. The Queen congratulated the gunners on their work, saying with her gracious smile, she could well guess how difficult it had been.