The Overlord Embroidery |
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Since its inception, one of the most remarkable things about it, I have found, is how it fired the imagination of young people. If, in the years ahead, I can bring home to succeeding generations the message of sacrifice and selflessness displayed by those who took part in Overlord, it will have achieved more than I could ever dared for. We, with all our troubles that beset our world, lead our lives for good or ill with freedom still to make some degree of choice. We tend to forget that this freedom would not be with us still, had evil triumphed in those days.” |
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Once, having been approved by the Overlord Embroidery advisory committee, the paintings where then handed over to the Royal School of Needlework. It took four years for the twenty five highly skilled needlewomen to complete this magnificent embroidery. It is the largest work of its kind in the world, 272 feet in length, and it is 33 feet longer than the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. The Overlord Embroidery is housed in the D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England. |
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Photographs above: Lord Dulverton at Batsford park. |
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Photograph above: is the painting of Panel Number 32, ‘Totalize’ submitted to the Royal School of Needlework. |
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The Embroidery incorporates portraits of World War 11 leaders: His Majesty King George V1; Prime Minister Churchill; Field Marshal Montgomery; General Eisenhower & Vice Admiral Mountbatten. |
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Above, detail of painting for Panel Number 28. King George V1 visits the invasion beaches on June 16th 1944 and Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Brooke on the 12th of June. In this panel they are shown together with General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery. |
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This great work has been exhibited at:- The Pension Building, Washington, D.C. USA |
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Above photograph: the Overlord Embroidery in situ at the D-Day Museum. |
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The Overlord Embroidery Paintings are displayed along the walls of one of the major thoroughfares in the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. The painting were stored in a bank vault until 1991 when they were acquired by the Sir David Wills Charitable Trust. In 1994 the late Sir David presented the Paintings to Doctor William Perry, the US Secretary of state for Defense, when they met in Portsmouth during the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The paintings were flown to the United States by the RAF and put on permanent display in the Pentagon. |
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Above photograph: The Overlord Embroidery paintings displayed in the Pentagon. |
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Images are reproduced by kind permission of the Portsmouth Museum & Record Service and the Dulverton Trust. |
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sandralawrence@bigfoot.com ©sandra lawrence |
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Click here to go to the D-Day Museum web site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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