Most of the planning for D-Day took place at headquarters in and near London. At the time when the D-Day landings were launched, however, the Allied commanders wanted to be closer to the assault troops and the ports from which they would leave. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower – the Supreme Allied Commander – and General Sir Bernard Montgomery – commander of the Allied ground forces – therefore moved their headquarters to the area around Southwick House. The Allied naval commander, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, already had his headquarters there.
In the days leading up to D-Day, the Allied commanders (led by Eisenhower) met here to take the decision to launch D-Day. The original date for D-Day was 5 June, but the commanders judged that the weather would be too bad to begin the landings then, and they were postponed by 24 hours. The weight of this decision fell on the shoulders of General Eisenhower, and it is hard to imagine how great a burden this must have been.
Eisenhower and Montgomery’s headquarters were not actually in Southwick House, but were hidden away in several woods nearby.
| Address | Southwick, Fareham, Hampshire PO17 6EJ, UK |
| County | Hampshire |
| Location type | Headquarters Site |
| Access | Private |
| Site Ownership and Access Information | Southwick Park, the site that includes Southwick House, is within the grounds of the Defence College of Policing and Guarding. The D-Day wall map at Southwick House can be viewed by the public, but access is by prior appointment only. Please do not try to visit without an appointment. |
| Contact details | To visit Southwick House, please contact the Defence School of Policing and Guarding to make a booking. This can only be done by email at: DSPG-HQ-Information@mod.uk. |
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