What life was like in South Tyneside as the Allied troops landed at Normandy on D-Day
‘So far, the commanders who are engaged, report that everything is proceeding according to plan - and what a plan!’
The world held its breath as news poured in from Normandy in 1944.
It was D-Day, one of the most historic days the world has ever seen, and yet life went on as normally as possible back on South Tyneside.
Today, 82 years on, we take a closer look at day to day life in the borough as D-Day unfolded.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the nation: "The fire of the shore batteries has been largely quelled."
"So far, the commanders who are engaged, report that everything is proceeding according to plan - and what a plan!"
There was little anyone back home could do apart from wait, hope and follow the news as best they could. One of the big releases from the toll of wartime hardships was the cinema and there were plenty of options locally.
The Savoy in South Shields was packing them out with Mickey Rooney starring in Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble with Bonita Granville as his co-star. You could watch the show continuously from 1.30pm onwards. Plus there was a supporting film with David Farrar and Anne Crawford in Headline.
If that did not take your fancy, there were films on at the Palladium, Pavilion, Plaza, Picture House, and the Palace!
Perhaps you were not well enough to venture outdoors. A cure called Phensic was being advertised in the Shields Gazette and it was said to ‘relieve neuritis or any kind of nerve or muscular pain.’ It was yours for 1/4 or 3/3.
Rations were hitting people hard by then but help was at hand. The Ministry of Food sent representatives to South Tyneside to hold free demonstrations on how to make your meagre supplies extend further. All you had to do was get along to Binns in King Street where 7 hours of free lessons were happening from 10am onwards.
On the same page, there was an advert showing people how to ‘reinforce socks before you wear them’.
The thrift message was certainly having an effect in the borough. A talk on vitamins and food values was held by Cleadon’s branch of the WI on D-Day.
And perhaps you could put off a meal for a while with a cuppa. The Shields Gazette was advertising Horniman’s Dividend Tea which was a winner because it helped to stretch your ration, said the advert.
There was page upon page of news from the battlefield to report. One war correspondent told how he had watched from the cockpit of a bomber as 'great naval and shore engagements got under way’.
Just miles away, he saw fields strewn with parachutes where Allied airborne troops had landed. And in even more fields, he saw gliders bearing the distinctive black and white zebra stripes of the D-Day invasion force.
The papers had reports on General Eisenhower’s final words to the troops, telling them: "The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory."
We would love to hear from anyone whose relatives relayed tales to them of D-Day. Tell us more by emailing [email protected]