Experience the Dorchester D-Day Theatre Trail Online!

A unique, free experience

The town of Dorchester played a big part in the preparations for D-Day. The population of Dorchester and the surrounding villages swelled with the influx of American GI’s in the run up to the event. Tanks lined the streets, soldiers filled the pubs, war time romances flourished at dances and children enjoyed the sweets handed out by the American soldiers. Officers were positioned at Keep Military Museum. Despite objections from the Dorchester community, the American Military insisted on keeping the Black and White GI’s separated whilst they stayed in the area. However, there are wonderful stories of friendships, parties and sharing of songs and stories between the Black GI’s and Dorchester residents to remember.

In June 2024, to commemorate 80 years since the D-Day landing, Dorchester came together through a unique, free experience as local actors and scriptwriters revived incredible stories collected of life in Dorchester in the run-up to D-Day and performed these in a series of seven short plays in seven unique locations across the town.

People were invited to come along the immersive theatre trail to travel back in time and experience Dorchester when American GI soldiers were stationed in and around the town and when anticipation and gossip was building about the big secret operation.

You can experience the D-Day Immersive Theatre Trail today through the resources and videos below, so that you too can travel back in time and experience life in Dorchester in the run up to D-Day.

So many wonderful people have been involved in this special community project. Dorchester Town Council would like to thank:

• Heritage Lottery for the grant that made this project and these performances possible
• Penny Levick who has worked incredibly hard as Theatre Director working with all of the actors, writers and directors
• All of the actors, writers and directors. Who have all embraced the research and rehearsed tirelessly to create these brilliant performances for free
• History Students from Bournemouth University: Macy Patten, Molly Butcher, Jack Ralph and Thomas Barry
• Keep Military Museum and Dorset History Centre for working with the students from Bournemouth University to access the relevant research and for helping to bring the whole project together
• Louisa Adjoa Parker for consulting with us on the African-American GI experience in Dorchester
• Dorchester Arts for allowing free rehearsal space
• Pageant Productions and members of their filmmaking club for adults with learning disabilities – for filming and editing the theatre trail plays.
• All of the voluntary stewards
• Our venues: The King’s Arms, Borough Gardens Staff, Tom Browns Pub, Brewery Square, and Dorset Museum and Art Gallery for hosting the performances for free and allowing us rehearsal time at each venue as well

I’ll Be Seeing you

Dorchester welcomed thousands of American troops, including many African Americans, in he lead up to D-Day. This one man show explores the impact of this moment in history through a heartfelt story of love, loss and a search for identity.

Performed at The King’s Arms, 30 High East Street

Written and devised by Perwina Whitmore and Neville Connor

Performed by Neville Connor

Historical context:
When American troops began to land on British soil to help in the war effort, they brought with them African American GIs that were segregated under the Jim Crow law that was still active in America. However, as we have learnt through Louisa Adjoa Parker’s brilliant book “1944 We Were Here: Afircan American GIs in Dorset”, the people of Dorchester we shocked by the segregation rules and the African American GIs were given the same welcome as the white GIs in Dorchester. Louisa’s book also looks at relationships between local residents and African American GIs, which were sometimes romantic. As a result, a number of mixed- heritage babies were born. These children were described at the time as “brown babies” and mothers of these babies experienced huge social stigma. The play explores this theme in a very personal way.

View the recorded version of this play below:

‘Caught the bug’

In the Dorchester Steam Laundry Company the ladies are working twice as hard as the town is twice as full. But who left a stocking behind the bins? Who was spotted kissing a GI? And will they master the jitterbug steps before the dance? Join us as we explore the women’s world of wartime Dorchester.

Performed at at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery

Written by Emily MacBean. Directed by Penny Levick

Performed by Sharon Cox-Button, Ruth Beswarick, Elisa Terren, Emily MacBean, Carole Jardine, Serena Kiggel Terren, Emilio Kiggell Terren

Historical context from the Bournemouth University Student research:
Local women would meet at the laundry to talk to each other, which made the laundrette a lovely place for a nice chat and a gossip about life in Dorchester! Dances were a highlight of wartime social life so were
discussed frequently!

There were GIs living in and around Dorchester. Local resident Colin Rolls, who was 5 years old at the time, remembers “In every copse there were U.S. military vehicles of all types parked up and covered in camouflage nets, with small groups of soldiers sitting around.”

All of these soldiers needed food and services and the people of Dorchester were there to help. Bakers baked extra bread. Colin Rolls also recalls “A baker’s shop (called Lewis’s I think) with a bakery behind and
every day U.S. lorries would back up to an open window and the soldiers would form a chain and pass the loaves, two at a time, to their colleagues in the truck.”

In May of 1939 a group called ‘The Women’s Voluntary Service for Civil Defence’ or ‘The Widows, Virgins and Spinsters’ was formed who worked hard to help provide for soldiers on the front, such as by sewing
clothes.

The GIs had sweets, stockings, gum and cigarettes. Rationing in Britain at the time meant that treats were limited and therefore, the generous American’s handing out treats was very exciting for children and
adults in Dorhcester.

One little girl named Jennifer was 6 at the time and remembers “As we had an empty garage, the soldiers used to use it at night, to brew up coffee, play cards and listen to the radio. When they left, a sack of coffee was left as a thank you. Ground coffee was not something housewives were used to in 1944 England.”

We came across the recollections of Berenice Jean Matthews, who was in her teens at D-Day, her family moved to Dorch from Weymouth in 1943 due to bombings. She remembers “Two brawny Scottish soldiers
were sent to lodge with her family. They would “go out every night to scale the cliffs at Lulworth or there abouts. They slept most of the day leaving their mock ammo in my mother’s shopping basket in the kitchen!”

View the recorded version of this play below:

Which Way’s the Way to Weymouth

A slapstick comedy following two bumbling military policemen tasked with directing convoys to the Normandy beaches, all while contending with a cantankerous farmer and his wayward cows.

Performed at Drey Horse Yard, Brewery Square outside Pizza Express
Written by Victoria Bowles. Directed by Penny Levick and Alastair Braidwood
Performed by Jordan Wiseman, Theo Beswarick, Alastair Braidwood

Historical context from the Bournemouth University Student research:

When the American soldiers came over to Dorchester, they didn’t just rely on the local police to keep themselves in line. They also brought along their special Military Police known locally as “snowdrops”. Two vivid memories from local residents have been used by scriptwriter Victoria Bowles to create this short comedy play. The first is from local resident Colin Rolls, who was 5 years old at the time. “We spent much time at Fordington Cross, where on each day there were two U.S, military policemen, we called them ‘snowballs’, because they had white helmets! They were on duty to direct, numerous convoys of tanks and other vehicles passing through (presumably on their way to Weymouth). They took it in turns to direct the traffic and they were very friendly towards us.”

The second is from Berenice Jean Matthews who was a teen at the time. She recalls “Farmer Daubeney had his cows grazing in the fields near Grey’s Bridge. They had to be milked twice a day which meant walking them up to Fordington Hill and back. This was very hectic with all the military convoys, police wanted them to stop because they were slow and in the way, but “you can’t explain this to an animal”.

View the recorded version of this play below: