On Saturday 6th June, the Penllergare Trust will be hosting the Spirit of D-Day 2026 Event to commemorate the role Penllergare House played in the preparations for the D-Day landings and the US 5th Engineers Special Brigade who were based there as their Headquarters.
The event will start at 11am with a commemorative plaque to the 5th Engineers Special Brigade being unveiled at 12pm. On the day we will be joined by Danger UXB and their mobile museum, alongside educational and fun activities for children and families to enjoy. The event is free and will last until 3pm.
A heart of the event will be remembering the contribution that the 5th Engineers Special Brigade made and the role that Penllergare House played as their headquarters in South Wales. Please see below some details about the event and their contribution:
The Spirit of D-DAY 2026
June 6, marks the anniversary of D-Day, one of the most pivotal moments in our history. On this day in 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of Nazi-occupied Normandy, France. While the beaches of Normandy and the valour of the soldiers who stormed them are often the focus of commemorations, much less is reported on the critical role South Wales and Swansea played in the major role for the preparations for those D-Day landings.
Swansea’s Penllergare House was the Head Quarters of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade, with their 34 thousand men camped out in marshalling camps across Swansea and South Wales, who were the first to land on Omaha beach on June 6, 1944 at 06:35 a.m.
The story of D-Day is not just about the beaches and battlefields, but also of the countless individuals and communities who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Penllergare House was an integral to the success of the Allied invasion, providing the industrial might, logistical support, and training grounds necessary for victory. As we mark the anniversary of D-Day, let us remember and honour the vital contributions of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade and the people of South Wales, whose efforts helped shape the course of history.
In Honour of the Valiant Americans
of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade
Who Gave Their
Lives in the Assault on Omaha
Beach on 6 June 1944
(Photograph – Troops of the US 5th Engineer Special Brigade, wade through the surf to the northern coast of France, at Fox Green Sector of Omaha Beach, Normandy. 8 June 1944. by Paul Reynolds – Historic Military Photo Colourisations).