On the grass next to the beach, on the Mortehoe road just past the TIC and car parks off the Esplanade.

The memorial consists of two tall irregular shape stones placed next to each other standing on a circular area made of bricks. One of the stones is rough-hewn and the other is smooth which holds five metal plaques that are inscribed in English in incised lettering. The memorial was unveiled in May 1992.

The shores of Braunton Burrows, in North Devon, were of great importance during the Second World War. In 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Thompson had to train American soldiers in preparation for the final invasion of Normandy.

The similarity to the coasts of Normandy made North Devon an ideal location. The entire coastal area from Braunton Burrows to Morte Point was assigned to the American Army as Assault Training Centre (A.T.C.).

The Assault Training Centre moved its headquarters from Grosvenor Square to Woolacombe and many thousands of troops, landing craft, and tanks moved into the area.

The northern end of Woolacombe Beach was used as a demolition training area.

Morte Point was used as a target for anti-tank guns and ship’s artillery and served as an area for air support demonstrations.

The headquarters of the ATC were based at The Woolacombe Bay Hotel, and soon this picturesque coastal area saw thousands of troops and tanks move in. Over ten thousand troops were reported to have passed through the ATC during its six months based in the area. The ATC trained commanders and machine-gun, mortar, rocket launcher, demolition, and flamethrower teams in the assault techniques they would need to overwhelm the defenders of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, d-dayinfo.org, www.historyextra.com

Source of photo: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register

Plaque 1:

THE WOOLACOMBE MEMORIAL

Plaque 2:

IN THE AUTUMN OF 1943 THE UNITED STATES ARMY

ASSAULT TRAINING CENTRE WAS ESTABLISHED AT WOOLACOMBE WITH

HEADQUARTERS IN THE VILLAGE AND ENCOMPASSED WOOLACOMBE AND

SAUNTON SANDS, THEIR ADJACENT HINTERLANDS,

AND THE SEA APPROACHES.

Plaque 3:

ON THE SIXTH OF JUNE 1944 THREE ALLIED ARMIES - BRITISH,

CANADIAN AND AMERICAN INVADED THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE

OVER THE HEAVILY FORTIFIED BEACHES OF NORMANDY.

IT WAS THE GREATEST AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT IN MILITARY HISTORY AND

WAS A DECISIVE BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II.

Plaque 4:

THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE THOUSANDS OF

AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHOSE PREPARATION ON THE SANDS OF

WOOLACOMBE AND SAUNTON IN THE THE MONTHS PRECEDING D-DAY

CARRIED THEM TO GLORIOUS VICTORY ON THE SANDS OF NORMANDY.

Plaque 5:

COMMISSIONED AND PRESENTED BY

STANLEY V. PARKIN OF PARKIN ESTATES, WOOLACOMBE

DEDICATED BY BRIGADIER-GENERAL PAUL W. THOMPSON

U.S. ARMY RETIRED COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

ASSAULT TRAINING CENTRE, 1943 - 1944