How a tiny Scottish harbour village helped launch the biggest WW2 invasion in history

Daily Record

08-05-2025

The village, part of 'the Scottish Riviera', was a key site ahead of one of the most infamous World War II moments.
As Scotland joins the rest of the UK and their World War II allies in marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, many tales will be told of bravery and heroism. And while many of these stories will be well known and deserve their plaudits, a Scottish coastal village's importance is often overlooked.
The picturesque village of Garlieston on the Solway Firth, sometimes referred to as the 'Scottish Riviera', served as a vital secret test site for the biggest invasion in history - the D-Day landings. The Dumfries and Galloway hamlet was crucial in the year preceding the June 6, 1944, Normandy invasion.
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This tranquil village provided the proving ground for the innovative floating harbours, known as the Mulberry Harbours, that were essential for establishing a foothold on the continent. The concept of portable harbours became necessary following the costly 1942 raid on Dieppe, which highlighted the immense difficulty of capturing a heavily defended port.
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Allied planners realised that to sustain a large-scale invasion force, they would need to bring their own port infrastructure with them. Garlieston's selection as the testing location was strategic.
Its relative isolation helped ensure the utmost secrecy, keeping the crucial development work hidden from German aerial reconnaissance, which was primarily concentrated on southern England. Furthermore, the area's significant tidal range, approximately 24 feet, and its beach characteristics closely resembled the conditions anticipated on the Normandy landing beaches.
Roy Taylor, a local resident , highlighted this, stating the tidal range provided "a good analogue for what was going to be encountered over in Normandy."
He noted the local populace's "surprise" but also their "acceptance because people understood that it was part of the war effort and clearly if they had chosen Garlieston as the location then there must have been an element of secrecy required."
Throughout 1943, various designs for piers and floating roadways underwent rigorous trials in Garlieston's waters and at nearby Rigg Bay. Prototypes code named Hippo, Swiss Roll, and Spud Pier were tested, along with the floating 'Whale' roadway.
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One of the inventive solutions trialled was 'Swiss Roll', conceived by Ronald Marsden Hamilton as a straightforward method for transferring equipment from ship to shore.
Hamilton believed his invention could "revolutionise warfare" by allowing wheeled objects to traverse a canvas sheet laid on water as if it were solid ground. Following testing, it was deemed that the 'Bridge' would be "usable in all but the worst weather".
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Although the 'Swiss Roll' saw limited deployment on D-Day, the Germans reportedly learned of its existence, which contributed to Allied deception efforts regarding potential landing sites.
The trials at Garlieston were instrumental in perfecting the designs, leading to the selection of the Spud Pier combined with the Whale roadway, supported by pontoons known as "beetles". This system proved capable of adapting to the substantial tidal variations off the Normandy coast.
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The components for the full Mulberry Harbours, including blockships for breakwaters, steel bombardons to dissipate wave energy, and large concrete Phoenix caissons forming protective walls, were manufactured across the UK, with contributions from Scottish firms such as Lobnitz and Company in Renfrew and Alexander Findlay and Company of Motherwell.
These prefabricated sections were then towed across the English Channel for assembly. Two principal harbours were constructed: Mulberry A off Omaha Beach for American forces and Mulberry B, known as 'Port Winston', off Arromanches for British and Canadian forces.
While a severe storm on June 19, 1944, destroyed Mulberry A, Mulberry B withstood the tempest and became the indispensable conduit for Allied logistics.
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The Mulberry Harbours played a "pivotal" role in the success of the Normandy landings, according to Roy Taylor, by ensuring the continuous flow of vital supplies.
He emphasised the critical nature of logistics, stating, "your army is only as good as the supply lines behind it and that was really what Mulberry delivered, it was a conveyor belt of ships just coming along and disgorging stores and tanks and troops."
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Taylor concluded that they were "pivotal to keeping supply lines going after the D Day invasion and also for evacuating the wounded as well."
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Major General R W Crawford USA praised the performance of Mulberry B, describing it as "a military and naval operation unsurpassed in the history of warfare."
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Despite facing conditions beyond its design specifications, Mulberry B facilitated the landing of over 628,000 tons of supplies, 40,000 vehicles, and 220,000 troops by late October 1944, significantly contributing to the sustainment of the Allied advance.
The village's quiet contribution, born from ingenuity and secrecy on the 'Scottish Riviera', truly helped launch the invasion that paved the way for victory in Europe 80 years ago.
Remains of the prototype harbours can still be seen in Wigtown Bay, a tangible link to the vital role this small Scottish harbour village played in a turning point of the Second World War.