Themes
D Day
The greatest number of Wrens to be concentrated on a single project were those employed as part of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of the Normandy beaches in France during June 1944.
The build up of forces towards D Day began in early 1943. This dictated where many Wrens were to serve. The greatest demand for Wrens within Great Britain came from the Combined Operations bases and establishments. The Portsmouth Command had priority drafting as the build up concentrated in this area, both for new entries and for those drafted in from other Commands.
Coastal areas of Britain closed for some time in advance of the main operation due to security reasons. Wrens were unable to go home for any reason if this meant them leaving the closed area. Those within the closed area had special identity cards issued to them.
