“Remarkable” exhibition in wool showcases secret role of North Wales in success of D-Day landings

A landmark exhibition will showcase the vital role played by a North Wales town in the success of the D-Day landings which turned the tide of the Second World War.

The artificial Mulberry Harbours, developed under a cloak of secrecy in Conwy, were a key element in the success of the largest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted and marked the beginning of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.

To mark the 80^th anniversary of the invasion, the story of the events of June 6, 1944, and its aftermath is being told in a giant 80-metre long display that will be on show in Llandudno from October 2 to 27.

The exhibition is being organised by the local community action group, the Friends of Mostyn Street, and will include a series of 80 metre-long 3D panels recreating the historic scenes in wool, all knitted and crocheted by an army of 2,000 volunteers from across the world.

Alongside it at the town’s Holy Trinity Church for the first time will be an accompanying panel featuring the famous Mulberry Harbours built on Conwy Morfa.

The display, that’s even longer than the Bayeux Tapestry, will be the centrepiece of a series of events taking place in Llandudno to commemorate D-Day and the 80 panels signify the 80 days it took the Allies to fight their way across France to Paris.

The new panel, knitted and crocheted by Creadigol Criccieth Creative, a team of up to 25 women from Criccieth, will depict the launching of the prototype concrete Mulberry Harbour at Conwy Morfa where almost 1,000 people worked on the project from 1942 to 1944.

The concrete pontoons were set up at Gold Beach near Arromanches on the Normandy coast was used for 10 months after D-Day and landed over two million men, four million tons of supplies and half a million vehicles.

Bringing the free exhibition to Llandudno has been made possible thanks to £20,000 in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Creu Conwy Town Team, Llandudno Town Council and Llandudno Hospitality Association.

Among the aims is to attract more visitors to the resort during the autumn to provide a boost to local businesses.

The driving force behind Llandudno’s role in the commemoration, one of only a handful of places in the UK to host The Longest Yarn, has been Gini Rivers, one of the founders of the Friends of Mostyn Street.

She said: “The Mulberry Harbour was first developed by a Welsh speaking civil engineer, Iorys Hughes, from Bangor, who transformed the Morfa area into a huge construction site.

“Meanwhile, the Home Front Museum is here in Llandudno and so is the Blind Veterans Association while US Army medics trained here before the invasion.

“The Longest Yarn, a play on the title of the epic D-Day film The Longest Day, tells the story and nothing has been attempted like this since the Bayeux tapestry was created.

“But in Llandudno we believe in always going that little bit further and the knitters from Criccieth have also created the Gown of Poppies which has a 60 foot long train and has been to France for The Longest Yarn launch and will be on display in Llandudno in October.

“The aim is for the whole town to get into the spirit of things with local businesses being encouraged to embrace the D-Day theme throughout the month, with 1940s themed music and window displays.

“The exhibition will be free to access with donations to local causes and appropriately the annual Poppy Appeal.”

Creadigol Criccieth Creative was launched in the town during Covid lockdown to bring local women together through their craft skills of knitting and crochet and was the brainchild of retired executive Pam Mayo, Dr Catrin Jones and local artist Ffion Gwyn.

They had made a woollen tapestry of the town and turned their attention to making a panel depicting the launch of the first Mulberry Harbour.

Pam Mayo said: “Criccieth Crafters all started on Remembrance Day in 2019 when the three of us got together and decided to set the group up and to make the Gown of Poppies.

“We have also knitted and crocheted the metre-long panel which depicts the launch of the first Mulberry Harbour at Conwy with the huge bow wave it set off as it went into the water.

“The dress had taken us six months and the panel took another six months and it’s been a lovely thing to be involved with. We’ve made lifelong friendships out of it.

“It’s lovely to be involved in a project like this and we’ve built real friendships.”

Llandudno is one of just four places in the UK to host The Longest Yarn exhibition and there are plans to take to America next year.

Gini Rivers added: “We will celebrate our history of building the miraculous Mulberry Harbours and our local wartime Home Front efforts, including the Coast Artillery  Training School, the fact the Inland Revenue and Ministry of Food were based in the area and the story of the relocation of sections of the BBC to the area.

“There will be further events planned alongside the exhibition of the Longest Yarn and the Friends of Mostyn Street are working with many local organisations to make this happen.”

For more information about The Longest Yarn exhibition that’s on between October 2 and 27 go to https://friendsofmostynstreet.co.uk/the-longest-yarn-project/ and to https://www.facebook.com/groups/fomsllandudno/?locale=en_GB