Knitted D-Day soldiers draw crowds - and admiration - in UK

An amazing 80m-long knitted D-Day display organised by a British woman from Normandy has now been seen by 150,000 people – and needs help from Connexion readers again.

Early this year we reported on how Tansy Forster was seeking help getting scenes created by volunteer knitters and crocheters around the UK – plus the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – to France before D-Day’s 80th anniversary.

The operation, called The Longest Yarn, was a big success with some 50-60,000 people visiting it at the church in her village, Carentan.

Mrs Forster and friends then appealed for help obtaining special exhibition boxes to carry them for future trips as the cardboard boxes used up to then were too fragile. They were successfully sourced from a firm in Orléans, she said.

Now the display has been seen by another 100,000 people in the UK, after being shown off at Southall Minster, Llandudno, the Royal Garrison Church at Aldershot and Stoke Minster (where it is currently). Future dates include Ireland and the US.

Read more: Thanks! Help found to help D-Day knitted soldiers reach France

Mrs Forster, who is retired from a holiday rentals business, said they are so delighted with the project's success that they are now planning a new display of another 80 World War Two scenes, plus six to eight life-size figures, to be called ‘Britain at War’ – and are looking for more knitters to take part. You can contact her at info@thelongestyarn.com (see also their Facebook page).

The team is also putting out a call for a ferry firm to help them in January 2025. "We're desperately trying to find a company that will take us across from England to Ireland; I've been reaching out but have only had no's so far," Mrs Forster said.

The Connexion's January edition will be reporting further on the success of the project and its future plans.

You can see little soldiers at:

• Tewkesbury Abbey (December 7 to until January 10)

• St. Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen (January 14 to February 7)

• Norwich University (February 10 to March 2)

• Peterborough Cathedral (March 3 to April 1)

They will then travel to the US on April 25 for an exhibition at Cape May, New Jersey.