What was SHAEF?
During WWII, Bushy Park became home to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), led by General Dwight Eisenhower. It was here that SHAEF planned "Operation Overlord", the invasion of occupied Europe, beginning with the D-Day landings.
Camp Griffiss
In 1942, Bushy Park became the site for Camp Griffiss. Groups of buildings were built in the park during the war, which became home to SHAEF in 1944.
There was also a small airstrip used for liaison aircraft. This ran along the south side of the park, near where the playground and main car park are now located.
The two lakes and the buildings were camouflaged during the war to hide them from enemy aircraft.
The SHAEF insignia
The Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force insignia was approved by General Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1944.
Each feature of the design is symbolic of the war and the Allied Force's fight for peace. The sword represents avenging justice; the rainbow, a symbol of hope, containing colours of all the allies' national flags; and the blue, representing the peace to come.
Freedom
Running is about freedom. The freedom to move, the freedom to explore, the freedom to find our potential. Without SHAEF, and all those who gave their lives during the war, we may not have this freedom today.
We decided to name our running club in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to give us this freedom.
Monuments
Heritage plaques
In June 1994, sixteen plaques were unveiled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Each plaque is shaped like an open book, with a page number from 1-16, and marks the positions of each corner of the 4 blocks, A-D.
SHAEF monument
Unveiled at the same time as the heritage plaques, the SHAEF monument marks the site of General Dwight Eisenhower's office.
SHAEF plaque
The plaque at the SHAEF monument has an inscription that reads how for the three months leading up to the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944 Eisenhower and his staff planned the invasion of Europe.
USAAF memorial
Unveiled in August 1945, this memorial commemorates the occupation of Camp Griffiss by the United States 8th Air Forceas their headquarters during WWII.
