To mark 80 years since the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, we explore the pivotal role that Group Captain J M Stagg played in the success on the Allied troops landing on the coast of Normandy, France, in the start of the campaign to liberate Europe and defeat Germany.
Photograph of British soldiers landing on the Normandy coast on D-Day
Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland (NRS), NSC1/394/26
Birth in 1900
James Martin Stagg was born on 30 June 1900, the son of Alexander Cairns Stagg, plumber, and Helen Martin. The entry in the statutory register of births for the district of Inveresk and Musselburgh in the county of Edinburgh (Midlothian) gives the place of birth as 122 New Street, Musselburgh. The informant was his father who was present at the birth.
Birth entry for James Stagg (54 KB jpeg). Crown copyright, NRS, 1900/689/220
1901 and 1911 Censuses
The following year James Stagg, aged nine months, was enumerated in the 1901 census with his parents at 6 Esk Place, Dalkeith. The census return gives the birth place of Alexander and Ellen Stagg as Midlothian, Musselburgh.
1901 Census record for James Stagg (23 KB jpeg). Crown copyright, NRS, 1901/683/3, page 19
In 1911 James, then aged 10 years old, was enumerated with his family at 153 High Street, Dalkeith. The census return records that he was at school. The household included his brother, Alexander, aged 2, and his grandfather, James Martin, 68, plasterer, working in the building trade. The 1911 census collected data on the ‘particulars of marriage’. This shows that James’ parents, Alexander and Helen, had been married for 12 years, that they had two children born alive and two children still living.
1911 Census record for James Stagg (33 KB jpeg). Crown copyright, NRS, 1911/683/7, page 24
The1921 census enumerated James Stagg as an ‘Art student’. Later that year he graduated with a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh and accepted the post of Science Master at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh.
1921 Census record for James Stagg. Crown copyright, NRS, 1921/683/27 page 27
Meteorologist
In 1924 Stagg joined the British Meteorological Office where he later became superintendent at the Kew Observatory. He was also leader of a 1932-33 British Polar Expedition to Fort Rae in North Western Canada. The aim of the expedition was to carry out a programme of observational work over a 15 month period.
By 1944 Group Captain James Stagg had gained a reputation as an experienced and proficient forecaster and was appointed Chief Meteorological Officer and adviser to General Eisenhower, supreme commander of Operation Overlord – the name for what was to become D-Day. He accompanied Eisenhower to Southwick House in Portsmouth on 2 June 1944; the location of the advanced command post of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. Stagg worked closely with the British and American forecasting centres providing data to military planners. As these parties often held conflicting opinions on the use of long range weather predictions (up to five days ahead) and upper air forecasts, it was Stagg’s responsibility to draw this conflicting advice in to an agreed statement.
The date selected by Eisenhower for Operation Overlord was 5 June 1944, however it was Stagg’s advice on weather conditions that led to the postponement of the D-Day landings from 5 to 6 June. This was arguably one of the most pivotal decisions of the war; had the invasion taken place as originally planned, the strong winds on the Normandy beaches and full and low cloud cover would have meant the operation a complete disaster.
The morning of 6 June saw the largest seaborne invasion in the history of warfare. Over 5,000 ships and landing craft were utilised by the Allied forces, landing more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. In addition, over 18,000 Allied paratroopers were dropped into the area to provide support for the infantry divisions on the beaches. Although D-Day and Operation Overlord did not directly bring an end to the war, it was a crucially important moment, being the first step towards the success of the Normandy campaign which aimed to push the allies further inland.
James Martin Stagg, Image credit: WikiCommons, Public domain
After the War this significant contribution was recognised on both sides of the Atlantic. In later years he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1951 and president of the Royal Meteorological Society in 1959. On the 75th anniversary of D-Day a memorial plaque was unveiled at Dalkeith Library.
You can find out more about his role in the article ‘How a weather forecast made history – the D-Day Landings’ and related resources on the Royal Meteorological Society’s website. [Link: https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/how-weather-forecast-made-history-d-day-landings%5D
James Martin Stagg, CB, OBE, FRSE died at Seaford, East Sussex on 23 June 1975. He was buried in Dalkeith Cemetery.
The records of the Meteorological Office 1731-2015 are held at the National Records of Scotland and can be viewed in our Historical Search Room. To peruse the collection see our online catalogue.
You can find profiles of many other interesting figures from Scottish history in the Hall of Fame A-Z section of the NRS website.
This is an extended version of the NRS Hall of Fame article previously published.
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