​​The Green Jackets Monument stands at the far end of the musoir of Calais’s former hovercraft base. Erected in 1951, it commemorates the British soldiers—particularly from the regiment known as the “Green Jackets”—who fell during the fierce fighting in and around Calais between 23 and 26 May 1940.

​In these critical days, French and British forces defended the city shoulder to shoulder. Their goal was to resist the rapid German advance and hold back enemy units long enough to facilitate the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk. The operation, which would later become known as Operation Dynamo, depended on the ability to maintain a corridor of retreat toward the coast. The defenders of Calais fulfilled this task at great human cost. Over 500 soldiers lost their lives in the battle for the city.

​Among the British units engaged was the Queen Victoria’s Rifles, a regiment known informally as the Green Jackets. These troops, trained in light infantry tactics and rapid deployment, played a crucial role in the defence of key points across Calais. Their sacrifice helped buy time for thousands of Allied troops to escape encirclement and cross the Channel to England.

​The monument itself incorporates the Cross of Sacrifice, a design originally created by architect Reginald Blomfield for Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries following the First World War. Though stylistically similar, the Green Jackets Monument is dedicated specifically to the memory of the Second World War and the soldiers who fell during the defence of Calais.