D-Day Is Coming Podcast – Episode 1 – The Forest In The War

Cleaning a typical searchlight setup for illustrative purposes only. These photos are not from the New Forest. We aim to replace them with location specific photos when they are uncovered. Credit: Imperial War Museum H10006

D-Day is coming

In June 1944 the largest armada in history left the coast of England for the shores of France with the hope of this being the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Those that already lived here saw massive changes to their once quiet forest as the New Forest played a vital role in this epic endeavour by giving a home to the thousands of troops about to leave our shores, many of them never to return.

The New Forest Remembers WWII project has recorded over 80 hours of oral history interviews, the majority of them conducted by volunteer members of the project’s Oral History Team. Edited highlights of these interviews and their full transcriptions are being uploaded to the project’s Interactive Portal, an online digital archive holding a raft of documents, photos, film footage and archaeological survey data all relating to the New Forest During the Second World War.

Two of the team’s volunteers have produced three podcasts visiting the memories of those that lived, worked and played in the Forest in the build up to D-Day.

Episode 1 – The Forest in the War

The war begins, evacuees, bomb shelters, gas masks and rationing. Troops and the Americans arrive, the Forest became less quiet. But hush it’s SECRET!

Picture credit: Imperial War Museum (IWM H 1291)

This is the first of a series of three Podcasts for the New Forest Remembers World War II Project. All Material Copyright New Forest National Parks Authority.

You can listen to the other two here:

Episode 2 – The Build Up of Troops

Episode 3 – D-Day

You can find out more about the New Forest’s vital role in D-Day from Mulberry Harbour, to holding camps, road widening, advanced landing grounds, PLUTO and Embarkation by visiting our main page on D-Day in the New Forest.

 

 

Date: 1944
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