Contributor: NFNPA Archaeology

Bisterne Advanced Landing Ground Overview

Bisterne Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) was constructed in the spring and summer of 1943 in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe. However, it was not occupied until March 1944 when three US squadrons of the 50th Fighter Group arrived. These squadrons were equipped with Thunderbolt fighters and flew numerous missions over the D-Day period, before all of them departed to France.

The airfield had experienced numerous problems during its brief career – the runways regularly broke up during landing and the east west runway was eventually abandoned. The airfield was totally vacant by the end of June and was returned to arable in the late summer of 1944.

ALGs were not designed as anything more than temporary airfields. The landing strip was made of steel mesh pinned to the ground with large stakes that could be removed when the airfield was closed. As such they leave little evidence of their past on the ground. However, hard-core was used at Bisterne to counter the problem of the disintegrating runway and this proved harder to remove. Eventually the runway tracking, hard-core and other elements were simply piled in a long bank on the east side of the main runway.

A number of APs (Aerial Photographs) of sites in the New Forest, taken during or just after WWII, have become available (from English Heritage) via the American Air Museum website.  We are adding these to the online archive as they become available. We have had to reduce the size of some of them, to see them at full resolution visit www.americanairmuseum.com.

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.

The Other New Forest Advanced Landing Grounds

Lymington

Needs Ore

Winkton

Braxton Pillbox

A pillbox (variant) is built in to the side of a barn at Braxton.

The pill box is visible from the road.

PLEASE NOTE THIS PILLBOX IS ON PRIVATE LAND. THERE IS NO ACCESS WITHOUT LANDOWNERS PERMISSION

This Pillbox is one of many that can be found as you travel from Milford on Sea/Barton on Sea north up to the Avon Valley towards Breamore. Some of the others are linked below

If you have anymore information about this or other local pillboxes please add your comments below or contact us on archaeology@newforestnpa.gov.uk

Further New Forest Pillboxes

Milford on Sea

Taddiford Gap

 

Ashley

Redbridge

Hinton

Breamore

Bridge widening in the build up to D-Day

The build up to D-Day was not just about the build up of forces and the collection of men, armaments, Mulberry Harbours, and landing craft in the Forest and along the coast. An essential part was the work required to keep the roads open and in useable condition for local residents as well as essential troop and supply movement.

 

Following text is based on extracts from an article: Hampshire’s Highways Under Military Occupation by Malcolm Walford in Hampshire Studies 2012 (11): Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society, Volume 67

The damage to roads and bridges was a huge issue for the New Forest roads originally constructed to carry only light traffic, but were now receiving continuous use by heavy traffic. The continuous use also hindered running repairs to the roads and led to regular complaints from the county surveyor, who also had to contend with a diminished workforce following regular competition from other military contracts.

During early 1944 a large undertaking of road widening, junction improvements and bridge strengthening was commenced as essential preparations for the movement of men and equipment to their marshalling areas, which were located short distances from the embarkation hards. Lepe and Lymington came under marshalling area B.

The work necessary on the south coast of Hampshire before D-Day can be summarised as follows:

  • 59 miles of road widened to 22 feet (for two way traffic)
  • 17 miles of road widened to 16 feet (for one way traffic)
  • 16 bridges widened or strengthened
  • 337 passing places or laybys (for breakdowns) constructed
  • 118 road junctions or sharp bends reconstructed in concrete or asphalt for tracked vehicles

 

The article photo above shows one such bridge on Mill Road, just east of, Brockenhurst being strengthened. This archive footage, below, from 1944 also shows Mill Road bridge. Here we can watch the ground crews widening and strengthening the bridge.

 

 

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.

 

Britain’s Bid For Schneider Cup – 1925

Film clips from British Pathe show the preparations for Britain’s Schnieder Cup team at Calshot before heading to Chesapeake Bay in America to challenge the hosts after their victory at Cowes in 1923 and then in 1924 by default of no nations challenging them.

In the Americans won again, ahead of the British Gloster Napier III flown by Captain Broad at 199mph and the Italian entry. Two British planes did not compete as both R. J. Mitchell’s Supermarine S.4 and the other Gloster III were damaged before the race.

You can read more about the Schneider Cup competition and the various years in the overview article here: Schneider Trophy Overview

Britain’s Bid For Schneider Cup – 1925

FILM ID:428.2

Title Reads: BROAD, CAPTAIN. Britain’s bid for Schneider Cup. After persistent ill luck Captain Broad obtains second place on his Gloucester Napier 3 at speed of over 199 miles per hour.

Description: Multiple shots of Captain Broad putting his flying helmet on, he is stood in front of his seaplane. Close up of his face. Multiple shots as he climbs into the ‘plane. M/S as it floats on the sea then speeds off. Multiple shots as it is wheeled out of the shed. Multiple shots of the crew of five stood by the ‘plane.

Multiple shots as the seaplane is wheeled out again. Multiple shots of the ‘plane, various shots of the crew, the camera pans across them. Multiple shots as they turn the propeller. Multiple shots of the aeroplane, various shots as it is led out. Multiple shots as it starts up, various people mill about.

British Pathe also has footage of the actual competition in America that can be viewed on their site: Sport: 1925 Schneider Cup Trophy: Usa Victory 1925

 

Brock Beach – Then and now

Just south of Balmer Lawn the Lymington River cuts accross the landscape and the main road between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst. Today this is locally nicknamed ‘Brock Beach’ as it has become a favourite site for families to picnic and paddle at during sunny days. Rewind just under a 100 years and the area looked different, but the acitivities were not too dissimilar.

During 1918 Balmer Lawn was in use as a satellite site for convalescent New Zealand officers that were being treated at the No.1 New Zealand General Hopsital. You can find out more about the hospitals story here.

This series of photos from the National Army Museum of New Zealand are possibly part of an album compiled by 4/386 Major Henry Masterton Clark along with some more recent photos taken by the New Forest National Park Authority.

BU – BSc Games Technology

Students from Bournemouth University undertaking the BSc (Hons) Games Design degree are expected to undertake an indivdiual project in their 3rd year.

  • Individual Project: You will apply the methods and techniques to develop your major individual project, through surveying research literature to identify suitable topics for investigation, developing of a formal specification; and critically evaluating the project.

A number of these projects have focused on historic sites within the New Forest.

Buckland Rings – Ground Penetrating Radar

As part of the New Forest Archaeological Team’s ongoing interest and research into Buckland Rings a non-intrusive geophysical survey (in this case Ground Penetrating Radar) was commissioned from Brett Howard at KBGPR Surveys. the aim was to determine if archaeological features could be detected, positioned and recorded for future research and a better understanding of this site and other similar sites. It was also one of numerous other non-intrusive geophysical surveys being undertaken at Buckland Rings with the idea of using one site to test different methods, compare results and identify best approaches for future surveys on New Forest archaeological sites.

Previous Geophysical surveys at Buckland Rings in 1993 and 2017 have produced a mixed group of results. They show some detail but, due to the geology of the area, were very limited in what they could produce with regards to direct archaeological features.

The results provided an overall depth penetration of 2.8m, with the majority of archaeological features being present between 0.3m and 1m depth. 4.1.4. It is clear the results provide evidence of domestic occupation at Buckland Rings, through the presence of circular/rectilinear features, possible pits and the excavation trench of C.F.C. Hawkes in 1935. Areas where there is a lack of GPR responses hints at the possibility of thoroughfares through the occupation or further internal segregation of internal space during Iron Age occupation. As well as picking up Iron Age features on site it is also possible to identify potential tracks through the site allowing suggested plans of occupation and activity to be formed.

The GPR results support the Historic England interpretation of the overall chronology of this site being ascribed to multiple phases within the Iron Age.

You can read the full report here: Buckland Rings GPR Report

You can find out more about some of the earlier survey work undertaken at Buckland Rings by visiting: Buckland Rings: Drone tour and Geophysics or some of the interpretation models created by Students from Bournemouth University’s Games Technology degree in the following article: Modelling Buckland Rings

Buckland Rings Test Excavation – 2016

In 2016 the New Forest National Park Authority undertook a small scale excavation with volunteers in the proximity of Buckland Rings as part of an ongoing project to underground some electrical cables.

Project Summary

The archaeological work resulted from a long-term wish by Hampshire County Council site land managers to underground electrical cables adjacent to the Buckland Rings Scheduled Monument to improve the landscape and visual setting of the monument. Initial archaeological observation work of trenches excavated to establish ground conditions in advance of using a mole plough to insert the cables indicated that the trench closest to the site boundary with the A337 highway to the east contained a developed soil containing fragments of medieval pottery. A small hand-excavated archaeological trench was excavated in June 2016  to recover a better sample of ceramics and to take soil samples. The ceramics were reported on by A D Russel; see Appendix 1. The soil samples were processed by volunteers as part of a training exercise through the New Forest ‘Our Past Our Future’ Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Scheme. The work took place in the offices of the Southampton City Archaeological Unit under the present author’s supervision. The evidence indicates that the lower slopes of Buckland Rings were taken into cultivation probably by the 11th century. Recent geophysical work has confirmed the presence of field boundaries in this area; see discussion below.

Project Report

Can be accessed here: Buckland Rings 2016 Excavation, Project Report

Buckland Rings: Drone tour and Geophysics

Recent scrub clearance and research at Buckland Rings Iron Age Hillfort has revealed its features both obvious and hidden like never before.

As well as the drone footage recent work by National Park archaeologists along with volunteers and students from Bournemouth University have been seeking to reveal more of the sites hidden history through geophysical survey

Up to seven pre-historic dwellings were identified, which would have once housed a community of hunters and farmers that would grow into the modern Lymington. Trading throughout Britain and across the sea, these ancient ancestors would have lived in round wooden buildings caked in a soil-based mixture. Archaeologists also discovered medieval field systems, helping them chart the evolution of the Buckland Rings community from prehistoric hamlet to modern day Lymington.

The team surveyed an area of 4.3 hectares, around six football pitches, to identify variations in the earth’s soil that show ancient human activity (below). These variations can be caused by the digging of ditches and pits as well as the burning of materials.

Lawrence Shaw, Archaeological Officer (project and data) for the New Forest National Park Authority, said: ‘Buckland Rings is a fantastically well preserved hillfort that would have once towered over Lymington and even been visible from the sea. ‘This project has allowed us to look back at the origins of this historic town and see how people were living thousands of years ago. We hope to continue with our research to uncover more details of early Lymington and help the local community to find out more about this fascinating site.’

The work was undertaken as part of a work placement project by Bournemouth University archaeology student, Josie Hagan, who said: ‘This survey was a great success and we had a lot of fun over the six days. The volunteers and students worked extremely hard to get a lot of ground covered, and this looks great in the results. It makes it all worthwhile when you get to piece the results together and see features that haven’t been discovered before.’

You can download the full report here: Report of Results from Geophysical Survey at Buckland Rings

Further Survey

Following the success of Josie’s Geophysical initial survey further research and non intrusive survey has been commissioned and undertaken on the site to try and build the best picture of what lies beneath the surface without digging. You can find out more about these on their own pages

The Site Today

Buckland Rings is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (List Entry Number: 1008706) owned and managed by Hampshire County Council that is open for the public to explore. Visitors are encouraged to respect this special site by clearing up after their dog and not undertaking metal detecting.

As well as ongoing research the site has recently benefited from the installation of interpretation thanks to a spudyouth project. The new trails, panels and art installations help make this fascinating site even more special for visitors. You can find out all about their project, the research that went into it and the results here: spudyouth Buckland Rings

Students from Bournemouth University’s Games Technology degree have also worked on this site to create some interpretation models which you can enjoy in the following article: Modelling Buckland Rings

Buckler’s Hard in 1936 – Video

Film footage from British Pathe of Bucklers Hard in 1936.

Pathe visits Hampshire to see where old wooden battleships were built. This footage shot in 1936 portrays a sleepy hamlet, just before the outbreak of war which saw the river closed and the site become the base for repairing motor torpedo boats.

Film ID:1226.30

Description: River Beaulieu, Hampshire.

Various shots of the river. Cows drink in the shallows and boats sail up and down. Various shots of the River at Buckler’s Hard where many ships were built in previous times. Shots of HMS Victory in Portsmouth and other wooden built warships showing the type of ship that was once built there. Various shots of the village. Shots of the old Church with its bell and statue of Madonna and child. More shots of the river and banks.