Exbury Gardens played an important role in the strategic planning of D-Day. Exbury was designated as HMS Mastodon from May 1942 to July 1945, subsequently HMS King Alfred January to June 1946 and then HMS Hawke from Aug 46 to 1955. ‘She’, for all ships are traditionally called she, was responsible for the administration of victualing, arming and training of crews for the landing craft that were used in the amphibious assaults against occupied Europe, D-Day.
Exbury Veterans Association has very kindly donated a range of material including photos, documents and artefacts.
List of Key Words for the photographs included in this collection:
Crew members identified:
Exbury Image 006 – Crew Photo: Peter Laker – back row 3rd from left.
Can you add anymore details or name anyone else in these photo?
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 King (King George VI) visited Exbury on Wednesday May 24th 1944 for a brief visit and Royal Salute shortly before D-Day. Find out more about the Kings visit.
You can also find out more by visiting Exbury Garden’s website: Exbury during WWII.
The National Library of New Zealand online archive holds a large number of period newspapers. Researching these newspapers has uncovered many references to the No.1 New Zealand General Hospital at Brockenhurst.
A few photographs of those buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at St. Nicholas Churchyard have also been uncovered.
Private John Monahan (of Lyall Bay). Aged 27. Died of wounds 25 September 1917. Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. 1st Bn.
Reported in the: Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 907, 30 November 1917
Source – National Library of New Zealand
Private A. Cole (of Foxton). Aged 44. Died of sickness 11 July 1918. Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. 1st Bn.
Reported in the: Free Lance, Volume XVIII, Issue 939, 11 July 1918
Source – National Library of New Zealand
You can find out more about the activities, sites and stories associated with the hospital by clicking here: No.1 New Zealand General Hospital
Forest Park Hotel was one of the two local hotels in Brockenhurst that were commandeered as part of the Lady Hardinge Hospital for Wounded Indian Soldiers and fitted out as a medical facility. Forest Park and its surrounding land was donated to the war effort by Mrs Morant of Brockenhurst Park in 1914.
Tents in the grounds providing additional accommodation.
Found in Burley opposite the village hall is this section of railway track embedded in concrete. Can you shed any light on what this was used for, what it is part of etc. and during what period? We have allocated it to the WWII period for now.
FONFA was formed by a group of aviation enthusiasts, service veterans, historians and authors with an interest in establishing a memorial to the personnel who served in the New Forest and to preserving the aviation heritage of the New Forest for future generations.
Patron: Lady Montagu of Beaulieu. Charity No. 1063648.
OUR MISSION:
To inform and educate the residents and visitors to the New Forest about the local aviation heritage and the twelve airfields, through the Heritage Centre exhibits and programme. To preserve the information and memories that we hold in trust both in the museum and electronically for the benefit of future generations.
This artefact was loaned to the project team in the hope that we may be able to identify exactly what it is, does and how it worked. This is a ‘G.G.S. Recorder Mk.3’ (it said this much on the box!) or Gyro Gunsight Recorder.
But what does it record? Do you know any more? Why not post a comment if you do!
On this external site one can see a Specto GGS Recorder Mk3 in the cockpit of a Sea Hawk, sixth image down.
The moment the War was over and the German POW’s in Romsey were permitted to leave the camp on Winchester Hill, Mr George Ford-Smith of 19, The Abbey, a Quaker who adhered to the principle of reconciliation, began inviting a number of them to his home.
Heinz Mücke was born in Silesia in 1913. In his profession as a Teacher of English he was obliged to become a member of the National Socialist party and was a small-time member of the S. A. (Storm Troops). He was called up in 1943, serving first on the Russian Front. In the autumn of 1944 he was transferred to the Western Front, where he was wounded in northern France and subsequently captured by the Americans. Having been shipped to a POW camp in the States, he was transferred to Britain, en route to repatriation to Germany, in 1946 later joining the POW orchestra set up by Canon Corban who did a lot for the POWs. He became a frequent visitor to No.19, The Abbey.
When he was repatriated in 1948 his sole possessions were his worn out Wehrmacht tunic and a small green Wehrmacht bread bag. Aware of this Mr & Mrs Ford-Smith kitted him out with a few basic items including a grey pullover knitted by the kind lady and a sleeping bag. He was unloaded onto the Marktplatz in Düsseldorf where he was luckily spotted by Elsa and taken into the family. He later married the younger sister Lilly, a music teacher. Heinz himself taught English at a local school. Following a visit 40 years later, he returned these items to the family. They must have meant a great deal to him having kept them all that time.
He made an interesting comment on one occasion, the POW Camp in the states was spotlessly clean but the regime was one of extreme brutality. At Winchester Hill the camp was extremely filthy: but much more important to him was that the camp guards were humane, even friendly. The story has an ironic sequel: a week or two after his repatriation there was a currency reform in Germany that ended all rationing. Within two months Heinz was sending ‘care’ parcels of all kinds to No. 19, where rationing continued until 1956.
Heinz Mücke and Lilly had no children and Heinz died in 2009.
The drawings are from a 12 pages sketch book and believed to be the work of German POW at Ganger POW camp, Romsey. The book was passed on to Heinz Mücke.
These items have been donated to the Heritage Centre by Axel Fuecks, Grandson of the Ford-Smiths, to remember those who devoted their lives to building bridges between peoples embattled by years of bitter warfare.
On 13 March 1945 the largest bomb ever dropped by British forces, during WWII, was first tested ‘live’ in the New Forest at Ashley Walk Bombing Range.
The Grand Slam was a 22,000-lb MC high explosive deep-penetration bomb designed by Barns Wallis following on from his creation of the smaller Tallboy (a 12,000-lb MC deep-penetration bomb). Due to limited production and testing time the first test of this bomb used a live Grand Slam. The test range was Ashley Walk and it was dropped from a modified Avro Lancaster.
The bomb aimer sighted on the Ministry of Home Security Target, known locally as the ‘Sub Pen’, and due to their height and speed released the bomb whilst flying over Fordingbridge. The bomb then fell eventually hitting and exploding 100 yards from the target. The crater it made was 140 feet wide and 70 feet deep.
On impact the bomb would penetrate deep into the ground before exploding and could also penetrate reinforced concrete. The successful trail enabled the decision to be made in March 1945 to make 40 Grand Slam bombs and they were dropped on the V2 and V1 launching sites in the Netherlands as well as against viaducts, railway tracks (deep in tunnels) and U-boat Pens.
March 2017
Documents from the National Archives added:
AIR 14/2011 “Tallboy” and “Grand Slam” bombs: Trials and development – 1944 Jan-1945 May
Former reference in its original department: IIH/258/1/157 5G/50/12
1945-03-07 – AIR 14-2011 – Estimated crater size and volume for “GRAND SLAM”
1945-03-12 – AIR 14-2011 – Grand Slam terminal velocity of 4,580 feet per second. (Note; no year is given on this document, but we suggest 1945)
1945-04-09 – AIR 14-2011 – Code name “GRAND SLAM” compromised. Grand Slam is to known as the 22,000lb M.C. and the Tallboy as 12,000lb M.C.
One of the many Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) batteries here in the New Forest.
In the aerial photograph one can see the gun emplacements surrounding a central command position. The wiggly black lines (with white edges) are tranches for defending the site and taking shelter in if the site was bombed. To the right of the site are the accommodation huts.
On HAA gun sites would have been a Vickers Predictor. You can see a film all about this amazing device on the British Pathe website or view it below.
After the war the site became known as Gunsite Farm. It was eventually demolished to make way for sand and gravel quarrying in the 1980s.
Predictions While You Wait! (1939)
Various shots of a machine called the Vickers Predictor. Animated diagrams and live footage explain how the machine works to calculate the future position of a moving target. Connected to anti-aircraft guns, the machine enables the guns to be fired at the correct position to hit the moving aeroplane. Good shots of artillery guns being lined up, loaded and fired. FILM ID:1188.22
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT’S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. http://www.britishpathe.tv/
Need some help getting to grips with the New Forest Knowledge website?
This website searches multiple online archives as well as the material held at the New Forest Heritage Centre. It also has hundreds of contributions uploaded by groups, New Forest projects and much much more.
Here are some short films to help you get around this online interactive archive. We will produce more in the future and add them here.
Making the most out of the Map. Map navigation and map layers:
Navigating the contributions. Digital resources via the NFK website.
If you’re having trouble using the site do have a read of our Guide Articles, but if you can’t find the answer then do add a comment below and we will try to help.
