This photograph, from the St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery shows a parade, maybe a victory parade.
It was taken from outside the Post Office on Lymington High Street and St Thomas Church is clearly visible to the left of the image. It has been suggested that the pipes and drums are of the 51st Highland Division.
Can you tell us:
- Who are we looking at?
- Can you name anyone?
- What date the photo was taken?
Have you got any other images of these events?
You can add a comment or email the team at archaeology “at” newforetnpa.gov.uk.
Note replace the “at” with a @
This postcard was recently sold on eBay that shows Indian and possibly Gurkha troops on parade. There is no written text on the image to indicate where the photo was taken. The only clue is the publisher/photographer of the postcard “Cecil Elgar photo Lymington” whose stamp is embossed in the bottom right corner.
Our best guesses for where this photo was taken (if taken in the New Forest at all) would be:
Ashurst near the Hospital – there was an Indian camp on the site of the modern day camp site near the station. And Brockenhurst near the Indian Hospital now the Tile Barn Centre.
If you have any suggestions as to the location of this image do add a comment below.
On the site of the old Lyndhurst Race Course a camp was established for the 7th Division to form up before leaving for France via Southampton. The site of the old Race Course is now Lyndhurst golf course. This is one of a number of camp areas around Lyndhurst, in addition there were also training areas, see Lyndhurst Training Areas A, B and C.
After the 7th Division had left for France Indian troops, some camped near Ashurst, took over the camp.
There is also the possibility that this site was used during WWII as a tank training area (1939), but this is unconfirmed.
By September 1914 three training areas had been established around the village of Lyndhurst. Other than naming the boundary roads of their locations little is known of their full extent.
Within area “A” are the remains of the Southern Command School of Bombing and practice trenches. It is understood that these are part of the “Whitemoor Range” or connected with the Southern Command School of Bombing, Lyndhurst.
Transcription of WO 95/1635 (17)
7th Division Routine Orders No.6 – 12 Sept 1914
Lyndhurst 12 Sept 1914
General Staff
1.Training Areas
Training Areas around Lyndhurst are lettered as follows:-
A. Between the Lyndhurst-Totton and the Lyndhurst-Lymington Roads.
B. Between the Lyndhurst-Lymington and the Lyndhurst-Burley-Ringwood Roads
C. North of the Totton-Lyndhurst-Burley-Ringwood Roads
The attached table gives the allotment of areas to Infantry, Yeomanry and Artillery units. Cyclists*, RE., A.S.C. and RAMC may use any suitable area but must be careful not to interfere with the training of the units to which the area is allotted.
Infantry and Artillery units allotted to the same area will, whenever possible, arrange to carry out combined training. For this purpose Infantry Brigadiers should communicate direct with the Officers Commanding Artillery Brigades.
| Units |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| 20th Infantry Brigade |
A |
B |
C |
A |
B |
C |
| 21st Infantry Brigade |
B |
C |
A |
B |
C |
A |
| 22nd Infantry Brigade |
C |
A |
B |
C |
A |
B |
| 14th Horse* Artillery Brigade |
A |
B |
C |
A |
B |
C |
| 35th Field* Artillery Brigade |
B |
C |
A |
B |
C |
A |
| 22nd Field Artillery Brigade |
C |
A |
B |
C |
A |
B |
| 3rd Heavy Brigade |
A |
C |
B |
A |
C |
B |
| Northumberland Yeomanry |
B |
A |
C |
B |
A |
C |
xxxx Montgomery
Lieut Col
General Staff
Transcription Notes:
* = Best interpretation made
xxxx = Un-readable
A new memorial was unveiled at the site of Calshot Airfield on the 6th June 2014 by the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust.
To find out more about their work why not visit there website: here
Or you can find out more about RAF Calshot and Eaglehurst here: RAF Calshot & Eaglehurst Overview
The memorial stands on the western boundary of the wartime airfield of Holmsley South it sprang from the desire to commemorate all those people who had served on the New Forest airfields during and immediately after the second World War.
The memorial was raised by the Friends of the New Forest Airfields.
You can find out more about the various activities of Holmsley South in this overview article: Holmsley South Airfield – Overview
An oral history interview with Major William (Bill) Spiller. Interview Date 02/04/2013
Bill was a young member of the Junior Training Corps and along with his father, joined his local Home Guard where he learnt to fire a service rifle and parade with the ‘troops’. He has vivid recollections of ‘planes, bombers and crashes that affected him. When Bill was old enough, he joined the army and was sent to the Far East.
Interview Quick Clips
All material is © 2016 New Forest National Park Authority.
Full transcription of interview recordings.
Interviewed by: Sue Jackson
Transcription by: Leander Johnson
Checked by: Sue Jackson
Audio Editor: Cosmic Carrot
An oral history interview with Betty McCarthy. Interview Date 14/06/2013
Betty McCarthy was born in 1926. At the start of the war Betty was 13 and still at school. After school she became a Mother’s Help, looking after children. At 16 Betty took a job as an assistant photographer at an experimental research station at Millersford where they tested explosives.
The Group photo was donated by Vera Storr who has also been interviewed, link below to her page.
Interview Quick Clips
All material is © 2017 New Forest National Park Authority.
Full transcription of interview recordings.
Interviewed by: Sue Jackson
Transcription by: Krysia Truscoe
Audio Editor: Cosmic Carrot
You can find more memories of Millersford Experimental Work Below
An oral history interview with Edward (Ted) Bentley . Interview Date 25-08-2015
JIMMY-THE-ONE
Naval nickname for the First Lieutenant of a ship. In the early days he was referred to as the “First Luff”. Usually nowadays abbreviated to JIMMY and known as NUMBER ONE.
Ted Bentley was conscripted into the Navy. He eventually joined LCT 629 (Landing Craft Tank 629) for the D-Day operations. During the interview he reads extracts from the logbook and he provides a detailed description of the vessel and its crew.
LCT 629 was berthed in Southampton Water during the build-up
to D-Day and conducted several exercises in the Solent. During exercises, they practiced collecting
tanks from the Royal Canadian Artillery from Lepe Hard. They also undertook firing practice in
Studland Bay.
Mr Bentley gives a detailed description of his experiences
on D-Day. Having collected the Canadian
tanks from Lepe, the flotilla crossed to Juno beach. He describes how a wave damaged their landing
equipment, how an adjacent LCT was destroyed by explosives on the beach defences
and how they were bombed by a German plane.
During the events on the Normandy beaches, a mine was inadvertently
trapped underneath the craft. As they
returned to Portsmouth this exploded, severely damaging the vessel but not
causing any injuries. LCT 629
subsequently made a number of other crossings to Normandy to deliver personnel
and supplies.
Mr Bentley has provided The New Forest Remembers project
with various documents, copies of log books and photographs. He has also been able to identify several
crew members on photographs of LCT 629.
As the only surviving crew member from LCT 629, the information he has
provided has answered a number of questions raised by other contributors to the
interactive portal – in particular those raised by the son of another crew
member.
Interview Quick
Clips:
All material is ©
2020 New Forest National Park Authority.
Full transcription
of interview recordings.
Download transcription (PDF)
Interviewed by: Sue Jackson & Gareth Owen
Transcription by: John Martin
Checked by: Sue Jackson
Audio Editor: Cosmic Carrot
Links:
HM LCT 629 and Crew
HM LCT 629 and Crew – Continued
HM LCT 574 and Crew
D Day LCT 574
An oral history interview with Mrs Ann Croker. Interview Date 26/10/12
Ann grew up in Bransgore where her father was the Master baker, owning the bakery and grocery shop (therefore exempt from joining up). Ann tells some wonderful detailed stories of day-to-day life including making lovely Christmases.
Interview Quick Clips
All material is © 2016 New Forest National Park Authority.
Full transcription of interview recordings.
Download transcription (PDF)
Interviewed by: Colin Gibson
Transcription by: Leander Johnson
Checked by: Gareth Owen
Audio Editor: Cosmic Carrot
