Runway light

 

Due the short-sightedness of the New Forest National Park Authority very little remains of the forests' Second World War physical heritage, although if you look closely you'll still be able spot a feature or two. Like this runway light frame along the former course of 'Runway One' on one of the forests' most notable airfields Stoney Cross, the runway itself was grubbed up in the late 80's/early 90's. Look carefully and every couple of meters you'll find one of these frames, once a heart warming sign of safety and home.

The 902

 

All the graffiti you find has a story to it, rarely though is it revealled to us. If you're lucky there may be clues which could hint to their possible origins. Take this boxed 902 on a beech in the Ocknell enclosure, what could its story be? Ocknell is on the edge of Stoney Cross plain, the site of one of the forests major World War Two airfeilds. So. Could there be a connection between the airfeild and 902? Possibly. The site was used by the USAAF 9th Air force and 387th bomber group, and there are other examples of Second World War American grafitti in the enclosure. The 902 could refer to the 902 Military Police Company (Aviation), a guard squadron which would have been present where the USAAF were stationed.  I reckon it's as good a thesis as any.

Stoney Cross dispersal

The concrete dispersals that extend into the fringes of Ocknell Enclosure and used to house World War Two planes found post war utility as hard standing for campers and caravans. Stoney Cross used to have dozens of these dispersal pads, now less than ten remain, these 6 and 2 more in South Bentley Enclosure. If you know where to look in Ocknell Enclosure and Bolderwood Walk there are a few pieces of American wartime graffiti, it could be that one of their planes stood in the enclosures shade.

Guiding light

 

Ocknell Plain was quiet this morning, only a few grazing ponies and the occasional walker, and it was easy to imagine that the plain had always been that way. A vast open expanse of heather and rough grass whose edges disappeared down in to wet woodlands. Although if you look reminders of a previous, more dramatic, life can be made out. Like the long stretch of plum straight road cutting the edge of the plain, or the broad shallow linked depressions that create patterns all over the plain. During World War Two an expansive 3 runway military airfield spread across the 3 adjoining forest plains, Ocknell Plain, Stoney Cross Plain and Janesmoor Plain, most notably used by the USAAF 367th Fighter group (softening logistical targets pre D-Day) and 387th Medium Bombardment Group (taking out infrastructure and logistics post D-Day). Very little of what was RAF/USAAF Stoney Cross Airfield remains today though, the buildings had been removed and the runways broken up for hardcore by the 1970's. Since then the remaining perimeter track and dispersed aircraft hard-standings have been gradually been removed; very little remains now of the airfield I remember. The long straight road follows the longest 07/25 runway and the network of broad shallow linked depressions represents the void left by the removal of the runways, taxiways, perimeter track and dispersed aircraft hard-standings. Occasionally you'll come across more tangible features like the runway light mounting in the photo. The light mountings run in pairs every few meters along the parallel edges of what was runway 07/25. I've always thought that removing all the infrastructure and physical remains of the forest's wartime airfields was a short-sighted act of cultural vandalism; they could have at least kept one as a historical resource/monument, and a resource that could have many sustainable uses to boot.

Holmesley Bomb Store

Whilst out walking it's common to see building debris poking through the tracks.  What do you think of when you see it? Do you consider what it was, or whether it's in situ or does it not really register, do you wonder what history lays beneath our feet.  This just looks like building rubble, what it is, is the scattered remains of the bomb store of Holmesley's World War Two Airfield.  Located off a dispersal track, away from the main airfield, all that remains of the storage area are areas of level-ish ground bounded by earthen banks, and occasional patches of exposed rubble. During the war they would have safely stored a variety of munitions, under camouflage netting, with the surrounding trees and shrubs  providing perfect cover.

World War Two Dorset (Warmwell airfeild)

I'd visited Knighton Wood on the edge of the Warmwell quarries, maybe 15 years ago or so, in the pursuit of Second World War remains, as Warmwell had been an important airfield during the war. On that visit I'd identified plenty of interesting remains, and had intended to return for further and fuller investigations. Well, I never did, that's often the way with intentions. Anyway, I thought I'd rectify that situation today as we'd be passing Warmwell on our way to prehistoric Dorset. I thought we'd recon the site in order to see how much remained.

The first thing that struck me was that a lot more quarrying has taken place over the intervening years and Knighton Woods is now greatly reduced in size and many of the airfields features no long exist. Still though, there's plenty of archaeological evidence visible in the remaining woodland, although the other thing I was struck by was how some of the more ephemeral features had degraded in 15 years.  Although, after thinking about, 15 years is nearly 20% the features 72 year life, so no wonder. I wonder if the increase in severe weather we experience will accelerate their deterioration.  We spotted several trench works around there woodland, and I suspect there are more to find. One trench I remember from my initial visit, two sections of zig zag trench with a corrugated iron covered central dugout, was certainly in worse condition than I remembered, and the central dugout was unrecognisable.

Several of the earthen banked fighter pens which lined Knighton Wood remain to a good height, although erosion has left them untidy and years of leaf litter have filled them some. Whether any of their dispersal track remained is uncertain. By the time of my initial visit to warmwell much of the airfield had been quarried away, although from the sections of concrete dispersal tracks I assumed it had been of the common 'A' plan of three interlocking runways as with most of the World War Two airfields I'd visited at the time. This assumption was incorrect, and although the dispersal tracks and other tracks around the airfield were concrete or metalled, the airfield itself was in fact grass. A fact which may explain the main area of the airfield being quarried so quickly. There are a couple of buildings in the area of the fighter pens which I remembered, and amongst the beech stands we identified more building remains. I'd not ventured into the woodland on my last visit, so all that was new and very cool.

During our short investigation we identified several other features and not all of the woodland was explored. There was one other rather groovy feature identified, it was a mystery at the time but I know what it is now (I'm not going to say though, that's for another post). All round our visit to Knighton Wood was a success and very cool. Certainly worth that further and fuller investigation I'd planned, and will complete...soon.