WWII Hampshire

Isington Mill in the Parish of Binsted

Isington Mill and Oast House on the River Wey. Isington Water Mill is one of 16 mills that sit on the north branch of the River Wey, which begins at a spring in nearby Alton. The chalk stream flows through the parish of Froyle and Binsted until it connects with its southern branch at Tilford. …

COPP Memorial

The COPP Memorial at Hayling. The Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) memorial on Hayling Island is a reminder of how the bravery of a few people had such a huge impact on WWII. The Combined Operations Pilotage Parties were made up of members of all three services, the Royal Navy, the Royal Airforce and the…

Hamble Le Rice

Hamble Le Rice is bursting with history and delightful scenery. The settlement on the River Hamble estuary is ancient and intriguing and perfect for exploration.

D-Day from Liphook to Southwick and Southampton WW2

Hampshire was full of troops equipment and there was a sense of a huge buildup, the population had been drilled on security but speculation was growing something ‘BIG’ was going to happen. What was it like for the residents of Hampshire as finally these massive resources and numbers of troops mobilised for the big push? Something “BIG” was going to happen but when? One of a series of posts marking Hampshire and its role and experience of the run-up to D-Day.

Petersfield War Memorial

The Petersfield War Memorial was designed by Harry Inigo Triggs who lived at the house he designed, Little Boarhunt in Liphook Hampshire

D-Day Window Portsmouth Cathedral

The D-Day window in Portsmouth Cathedral was installed in 1956 as a memorial to Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey who commanded the seaborne forces at Normandy in 1944.

Portsmouth Remembers D-Day

Thousands of people came to Portsmouth to remember the 156,000 Allied troops who left the shores of southern England, launching themselves into the choppy sea of the Solent before landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France at the start of a major offensive against the Germans.

Preparing Southampton for D-Day

The city of Southampton and its docks were critical to the success or failure of Operation Overlord and D- Day. The city that had been devastated by air raids, somehow managed to become the greatest naval and military port the world had ever seen.

Anti – Tank Blocks Eastney

The anti tank blocks at Eastney Hampshire stand as a powerful reminder of a time when the coast of Hampshire bristled with defences

Bramshott and the Canadians in WWI and WWII

Bramshott and Liphook in Hampshire became home for thousands of Canadian soldiers during both great wars. The links between these villages in Hampshire and the Canadian nation are touchingly deep, with 318 soldiers buried in the churchyard.

D-Day Gathering

Hampshire was at the centre of D-Day Preparations as the massive force embarked for Normandy

Making ready for Overlord in Hampshire, with troops massing on the South Coast, Eisenhower moving into Southwick House and Admiral Ramsay running Neptune from Southwick Fort. Who was in your area around the time of Mid-May to 6th June there was lots of hearsay but has your village or town got a story to tell?

Droxford WW2 and the Royal Ulster Rifles

In the run up to D-Day Droxford was home to troops near and far including the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles. By kind permission of the official history site for the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, we are able to share some images from May 1944.