Herald - Issue 408

Page 18 • The HERALD • 24th June 2021 v FOR GOOD ADVICE - ASK YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v • Digital Aerial & Satellite Installations • Repairs & Servicing • TV Distribution Points • TVWall Mounting & Installations • Freesat HD/Freeview HD • Sky, Sky+, Sky HD • SMATV & IRS Systems • DAB/FMAerial Installations CAI Company of the Year 2014 Humphries Digital Aerials Keith Humphries & Son All Areas Covered Tel: 023 8066 7362 Email: humphriesaerials@btconnect.com • Website: www.humphriesdigitalaerials.co.uk A Family Firm Est 1971 FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTS All Roof Repairs Tel: 023 8184 5632 Mobile: 07880 508415 Email: steve@braithwaiteroo ng.co.uk THE FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST • Airport & Seaport Specialists • Highly Competitive Fares • Friendly, Reliable Service • Comfortable 6 Seater MPVs • Any Distance - Minimum Fare £10 Before booking your journey please call us for a free quotation 07770 967198 or 023 8194 8754 www.kazcarz.co.uk Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH or email editor@herald-publishing.co.uk G S D ecorating S ervices n Local Friendly Service n Fully Insured n Reasonable Rates n All Jobs, large or small For a Free Quote please phone Glenn 023 8089 9820 07930 279306 HIDDEN HISTORIES by local history enthusiast, Marc Heighway In March last year, like all parents, my wife and I were faced with the challenge of the school closures. We soon learned that I wasn’t cut out to be a home teacher so I decided to take the classroom outdoors instead. WW2 history was to be our area of exploration… and what better place to do that than the Waterside and New Forest area? During the war, it witnessed a huge amount of activity. It was the home to 12 air elds (and for the pedants amongst you, I am including RAF Calshot’s ying boats in that list), there was the spy school at Beaulieu, Exbury, which became HMS Mastodon, and the anti- aircra battery in Hardley. ere was also the build-up of troops for the D-Day embarkation from Lepe. ese are just a few aspects which are already well known. I wanted to look deeper into history though. I wanted to see and touch what was le behind and hidden away so my son could understand what happened here. is meant uncovering wartime secrets, hearing memories handed down through generations, and getting into the Forest to see what still remained. Our rst adventure was the site of the WW2 air eld RAF Beaulieu. It was home to over 2,000 personnel during the war, many of whom were living in huts on what we know as Roundhill Campsite. From 1943, ghters and bombers took o from Beaulieu. Initially British and Czech airmen ew from the Forest to attack German U-boats. Later in the war, the air eld was taken over by the US Air Force, still visible from the air, a signals mortar, air raid shelters, bomb targets, shooting ranges, and huts still standing to this day. We’re so lucky to live in a place this rich in history. If you look just a little bit o the beaten track and scratch the surface ( guratively speaking of course), you’d be surprised at what you might nd. In future editions of e Herald, I will be re-counting some of the mysteries and stories of the New Forest from WW2, explaining how you can discover them for yourself too. In the meantime, if you want to get started for yourself and learn the history of RAF Beaulieu, visit: www.ra eaulieu.co.uk . I’ve uploaded instructions on how you can walk in the airmen and women’s footsteps. I am not a professional historian. I am not an archaeologist. I am not a metal detectorist, and I don’t dig holes. I am simply passionate about our local history so you can learn and enjoy from what we find too. supporting the Allied advance through France a er D-Day. But by 1960, the majority of the airfield had been demolished and returned to the Forestry Commission. However, some aspects are still hidden there for you to nd. We discovered building foundations, remains of a bomb store in Hawkhill, the pundit code letters Like Father like Son - Explorer Finn with his faithful French Bulldog, Claude Air Raid Shelter at the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force Site at RAF Beaulieu. (Shelter situated on private land, photo taken from a fence on public property)