The Calshot Air Crash Chronicles: Fatal Accidents (1914 to 1951)
Calshot Castle was built in the 16th century to protect the Solent and guard against invasion. For nearly 500 years it has witnessed many historical events…
The Ghost Sentry Guard of Marchwood
With Christmas approaching I wanted to share with you the spooky tale of a ghost soldier. It was first told in the local press around…
The Day a Luftwaffe Plane Landed at RAF Christchurch
The morning of Wednesday the 30th of April 1941 began like any other day at RAF Christchurch. That was until 11:15 am, when a distant buzzing…
Mr Dring & His Fantastic Flying Machine “Thing”
I recently saw a photo of this very strange flying machine on Twitter. It piqued my interest as despite its space-age appearance the photo was…
Hatchet Pond Plane Crashes, Myths, Drownings, & Military Activity
According to New Forest legend there is a plane at the bottom of Hatchet Pond. The story has many different elements and variations to it…
WW2 New Forest Airfields Map & Locations
The New Forest and surrounding areas has a rich Second World War aviation history. During WW2 it was witness to huge activity. Below you can…
Sway Airfield: The WW2 Emergency Landing Ground (ELG) / Decoy Site
During the Second World War, the New Forest was a hive of aviation activity with large airfields and bases including RAF Beaulieu, Calshot, Holmsley South,…
The Heroic Wartime Actions of Patrick “Dumbo” Taylor Who Crashed Near Blackfield & Fawley
In Spring of 1944, the New Forest airfields were teeming with RAF and USAAF fighter bombers in preparation for D-Day. The coastal locations of the…
Memories of Civilian Living at the RAF Stoney Cross Airfield aka Longbeech
From 1951 to 1955, huts on the closed RAF Stoney Cross airfield near Lyndhurst were taken over by the New Forest District Council to be…