RAF Fawley: The Airfield That Never Was
I’ve been researching the history of the New Forest’s wartime airfields for several years, and occasionally this work turns up something unexpected. One of the…
Devil’s Fingers Fungus and a Wartime Connection to the New Forest
Did you know that there’s a possible wartime connection to these photos shown below? Above you can see in a clockwise direction from the right….
Bournemouth Beach in WW2: August 1944
In July 1944, Bournemouth beach opened to the public again after being off-limits for most of the Second World War. People flooded back onto the…
Author Interview: World War 2, New Forest Discovered
This interview was conducted by Ian Bayley of Sabrestorm Publishing. The new book from John Leete can be purchased from online retailers and bookshops. I…
Bunker Hunting in the New Forest with Dan Snow
A few weeks ago, I teamed up with Dan Snow, the famous historian (who you might recognise from TV), to go hunting for hidden bunkers…
The New Forest’s Worst Air Accident of the Second World War
Today marks the anniversary of what I believe to be the worst air accident of the Second World War that happened over the New Forest…
Gerhard Zucker and his Lymington Rocket Launch to the Isle of Wight
In December 1934, a young German scientist attempted to fire a rocket from Lymington golf course in the New Forest, over to the Isle of…
New Forest Airfields Memorial
Standing on western boundary of the site of the wartime RAF Holmsley South airfield is the New Forest Airfields Memorial. It was unveiled on August…
Buccaneer Prototype (XK490) Crash at Busketts Lawn, October 1959
In June 1952, a detailed specification was drafted for a two-seater jet aircraft that the Royal Navy could use in response to threat posed by…