The SOE in Beaulieu: The Finishing School for Secret Agents
The village of Beaulieu in the New Forest mattered to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) because it looked like it didn’t matter at all. A…
Private Kenneth Townsend, Buried in St John the Baptist Churchyard in Boldre
In amongst the many war graves in the St John the Baptist churchyard in Boldre, New Forest, there’s one that stands out from the rest…
Noor Inayat Khan’s Husband: Was She Ever Married?
During my research and public talks I’ve given into the life and times of Noor Inayat Khan, the SOE agent trained in Beaulieu, I’ve noticed…
Noor Inayat Khan: Trained in Beaulieu & Executed in Dachau
If you’ve ever visited the Secret Army Exhibition at Palace House on the Beaulieu Estate, you might have seen a photo of a striking-looking young…
Edwin Moon: Southampton Aviation Pioneer & War Hero
On 29 April 1920, Edwin Rowland Moon from Southampton – pilot, inventor, and war hero – was killed in a flying accident at Felixstowe. He…
Nora Caveney: The First ATS Woman Killed in Action
In the early hours of 17 April 1942, eighteen-year-old Private Nora Caveney was killed by a flying piece of shrapnel whilst working on the predictor…
Wing Commander Ernest Reginald Baker (DSO, DFC & Bar)
This article is dedicated to the memory of Wing Commander Ernest Reginald Baker DSO,DFC and Bar (known as Reg Baker). He was a successful fighter…
How Hitler Inadvertently Helped Fund a New Forest Spitfire
I’ve researched many interesting human stories connected to the New Forest during the Second World War, but one of the most intriguing and somewhat ironic…
The Hampden Crash at Longdown: the Mystery of Missing & Unidentified Bodies
At half past midnight on the 15th of December 1941, four men took off in a Handley Page Hampden twin-engine medium bomber from RAF Balderton, an…