The RAF required a stretch of woodland not too close to a town, that was rail served and about 25 miles inland to store ammunition. New sidings and a branch network for military traffic were built at the Longparish station in 1942 and concrete roads were built in the forest to disperse ammunition to the storage huts. Bombs started arriving in the autumn of 1943 and the depot initially stored 40,000 tons which obviously increased around D-Day.
Not a great deal has been documented on the site, so i decided to dust the bicycle off and proceed towards Harewood Forest from Winchester in the sun. I spent most of the afternoon exploring and found more than i expected!
Longparish station, now a residential property.
This concrete area covered in moss was a siding where ammunition was loaded and unloaded.
Middleton House was occupied by a school, but was taken over as the HQ for Maintenance Unit 202
Just one of the many concrete roads built into the forest to help disperse ammunition to the storage huts.
Well the door frame is here, but not hut...
Emergency Water Supply Pond, there is another alongside, but nature has taken over.
Few of these dotted around, any ideas?
Not a great deal has been documented on the site, so i decided to dust the bicycle off and proceed towards Harewood Forest from Winchester in the sun. I spent most of the afternoon exploring and found more than i expected!
Longparish station, now a residential property.
This concrete area covered in moss was a siding where ammunition was loaded and unloaded.
Middleton House was occupied by a school, but was taken over as the HQ for Maintenance Unit 202
Just one of the many concrete roads built into the forest to help disperse ammunition to the storage huts.
Well the door frame is here, but not hut...
Emergency Water Supply Pond, there is another alongside, but nature has taken over.
Few of these dotted around, any ideas?
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