Ammunition stored in the town square of Morten-in-Marsh, England in May 1944 in preparation for D-Day. Frank Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images TD Site Visit - Ide Hill Ammunition Park - Frontline Ulster
I have researched this subject in the north, but I think I might have a lead for the south, but I have not explored it there. Look in Fold 3 WWII ETOUSA, for Southern Base Section part of Services of Supply. I found a great deal of information for the north under its equivalent up there including a plethora of maps and drawings, that showed locations. Off memory there were over ten major vehicle parks and most were the the south. However, they had to build others that were not necessarily on drawings because the original locations were often in the grounds of country estates and the ground conditions couldn't take it when combined with the climate. Therefore new locations had to be built elsewhere. I think that some new roads and bypasses were even built that are now incorporated into the UK road network. Winchester bypass?? floats in my mind.
Thank you Osborne 2. Very helpful. Your mention of Winchester bypass rings a bell. I have a photo of Tanks along a stretch of road which did indeed become the original bypass. I will explore the Fold 3 lead with thanks.
Heres another interesting one about Caterham. Food & folding bicycles stored in a requisitioned private house in Caterham pre D-Day. BBC - WW2 People's War - D-Day Preliminaries: A Child in Caterham
That makes very interesting reading - never knew requisitioned properties were used for storage. Many thanks.
D-Day: Color Photos From England and France 4 of 25 An American corporal stacks cans of gasoline in preparation for the upcoming invasion of France, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, May 1944. Seems a search for Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images might provide some interesting pictures
The book I mentioned above is Poole and World War 2 by Derek Beamish ,Harold Bennett and John Hillier .Publisher Poole Historical Trust.
Perhaps further research in to Operation Bolero might show up some maps etc https://www.jstor.org/stable/44561081?seq=1 Bolero | Operations & Codenames of WWII This was the Allied cover name for the movement of US forces across the Atlantic to the UK in preparation for the opening of a 'second front' in North-West Europe (1943/44). John C. H. Lee | Wikiwand General Depot at Ashchurch stocked with supplies for Operation Overlord File:Preparations For Operation Overlord (the Normandy Landings)- D-day 6 June 1944 H37362.jpg - Wikimedia Commons TD
Thanks TD for the leads which I will certainly look into. An initial glance makes fascinating reading. Kind regards.
I followed up on the Code Names link in #29. This is the last paragraph: In London the 'Bolero' Committee drew up plans for the accommodation of 1.147 million troops, including 137,000 replacements, in the UK by the end of March 1943. But by the end of July, the plan for the 'Sledgehammer' invasion of Europe had been abandoned for 'Torch' landings in North-West Africa, and 'Round-up' was postponed until at least 1944. The 'Bolero' Committee thus found its work limited to providing assistance in the planning for an invasion of North Africa. Build-up plans for the invasion of Europe later became the province of the 'Overlord' planners. Please disagree with me as necessary but surely Overlord was the planning to invade and conduct the land war, Neptune the operation to get them there, but Bolero remained the plan to put the infrastructure in place in Britain to allow the others to succeed and did not end with Torch. There were four major iterations of Bolero extending into the depths of 1943, plus later bolt-ons, and Overlord had a separate budget to Bolero. Overlord's budget did cover the coastal spending to create hards and quays for the invasion but not all the inland build up. Naturally all had to work together though.
Thank you Osbourne 2 for the very interesting comments. I will certainly explore this further. Kind regards.
A note to thank everyone who has kindly provided leads, links and other information. I am following everything up and there is plenty to keep me busy for a while to come. All good stuff! Thanks again
Good day and thank you for your kind comment. I am presently wading through a list of links and references, all of which at first glance contain very useful and fascinating information. My timescale for completion of the project is early 2022 with the results hopefully available a year from now. I do intend to keep all contributors in the loop regards progress. Thanks again and regards.
Roman Road, Chilworth Southampton. Chilworth Manor was the base for Canadians and I believe that equipment was stored around there. After the war the Parish Council (unsuccessfully) tried to get compensation from the War Office for the damage done to the road by the Canadians. I also think that Southampton Common was used. I assume that the Winchester bypass was completed before the war, and would have been used - hence the Spitfire bridge.
Thank you Roy, I note with interest the attempt by the Parish Council to secure compensation. I understand that many Councils attempted to get compensation for damage allegedly caused by the Military, I am not aware of any successful claim. Kind regards.
