Britain's eerie ‘lost village' abandoned overnight with locals forbidden to return… as last ever resident dies aged 100
Locals have made several attempts to return to the lost village
LEFT TO ROT Britain's eerie 'lost village' abandoned overnight with locals forbidden to return… as last ever resident dies aged 100
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THE last resident of an eerie lost village abandoned in WW2 has passed away.
The village was once home to more than 220 people who were all evacuated during the war and never returned.
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Peter Wellman, the last surviving resident of Tyneham
Credit: BNPS
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The church at Tyneham has now been turned into a museum
Credit: BNPS
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Peter as a child at school in Tyneham
Credit: BNPS
The village was used as a training camp for allied soldiers in 1943.
Peter Wellman was the last surviving resident of the village, he has now sadly passed away from Pneumonia.
He managed to make one final trip to his old home before his passing.
Villagers were promised they could return when the war was over but were never allowed.
On his last visit to the 'ghost village' Peter said: "We had no electricity, no mains gas and no running water – we had to pump that from near the church. There's a tap there now.
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The village was abandoned to make way for military training camps
Credit: Alamy
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The buildings in the village have begun to crumble
Credit: Alamy
"I remember going to the beach and fishing and we often had mackerel. We were happy until we got moved out."
The eerie ruins of the village are still on MoD land but they are open to the public for most of the year.
When Tyneham was abandoned, a single note was left by a local asking the arriving soldiers to take good care of the village.
Some of the villagers settled into newly built homes in the nearby town Wareham.
Not one resident ever returned to the village after the war, leaving it a spooky ruin.
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Peter visiting his old school on his last trip to Tyneham
Credit: BNPS
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Peter and his classmates at school in Tyneham before it was deserted
Credit: BNPS
A public inquiry, several protests and a number of campaigns to bring the residents home have been launched over the years.
These have all been unsuccessful with a compulsory purchase order being issued and the village remaining the property of the MoD.
Many of the old buildings have been deemed uninhabitable, crumbling over the years.
The school and the church have been converted into museums to teach the public about the villager's sacrifices.
Eerie photos show bits of the village frozen in time with old posters still hanging in the phone box.
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The village lies near the coast
Credit: Alamy
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Peter visited Tyneham with his family often
Credit: BNPS
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Peter said he would have liked residents to return to the village
Credit: BNPS
Peter Wellman is survived by his two children, his two grandchildren and his three great grand children.
Peter's daughter Lynne spoke of her fathers love for his lost home saying he visited regularly.
Peter worked on a farm for 36 years before moving into a job in the clay industry where he stayed until retirement.
He said he would have liked to see residents return to the village one day.
Tyneham has become an increasingly popular destination for history buffs.
The lost village is now crumbling and coming apart giving it an eerie feel.
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He managed to make one final trip to his old home a year before his passing. He said: "We had no electricity, no mains gas and no running water – we had to pump that from near the church. There's a tap there now. "I remember going to the beach and fishing and we often had mackerel. "We were happy until we got moved out." He told how he would have liked to see residents return to the village one day. Peter is survived by his two children, his two grandchildren and his three great grandchildren. His daughter Lynne spoke of her father's love for his lost home, saying he visited regularly. He worked on a farm for 36 years before moving into a job in the clay industry, where he stayed until retirement. As Christmas approached in 1943, the peaceful village become a ghost town overnight. Thousands of acres were also commandeered by the War Office for the Allied troops training camp. 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'Inside the little school house there's information about how they taught reading and writing through phonics which went out of fashion but now they are bringing it back and my grandchildren are learning the same way. 'This is my third attempt to find Tyneham, the other times we tried but just couldn't find it. "Next time I would love to bring my grandchildren with me. 'I just think it's remarkable the sacrifice the whole village made for the good of the country. "It really does feel like a lost village."
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Inside ghost village Tyneham where locals fled leaving a single note behind nearly 80 years ago Faded glory of ghost village Clare Robson, from nearby Blandford, is a regular visitor to the village and describes it as her 'favourite place in the world'. The 52-year-old explained: 'I used to come here all the time with my dad until he died a couple of years ago. "It's really special because it's the place that everybody forgot about. "Although it's really sad the Army didn't let the residents come back and allowed it to fall into disrepair. 'It is just the forgotten village but it is fascinating for people to see how others lived here. 'I wish I could go back in time and live here because it just feels like a different time when families were families." "I would love to see it restored to its former glory. I just completely love it here, it feels like home." Some of the original buildings, such as a row of four terraced houses, are still in tact. A telephone box with wartime-era posters, situated at the entrance of the village, warns passersby 'if you must use me, be brief'. The school and the church have since been converted into museums to teach the public about the residents' sacrifices. 15 15 15 15 The last surviving resident dies aged 100 Peter was the last surviving resident of the village, and sadly passed away from pneumonia last month. He managed to make one final trip to his old home a year before his passing. He said: "We had no electricity, no mains gas and no running water – we had to pump that from near the church. There's a tap there now. "I remember going to the beach and fishing and we often had mackerel. "We were happy until we got moved out." He told how he would have liked to see residents return to the village one day. Peter is survived by his two children, his two grandchildren and his three great grandchildren. His daughter Lynne spoke of her father's love for his lost home, saying he visited regularly. He worked on a farm for 36 years before moving into a job in the clay industry, where he stayed until retirement. As Christmas approached in 1943, the peaceful village become a ghost town overnight. Thousands of acres were also commandeered by the War Office for the Allied troops training camp. Some of the villagers settled into newly built homes in the nearby town Wareham. 15 15 15 15 Failed attempts to claim back homes A public inquiry, several protests and a number of campaigns to bring the residents home have been launched over the years. These have all been unsuccessful, with a compulsory purchase order being issued and the village remaining the property of the Ministry of Defence. In 1973, former residents cut through surrounding barbed wire and re-opened their former post office. This lasted for all of ten minutes before they were caught and thrown out by wardens. A year later, local John Gould wrote to then-PM Harold Wilson calling on him to hand Tyneham back to the people. It read: "'Tyneham to me is the most beautiful place in the world. "I want to give the rest of my life and energy to its restoration. "Most of all, I want to go home." The site is now open to the public most weekends, having become an increasingly popular destination for history buffs. Evidence of the village's military role are everywhere, from signs starkly telling visitors that they are standing on a live firing range, to giant target markers on the surrounding hills for military exercises. Even the village church roof bears a recent bullet hole from a stray machine gun round. 15 15 15 Elaine James, 67, from the New Forest, told how she makes an annual trip to the "indescribable" village. She added: 'I come here every year because I find it fascinating. "It is just so sad that the residents were moved away because the village was needed for the war effort but then never allowed back. 'The story of what happened here just touches your heart and I love how it has been taken over by nature. 'Being here just gives you this feeling like nowhere else, it's hard to describe. 'It's sad that the last resident has now died, I hope his family can come back here at some point.' Locals felt cheated out of their homes Many of the old buildings have been deemed uninhabitable, leaving the spooky ruins to crumble over the decades. Headstones in the church graveyard point to the fact that some former residents have been able to return, although only after their deaths. Arthur Grant - who was buried in the churchyard in 2010 - told how his parents felt "cheated" out of their home. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "I had a happy childhood. We were proud of Tyneham. "My parents referred to Tyneham as 'home' and there was always talk of happy times they had had there. "They did feel cheated out of their home. They felt that a promise had been made and never fulfilled." Vanessa Foot, 65, from Crowthorne in Berkshire added: 'It just shows how important it is to learn from our history. 'Inside the little school house there's information about how they taught reading and writing through phonics which went out of fashion but now they are bringing it back and my grandchildren are learning the same way. 'This is my third attempt to find Tyneham, the other times we tried but just couldn't find it. "Next time I would love to bring my grandchildren with me. 'I just think it's remarkable the sacrifice the whole village made for the good of the country. "It really does feel like a lost village."
