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Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Abandoned wartime village frozen in time where empty terrace houses rot
The whole village of Tyneham in Dorset was evacuated during the World War II, but today the abandoned village still remains and visitors can explore its deserted street and the memories left behind Tucked away on the Dorset coast lies a village where time stopped in 1943 and never restarted. Tyneham in Dorset was evacuated during World War II in December 1943, when the War Office took over the land to make space for Army training. Around 225 people were told to pack up and leave their homes within days. The residents believed it would only be temporary and they would return one day. Residents left a note on the church door reading - "Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.' Despite the war ending in 1945, the residents were never allowed to reclaim their homes, and Tyneham remained under Army control - and it still is. The village became part of a British Army training site, used to test tanks and weapons. To this day, it's owned by the Ministry of Defence and forms part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School. However Tyneham isn't the only local village absorbed into a Army training ground; Worbarrow Bay and Lulworth ranges are grounds that remain active to this day. The land is still used for the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School, a live fire training school - which is why the area is only open to the public on selected weekends and bank holidays. When they allow visitors to explore what remains of the village, it's like stepping back in time. Although many of the buildings have crumbled, there are still preserved fragments of Tyneham's past. The old schoolhouse and church have been carefully restored and today holds exhibitions about the people who once lived there with photos and letters. A row of terraced cottages, known as The Row, still stands near the church. Some buildings have crumbled, but others remain hauntingly still - like they're waiting for their owners to come home. There's also a restored farm area with picnic benches, surrounded by broken walls and fading signs of village life. Tyneham is often called 'Dorset's lost village', and it's easy to see why. It's quiet, eerie, and frozen in the past - a snapshot of a community that vanished almost overnight. Tyneham is more than a village lost to war. It's a time capsule - a stark reminder of the sacrifices of war and what's left behind when history moves on without you. For those planning a visit, it's best to check the opening times online. The village, nearby Worbarrow Bay and the Lulworth Ranges are all part of a live military zone. The exact dates are listed on the Government website. If you're after a day out that's a little different and don't mind a few goosebumps - Tyneham offers a rare glimpse into wartime Britain, frozen in time. Although visitors often say it gives them goosebumps, especially when reading notes left behind by children or seeing the school's original blackboard.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Unsung hero, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured
Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion. "A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said."I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself. "I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own."She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not. Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil the war she worked in the War office in made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like. Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother."As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews VE Day 80: We Were There on BBC2: Vivid memories... both heartwarming and hair-raising
Rating: Remembering the end of World War II, after almost losing hope he would ever see England again, 99-year-old Ken Hay was surprised by his own tears. He was just 18 when, after landing as part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944, he was captured and sent to Poland to be a prisoner of war in the Nazi coal mines. Ken's vivid memories threw a shockingly different light onto our usual pictures of how the Allies celebrated the dawn of peace, in VE Day 80: We Were There. Rescued by American GIs, Ken and his fellow POWs were taken to a U.S. camp, where they had their first shower in months. Their filthy, lice-ridden clothes were burned on a bonfire, before the quartermaster issued them with new uniforms. 'It's an American camp, so we dressed as Yanks,' he chuckled. 'Light gabardine trousers, brown boots, socks, collar and tie, jacket, doughboy's hat. And we thought, boy, when we get back, are we going to pull the birds!' But his memories of the flight home brought a lump to his throat. The pilot passed back notes to let his passengers know where they were. The first said, 'French coast ahead,' the second read, 'Over the Channel.' His voice choking up, Ken added, 'The third piece of paper just said, 'England'.' Meticulous and sensitive editing of reminiscences from a score of people who lived through the war made this documentary both fascinating and deeply moving. All of the contributors were well over 90 and several were centenarians, though many looked 20 years younger. The show also featured well-chosen archive footage, with narration by presenter Rachel Burden helping to give context to the stories. In places, the edit cut from one hair-raising anecdote to another, and back to the first, without ever losing the thread. It was a masterly lesson in how to bring multiple accounts together, to compile a broad picture. Some of the memories were heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Ralph Ottey, who served with Bomber Command, recalled how he arrived from Jamaica aged 19, eager to serve his mother country: 'As for things like colour prejudice, no way. The officers, they just won't tolerate it. We were treated as members of the British Armed Forces and that was it.' Kitty Baxter was 13 when a letter from the War Office brought news that her father, Bill, a road sweeper who volunteered for the Army, had been killed. She remembered standing at her bedroom window on VE Day, watching as people rejoiced in the street outside. 'My mother said, 'You're not going out there. You've got nothing to celebrate. Your Dad's not coming back.' 'Nothing can be taken for granted,' said Marie Scott, who served with the Wrens. 'There's always some lunatic around who wants power or a piece of territory, and is prepared to stop at nothing to get it. 'We have to be aware that our peace was hard fought for and should be cherished.' Amen to that.
