War and Peace

4:50pm Wednesday 16th November 2005

Wiltshire was closely connected with mpilitary movements in both the first and second world wars. Take a break now in Wiltshire to discover military sites and local churches with military connections.

Please read the feature below brought to you by Visit Wiltshire for lots more information. accommodation and special offers and put Wiltshire on your list of places to visit.

Brought to you in association with www.visitwiltshire.co.uk

Historic Wiltshire

Wiltshire is well known for its World Heritage Sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and for historic landmarks such as the White Horses which are dotted around the county. The white horse at Westbury, which is shown above, is the oldest white horse dating back to 1778. The present figure was preceded by a much older version at the same site, date and origin unknown. Legend has it that it was cut as a memorial to one of King Alfred's victories over the Danes at the battle of Ethandun in 878 AD.

This is probably one of the earliest examples of Wiltshire's military history, but the county also has a large number of more recent historic sites relating to the first and second world wars. If you have an interest in military memorabilia or were stationed in Wiltshire during the war and would like to re-visit your past, read on to find details of a number of sites in the county, together with related churches. Why not take a short break in Wiltshire this year and combine a visit to some of these sites with peaceful countryside, good food and warm hospitality.

Wiltshire Tourism would like to thank Rod Priddle of Wiltshire Historical Military Society for his help in providing information relating to the sites mentioned below.

• Keevil Aerodrome Keevil airfield is located to the west of the village of Keevil and four miles to the east of Trowbridge. The airfield remains under the control of RAF Lyneham as a parachure dropping area and occasionally for landings and take-offs by its Hercules aircraft. The airfield is also currently used by Bannerdown Gliding Club.

Keevil was originally scheduled as a fighter OTU, but priorities changed during construction and it was built as a bomber OTU. It was never used as such and was allocated instead to the USAAF as a troop carrier base. The initial airfield construction was incomplete when it became American Air Force (AF) Station 471 in September 1942, and the four squadrons of the 62nd Troop Carrier Group USAAF 12th Air Force started to move in. The Group was involved in the transportation of paratroops on Operation 'Torch', the British and American landings in Algeria and Morocco.

In November 1942 the 62nd TCG departed and the airfield passed into the hands of the RAF's No 70 Group Care & Maintenance. A Royal Air Force detachment continued to be based at Keevil and was increased in early 1943 to 5 officers and 210 other ranks. The station was again allocated to the USAAF in June 1943, and in August of the same year it became a supply base for the 67th Observation Group US 8th Air Force at Membury.

From August 1943, the USAAF Commanding Officer agreed with the RAF to allow Vickers Armstrong Ltd to use Keevil for the assembly and test flying of the Spitfire, from the new Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) Type B1 hangar there. The Spitfires were being constructed for Vickers Ltd in various locations in and around Trowbridge and, prior to the facility being available at Keevil, the constructed Spitfire sections were delivered to the assembly works at High Post for assembly and despatch. The opening of the airfield at Keevil with its MAP hangar presented the opportunity to assemble, test and deliver aircraft which had been produced within a 10 mile radius. With the post war closure of the Castle Bromwich works, the orders were diverted to South Marston but actually assembled at Keevil.

The USAAF finally left Keevil for nearby New Zealand Farm in March 1944, with an official handover to the RAF on 10th March 1944.

Following this, Keevil was occupied by No 299 Squadron and No 196 Squadron. These two Stirling squadrons were in training to tow Horsa Gliders and by the end of March 1944 there were around 100 gliders at Keevil as training continued in the build up to D-Day. On Monday 5th June, the eve of D-Day, 46 aircraft of the two squadrons took part in Operation 'Tonga' and were part of a larger airlift charged with dropping paratroops of the 12th Battalion 6th Airborne Division in Normandy.

On D-Day, Tuesday 6th June, the two Keevil squadrons took part in Operation 'Mallard', the second phase of the opening up of the second front. This was the main airborne landing of glider-borne troops and heavy equipment. Through July, August and early September operations and training exercises continued.

In October 1944, Keevil's role changed to one of training when No 22 HGCU/ORTU was formed there, with Fairford as its satellite. The station opened with a commitment to five courses, each of 14 days duration, comprising 35 first pilots and 35 second pilots for conversion to Horsa and Waco Hadrian gliders. After the war the airfield was home to a variety of different personnel; it even housed 21 German Prisoners of War for a time.

• Commemorative Plaque - On Saturday 24th September 1994, to commemorate the 50th Aniversary of D-Day and the Arnheim Operations, a Cumbrian green slate plaque was unveiled on the village green at Keevil by a veteran who had flown from Keevil and was wounded at Arnheim. The village played host to a large number of veterans, some former No 196 and 299 Squadron aircrew, and many returning for the first time since they flew from Keevil 50 years previously. The commemorative weekend and plaque were arranged by The Keevil Society.

• The Church of St Leonard - While you are in the village to look at the commemorative plaque, take the time to visit the village church where you will find a large War Memorial to both world wars just outside the church gates.

Codford Camp

• Codford Camp was laid out in 1914 at Manor Farm, Codford, which is situated just off the A36 between Warminster and Salisbury. It was occupied by various army regiments during World War 1. A second camp was sited close to the original one during World War 2 for use by various regiments and the US Army. It was also used as an Italian POW camp.

• Lamb Down, Codford St Mary - An Australian Badge can be seen carved out on a steep slope at the top of Lamb Down, just by the A36. Cut in 1916-1917 by Australian troops from the 13th Training Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces stationed at the local Codford and Sutton Veny military camps, the badge is based on the cap badge of the Australian Army. Soldiers under punishment wearing full packs were made to climb the hill and carry out the cutting of the badge. The badge was then embedded with green, brown and clear beer bottles to make it shine bronze like the badge worn on the Australian uniform. Maintaining the badge became the focus of punishment parades and as a result, the spur on which it is carved was affectionately known as Misery Hill by Australian troops.

The badge remained untouched until World War 2 when it was covered over to prevent enemy aircraft using it as a navigation aid. After the war it was uncovered and it was found that most of the glass had either washed away or sunk into the chalk below.

The Lamb Down Badge is approximately 175ft by 150ft in size. The outline of the badge still remains and because it is cut in chalk it requires annual maintenance. Each year, members of the Australian Army stationed in England and members of the local community gather to refurbish the badge as a memorial to the Australians who came here and died in the two great conflicts.

The Badge can be seen today from a viewpoint at Stockton, just off the A36, where an information board is sited.

• Codford St Mary Churchyard - Visit the church in the village Codford St Mary where you will find a Commonwealth War Graves Commission ANZAC cemetery containing the graves of 31 Australian and 66 New Zealand World War 1 soldiers.

Sutton Veny

Sutton Veny Camps, situated just south of Warminster on the A36, were laid out in November 1914. Several camps were constructed, covering a large area, and troops of the 26th division arrived on 28th April 1915. POWs were also detained here and a hutted hospital opened in 1916, providing beds for 11 officers and 1,261 soldiers. The camp had its own railway with a connection at Heytesbury Station. No. 1 Australian Command Depot moved there in December 1916 and remained there until October 1919.

In September 1943 the US 3rd Armoured Division occupied a camp at Sutton Veny.

St John's Churchyard - In November 1918, No. 1 Australian General Hospital moved into the camp and during 1918/1919 Spanish Influenza in the camp caused many deaths. The graves of all those who died can be seen in the Australian War Commission Graveyard at St John's Church. There is also a memorial in the Australian chapel in the Church, recording the names of 142 Australian soldiers and 3 nursing sisters who died at the camp, though not all died from influenza.

For more information visit www.suttonveny.co.uk

RAF Melksham

RAF Melksham, situated on the A365 road from Melksham to Devizes, opened on 12th June 1940 as No 12 School of Technical Training. It had 8 hangars, a hospital and an infrastructure similar to that of an airfield. Various types of aircraft were used for instructional purposes, including the Whitely, Wellington, Manchester, Lancaster, Bristol Bulldog, Tomahawk, Spitfire, Anson and Tigermoth. Melksham was never in use as an aerodrome although it is sometimes referred to as one. Some of the many courses undertaken at Melksham were the training of Instrument Repairers, Armourers, Cooks, Bomb Disposal personnel and WAAF Parachute Packers and the site continued to be used as a training centre until it finally closed on 26th February 1965.

There is very little left of the original site today. The hangars remain in use for commercial purposes and the gymnasium as a sports centre. Most of the buildings have disappeared and the site is known today as the Bowerhill Industrial Estate, where most of the road names have an Air Force connotation, eg Lysander Road, Merlin Way, Wellington Drive.

A portland stone memorial was erected in June 1994 to commemorate the 24 years of RAF Melksham. It is positioned outside the original gymnasium of the site, near the main entrance of what is now the Christie-Miller Sports Centre in Lancaster Road. Some 200 people attended the dedication ceremony including former personnel who had served at the station.

Heytesbury

Knook Camp, situated at the junction of the A36/B390 south of Warminster, was laid out in October 1914 as an artillery camp, with Heytesbury House used as the officers' quarters.

The camp was also in use during the second world war and was occupied by the 55th Armoured Infantry Battalion, 11th Armoured Division, third US Army. Many of the original World War 2 buildings still survive today.

Heytesbury House was the home of Siegfried Sassoon, the first world war poet, from the 1930s until his death in 1967, aged 80. He already had a connection to Wiltshire before that time though, as he wrote a poem in 1915 about Scratchbury Hill, which lies to the north of Norton Bavant in the Wylye valley.

The Collegiate Church of St Peter and St Paul - While you are in the area, the village church in Heytesbury is well worth a visit. There is a War Memorial at the front gate which commemorates both the first and second world wars.

Longbridge Deverill

Longbridge Deverill Camp, situated off the A350 just south of Warminster, was constructed for use in World War 1, when the Overseas Training Brigade of the AIF was known to occupy it. In World War 2 the US 83rd Armored Reconnaisance Battalion occupied the camp in 1944, leaving there at the end of June 1944.

A number of the camp buildings and huts remain today and are now part of the Longbridge Deverill Trading Estate.

Church of St Peter and St Paul - Visit the lovely village church in Longbridge Deverill where you will find a memorial plaque inside the church, commemorating the two world wars and giving the names of those villagers who lost their lives. There is also an interesting wooden cross high up on one of the walls inside the church, which is a memorial to a Captain Morrice who was killed in action in 1917 and was the son of a former vicar.

Accommodation

Wiltshire has a wide range of accommodation to suit all tastes, so why not treat yourself to a few days in the lovely Wiltshire countryside while you visit the sites mentioned above. These are just a few examples of what's on offer in the area:

• Bishopstrow House Hotel - A handsome ivy-clad Georgian house, dating from 1815, Bishopstrow is set in the stunningly beautiful Wylye Valley between Warmnster and Salisbury. It is more suggestive of a lovely private house than a hotel, with fine paintings and antiques, subtle lighting, fresh flowers and the kind of individual ornaments that give real character. The rooms are so elegant, the staff so attentive and the heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools are truly magnificent.

Price range: £99 - 330 per room per night.

For more information or to book, telephone 01985 212312.

• The Dove Inn - This thriving village pub is situated in Corton in the beautiful Wylye Valley. Its facilities include a huge central log fire, a country garden and pretty cottage style en-suite bedrooms. Beers, wines & ales are chosen with great care and you won't be disappointed by the Dove's food - all freshly cooked using the best local produce. Large blackboard menus are available during the daytime and there's also a special a la carte menu for the evening. A warm, friendly and cosy atmosphere is guaranteed.

Price range: £49.50 - 100 per room per night, bed and breakfast.

For more information or to book, telephone 01985 850109.

• The Coach House - Situated on a farm at Corsley, just to the north of Warminster, this 18th century converted coach house has views to Cley Hill. The accommodation is suitable for up to five people in three bedrooms and has the benefit of a dishwasher and a microwave. A cot is also available if required.

Price range: £285 - 395 per week, self catering.

For more information or to book, telephone 01373 832213.

• Honeysuckle Cottage - This country cottage, dating back to the 18th century, is situated at Broughton Gifford near Melksham, opposite a large common. It has the benefit of central heating and on site parking and is an ideal choice for a peaceful and comfortable stay.

Price range: £48 -52 per room per night, bed and breakfast.

For more information or to book, telephone 01225 782463.