How a Strange Hump in the New Forest Helped D-Day

Рет қаралды 3,898

3 жыл бұрын

➜ Photos & more detail: rafbeaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu-ai...
In today's WW2 history exploring in the New Forest, me, the boy, and the dog walked out to the site of RAF Beaulieu and walked to one of the lesser known sites. The hump or mound near the village of Pilley on Beaulieu Heath, Hampshire actually had a part to play during the war.
It's where the planes would test their weapons before going on a missions, firing into the shoot-in butt or RAF Beaulieu hump / mound as it's often called.
Find out more about this WW2 test firing range, shooting-in butt, or target area, and how it helped the fighters leaving this New Forest airfield prepare for supporting the D-Day troops.
** More RAF Beaulieu Videos **
RAF Beaulieu Walk & History Part 1
➜ • RAF Beaulieu Walk #1: ...
RAF Beaulieu Walk & History Part 2
➜ • RAF Beaulieu Walk #2: ...
** Follow my RAF Beaulieu project **
If you are interested in the history of this New Forest wartime airfield please follow my project on:
➜ rafbeaulieu.co.uk
I am aiming to document as many sites as possible on the historical RAF Beaulieu site, as well as documenting walks that you can do to explore the airfield.
** Join the discussion **
Please visit the New Forest and Hampshire WW2 Heritage Facebook group where members talk about RAF Beaulieu's history and other sites of interest:
➜ / 400948317956198
** Image & Photo credits **
Flight simulator image:
Terry in Dorset, visit: www.rafibsley.com
RAF Kinnell Shooting-in Butts photo:
M. Searle, visit: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/593...
Footage of US planes taking off from RAF Beaulieu for D-Day
• Beaulieu Airfield (Ham...
Footage of pilots at RAF Beaulieu.
• Beaulieu Airfield (Ham...
I do not own the archive video footage or photography in this video. Every attempt was made to locate the owners of these. I do not own all images used in this film and have credited them where the source is known. I have used all of the above in a non-profit and educational capacity only.
** Music credits **
All music Licensed via Storyblocks.com
- Deep Thoughts by Joel Thomas Hunger
#newforest #history #ww2

Пікірлер: 25

@Masseyboy89 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for taking the time to make your videos. As a local, sharing a keen interest in WW2 and our local history, it is great to watch such informative and well researched clips. My little girl is coming up 3yrs old, I look forward to sharing some of these walks with her. I believe that it is so important that the historical significance of these sites are recognised by future generations. You're going a great job, good on you!

@TrexplorerUK 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, this is one of the best comments I've ever received on KZfaq, because it resonates so much with me. I was never that interested in local history until the pandemic and school shutdowns. I began taking my lad out into the Forest more and started discovering stuff. That's how this all started for me - and now it's all consuming. My son is obviously back at school so doesn't come with me so much now, but I still drag him out at the weekends to see various airfields, air raid shelters, bomb craters, and pillboxes... I think it's so important that the stories of this era aren't lost. I am doing my best with Beaulieu Airfield to tell those stories. If you haven't seen it, I run a website at rafbeaulieu.co.uk where I try to tell the stories I've tracked down and also publish my research. Over the last few months I've also been invited to do talks and walks at local schools - a few of them are doing this period in history at the moment so it's great to be able to share with the kids what we learned. If you use Facebook, I set up a group for myself and other parents - it's now morphed into a more general WW2 local history site, but I hope you can join and learn and share if you use that social media platform - facebook.com/groups/400948317956198 Thanks, it's great to know these videos are watched. When I make them I don't really think people will, so getting real feedback like this is bloody brilliant cheers, Marc

@Masseyboy89 2 жыл бұрын

@@TrexplorerUK Thanks Marc! What's crazy is, I have already unwittingly joined your Facebook group, back in June. What's ironic, it was your post on Ashley walk that encouraged me to properly study the history around the New Forest in the first place, I then later stumbled across your KZfaq channel! Before my daughter was born, I spent many summers touring around Europe. I chased round many sites, completely neglecting the all to significant history in plain sight each day. By very definition, you've made lemonade when life's dealt us lemons. You are bringing history to the attention of people able to preserve it, and in my opinion, that's the work of a true historian. Keep up the good work mate, Simon

@TrexplorerUK 2 жыл бұрын

@@Masseyboy89 I know the feeling. My wife and I lived in Switzerland in a farming village in the hills near the German border, our son was born there. There was so much history on my doorstep, but I never appreciated it. Hindsight... wonderful thing!

@Razboynik69 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the videos. I have lived in the New Forest all my life, and always thought that the hump was a Bronze Age burial mound. Keep up the good work.

@TrexplorerUK 3 жыл бұрын

I thought the same things for a long time too. Chatted to an old guy who said it used to be a lot bigger but has decreased in time. He told me that a firm actually bought the gravel to take it all away, but never came to get it.

@jaywalker3087 2 ай бұрын

At RAF Swinderby where I did my Basic Training, the beginning and the end of a long hard cross country run , we had to run up and down one of these... After a few rough miles we could see the Hump in the distance ,knowing you still had the Hump , again, and then a 200 yard sprint.... They called it " Charachter Building "😂

@rancidschannel3206 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing

@tonyfurnandiz4637 3 жыл бұрын

i enjoy your videoes regarding ww2 locations in hampshire giving a detailed tour. i have an interest in this area many years ago i attended a 2 week course based in winchester. at weekends i toured the local area brockenhurst lymington watching southampton v millwall at the old dell and the city itself, some interesting stuff

@TrexplorerUK 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind comments. I'm a season ticket holder at Southampton and have fond memories of standing on the terraces at the Dell as a teenager. Loved that ground - really appreciate you taking the time to comment - glad you enjoy what I do, it's something I love.

@rancidschannel3206 Жыл бұрын

Sadly the target test site o the Island the butt has dissappeared wuth errosion, but the staff bunker is still there. Very interesting feature

@yawningdog8428 3 жыл бұрын

Well done, thanks for making these videos! G

@TrexplorerUK 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, it's a labour of love for sure. In the process of making a new one with a really interesting story about some German POWs at RAF Beaulieu and an air crash on the heath. Hopefully you can subscribe as will probably make it live in the next few weeks.

@Mrluke733 3 жыл бұрын

Loving these videos- thx for making them!

@TrexplorerUK 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Luke, I love learning about the history and then doing these so glad other people do too! If you use Facebook there's about 1,000 people in this group who find things like this and chat about it: facebook.com/groups/400948317956198

@Mrluke733 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers again, it’s very interesting and has inspired me to take some walks around the airfield and surrounding area. I’ve signed up to the Facebook group too now!

@MarcHeighway 3 жыл бұрын

@@Mrluke733 (replying from my personal account) Yep, I started getting out into the Forest when the pandemic started. Had never really appreciated it until then to be honest. Glad to have a new hobby and some fresh air :-)

@Mrluke733 3 жыл бұрын

@@MarcHeighway great stuff Marc, it’s really interesting. As I say, it’s certainly inspired me to get out there and have a walk now too! I live in Southampton, but my parents are in Burley - so I know the area fairly well... I’ll be keeping a close eye on your KZfaq channel and will take a look at the website you’ve mentioned too. It’s so important our history is kept to live through this kind of content, so once again good on you!

@MyRingwood 2 жыл бұрын

In the very early sixties went there for a parade when in the ATC in the rain

@TrexplorerUK 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dennis, what ATC Squadron were you in, did you have regular meetings at Beaulieu?

@MyRingwood 2 жыл бұрын

@@TrexplorerUK I was in the ringwood squadron, it was all the local squadrons brought together for an inspection by a senior RAF officer .

@TrexplorerUK 2 жыл бұрын

@@MyRingwood thanks Dennis, I've got a few Beaulieu videos on my channel. If you like the airfield history, I've got an exhibition planned for June which might be of interest: facebook.com/events/3047720532159209

@NaomisAdventures 3 жыл бұрын

Good video

@Masonhanson23 3 ай бұрын

Is it true theres either a spitfire or a bomber in hatchet pond?

@TrexplorerUK 3 ай бұрын

Very unlikely, I wrote about the hatchet pond rumours a couple of years ago, you can read my opinions here where I discuss similar tales nfhwa.org/hatchet-pond-plane-crashes-drownings-military-history/