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West Lulworth

Part of the Dorset OPC network

DORSET OPC

Wartime

Second World War
1940
Aug 11
P3585 Hurricane I 213SQ cr landed Lulworth Camp
Sergeant Snowden brought P3585 down on to C Range at Lulworth Camp. He had been hit by return fire from a Bf110 which he was shooting down. [Sergeant Snowden crash landed another 213SQ Hurricane N2646 at Burton Bradtock exactly two weeks later and was again unhurt.]*
Aug 23
A lone German raider attacked Lulworth Camp a few minutes after the All Clear had sounded. Recruits had resumed their infantry training and were in the open as the aircraft approached. Sergeant J. Thompson shouted to them to get down and stay still. Eight bombs were dropped on the sports field, the ranges and at St. Andrew’s Farm which is inside the camp complex. Two men were killed and seven injured, the latter including Sergeant Thompson who received severe leg wounds. He had been in the stores when he heard the aircraft approaching and but for his instant and brave response, when he put himself into the line of fire to warn the men, there would have been a greater number of casualties.*
Sep 27
Anti-aircraft gunners at Lulworth Camp jubilantly celebrated their first definite kill. The unlucky German aircraft was an Me110 which had come low over the huts. There had been an air raid warning and a red alert was in force. The stricken fighter crashed to ground about a thousand yards from the sea.*
Oct    7
Bf.110 ZG26 shot down by 609Sq,cr in sea 1 mile off Arish Mell Gap, Lulworth
 At 15.45 hours a formation of German aircraft, estimated in ecess of sixty, approached the coast at Lulworth. At 15.50 the attackers were engaged by the anti-aircraft gunners at Lulworth Camp and by Warmwell’s Spitfires which intercepted them as they crossed the Frome valley. At 15.55, after meeting heavy opposition, the German aircraft turned back towards the sea. At 16.37the air raid sirens gave the All Clear at lulworth where an Me110 was seen to fall into the sea about 2,000 yards off the Arish Mell Cap.*
1941
May 22
3974/1G+ZM He-111H-8 4/KG27 hit hill nr Lulworth, cr Chideock Farm, Chaldon Herring 2 killed ,3 survivors
Sep 10
R6639 Spitfire I 53OTU cr West Lulworth during forced landing
Oct  21
FW.190 flew into Bindon Hill,Lulworth,1 killed
 There was a huge explosion when a FW190 flew in low from the sea and crashed into the side of Bindon Hill. The pilot was killed instantly. He had apparently misjudged his position and course.*
1942
Apr 6
Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a full tour of the Gunnery Wing of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School at Lulworth Camp. Ranks of Churchill tanks, the first to go into service, received his approval in the Arish Mell valley (Halcombe Vale).*
Oct  21
5331 FW190A-3 5/Jg2 s/d & cr Bindon Hill  Lulworth Cove at 2110hrs Pilot Brychy killed
Dec 14
The Workshop of the Gunnery Wing of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School at Lulworth Camp was devastated in a surprise attack by two German fighter-bombers. The first one passed over the camp without incident but the second dropped a 1,800kg high explosive bomb which landed at the road junction at the edge of the camp. It embedded itself in the concrete , leaving several feet of the casing and fins sticking up into the air, but did not explode. Then the second aircraft returned low across the camp and raked the Workshop with 20mm cannon fire. The welder, Sergeant Jack Stevens, was fatally wounded in the head, and three other soldiers were injured. The building was an utter shambles. The aircraft had come from the east, across the tank park, and then turned south-west, disappearing over Lulworth Cove and out to sea.*
1945
Mar 29
PR150 Spitfire 761Sq Flew into high ground West Lulworth
*Source: Dorset at War: Diary of WW2 by Rodney Legg 1990
First World War
1914
Nov 26
Petty Officer Stoker Frederick George Dorey, 152697, H.M.S. "Bulwark.", Royal Navy died age 44. Son of the late William and Teresa Dorey of West Lulworth, husband of Margaret Dorey, of 12, Derby St., Weymouth.
1915
Aug 21
Lance Corporal Bertie Whittle and Private Ernest Budden, both born in West Lulworth, were both killed in action on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.
1916
May 20
Private Thomas Hawkins 21440, 11th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers who died age 27. Son of the late Harry and Sarah Hawkins of West Lulworth.
Jun 6
Private Herbert Edward Diffey, 79392, 31st Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Alberta Regiment) died at Ypres age 29. Son of James Bushrod Diffey and Emma Diffey of Newlands Cottages, West Lulworth
Dec 21
Gunner Henry Riggs, H.M.S. "Negro", Royal Navy, died.
1917
Apr 2
Private F C Hyde, 26555, 6th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment who died age 20. Son of Bernard and Jane Hyde of 11, West Lulworth.
1918
Oct 18
Private Ernest William Cleall, 22106, 1st/6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) died age 23. Only son of William James and Alice Cleall of 4 Sunnyside Terrace, West Lulworth.
Oct 26
Driver Frank Thomas Charles, 353142, Labour Corps (previously 223682, 463rd Reserve Brigade, Royal Field Artillery) died age 21.
Son of Richard and Eliza Charles, of 12, West Lulworth.

Memories of wartime

by Lilian Chambers (later to become Lilian Pidgeon on her marriage to Donald Pidgeon) contributed by Angie Wild

Extracts from account written by Lilian Pidgeon, WW2 Peoples War


My brother, who is 5 years younger than me, had by then been sent down to Dorset before the war was declared and was living with Sid and Dulcie Pidgeon, at Newlands Farm, Lulworth, who were later to become my father- and mother-in-law.


In 1941 the next wonderful event in my life was becoming engaged to Don, the son of Sid and Dulcie Pidgeon whose Dorset farm, Newlands at Lulworth, my brother had been sent to, to get him out of London. We had known the Pidgeon family for years. We met when my father, mother and brother and I holidayed in our caravan down there. As I had been working in London I had never met Don who was in the Air Force, until he came home one weekend while he was stationed at Warmwell and I was on a weekend break. We hit it off straight away and we were eventually married at Holy Trinity Church Lulworth in July 1942.


I left there on the last weekend in June to go to Newlands farm from where I got married on July 11th 1942 at Holy Trinity church West Lulworth to Don. Straightaway he was posted to Northern Ireland so I went with him. Life there was certainly a contrast to England. Don found a lovely billet with a Mr and Mrs Skimmings who were a really lovely couple. At one time I was really ill and when Don went off to Newtownards after breakfast each day Mr Skimmings would carry me downstairs to be with his wife during the day until Don came home again in the evening. He did this every day for nearly a month until I recovered. In May 1943 I returned to Newlands farm in Dorset to have our son who was born on May 20th. We called him Christopher.


Later that year I returned to Northern Ireland with Christopher. A very tearful Pop Pidgeon saw us off from Wool Station. We had to take a train from Wool to London then travel across to Euston where we booked a night sleeper. I took a small spirit stove with which to heat Christopher’s food. We were halfway into the journey when the train stopped near Crewe, as there were air raids. Eventually we arrived at Stranraer where we boarded the boat which took us to Belfast and from there we went to Newtownards. It was quite a journey with a baby but thankfully he was as good as gold. We were all glad to get to our destination safely and we were all together. Every moment was treasured as in wartime you just didn’t know what might happen. You never knew what tomorrow might hold.


We stayed there until Don was posted to Belgium in 1944. I returned to Lulworth with Christopher where I witnessed the forces of many nationalities massing for D-Day 1944. It was very spectacular. Although Lulworth didn’t get off lightly, as our farm, Newlands farm had a searchlight and gun emplacement and enemy aircraft often tried to attack them.


I was at Newlands farm when victory in Europe was announced but being on a farm life just more or less carried on as usual. We didn’t have any definite celebrations. We were just happy to know that one theatre of war was over. Victory in Japan was not until July and by then Don was in India as immediately after VE Day he was sent straight to India from Belgium and I didn’t see him again until he returned in 1948. By this time my father-in-law had given up the farm in 1945 due to ill health, and eventually after many moves, I moved back with Christopher to my parents’ house in Grange Park in London where we stayed until Don returned from India.


This account was contributed by Angie Wild, daughter of Donald Pidgeon (now deceased), and Lilian Pidgeon who's story 'Memories of Wartime by Lilian Chambers later to become Lilian Pidgeon on her marriage to Donald Pidgeon' is told on this site.


WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar