World War 2

Wing Commander Bernard Ingham DFC

Bernard Ingham (1920 – 1947) is buried in the Glaziers Lane Cemetery in Easebourne.  In 1942 he won the Distinguished Flying Cross before being transferred to the Goodwood airfield (which was then known as RAF Westhampnett) escorting daylight bombing raids over Europe.  Military enthusiasts Phil Stringer and David Coxon explored the life of this Second World War hero in magazine number 38.

Woolbeding Camp

Esme Smut was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during the Second World War and kept a record of her time at the camp in Woolbeding in 1939 and early 1940.  Robert Windle edited the diaries and shared them with us in magazine 37.

Second World War bombs dropped on Midhurst in 1943

Thursday 18 February 1943 was arguably the blackest day of the war for Midhurst when a stick of German bombs landed on the town killing three civilians.  Nick Cansfield found out more in an article presented in magazine 37. 

Tank Traps

After the fall of France in June 1940, Hitler turned his attentions to England, and for a time, it looked as if an invasion was likely.  Midhurst was a Category ‘A’ Nodal point – a key defensive location given the codename ‘Vienna’.  In 2024 when builder Bellway Homes started developing the site next to the Recycling Centre on the Belton Road, the Midhurst Society asked them to keep an eye open for any unusual features buried in the ground.  Historians Tania Pons and Martin Mace wrote about the significance of the discovery of a number of tank traps in magazine 38.

The Lumberjills

In magazine 38, author Joanna Foat wrote about the Lumberjills – the Women’s Timber Corps – and their connections to Midhurst

Avro Anson crashing in Minsted in 1940

In magazine 35, Ron Jones (with the help of Tania Pons) shared his memory of an Avro Anson crash landing in Minsted. Fortunately no people, cows or sheep were hurt in the incident!