Dorney Camp on Dorney Common 1940-1944

Dorney Camp. Shown with Eton Wick Road and Common Road at bottom, Cress Brook and Boveney Ditch at top. (South is usual North!) On Dorney Common near Eton Wick Cattle Grid.

April/May 1940

Construction of the Dorney A.A. site was probably started in April or May 1940. The site was enclosed with a barbed wire fence, in which was built underground the command post. Four gun pits were constructed and tents erected. Officers were billeted at the house at the Dorney end of the Common, known as Fruiters Gate. On the 28th June 1940 a troop from 262 Battery of 84th (London Transport) HAA Regiment R.A..T.A., moved from its two London locations at Wormwood Scrubbs and Richmond Park to Dorney camp, code number SM7 and Lent Rise, Burnham.

P.J. Barkham Lt. Col. RA (Retd.) remembers the arrival of the battery at Dorney.

'BHQ (Battery Head Quarters) and two sections arrived at Dorney Common with 4 x 3inch 20cwt. guns firing 198 powder burning fuses, with Vickers predictor of 1920 Vintage and Searchlight. No Radar. One section of 2 x 3 inch 20 cwt, guns went to Lent Rise, Slough and one section of 2 x 3 inch guns at Wexham, Slough. The two latter sites had even older equipment.

The Dorney site was already in being when the Battery HQ arrived with all accommodation being tented. The gun emplacements were already sandbagged and had obviously been in existence since 1939 or even 1938.

The Command Post consisted of the standard A.A. concreted command post with its small, below ground, concrete dug out which housed at that time the telephone line to the Gun Operations room and the plotting equipment that went with it. It also included one of the fixed Azimuth read out devices and a teleprinter type machine, but these were already out of use by the time we got there. I do not think the guns had ever been fired'.

A former Gunner of 262 Bty, Mr. D.A.Dixon, says that the Dorney site was in its

infancy when he arrived, so much so, that Eton College boys came to help them fill sand bags, a job they seemed to enjoy doing. To make the gun pits, sandbags were filled from materials dug on site, the soil being very stoney and had there been an attack on the site the consequences would have been unthinkable. It did not help at this time that a captured Focke Wolfe Condor huge reconnaissance plane was on test from White Waltham air field. Gunner Dixon remembers that the prime task was to guard against possible attack on Slough Trading Estate on which there was a huge R.A.S.C. Vehicle depot.

The guns were manned from daybreak, this being 3 a.m. until full daylight and again from early evening until dark. The guns were also manned on alarms during the day. There was a compulsory rest period of two hours every afternoon, but I do not think the German Luftwaffe was aware of this.

Christmas 1940

Nissen huts had replaced some of the tents of the Dorney Camp and with more permanent accommodation the resident battery invited the village children to a grand Christmas party. This was due to the kindness of the Commanding Officer, Major Highton and Captain Sawyer. The party was organised with military precision, each child having a label attached to their coat and arm. The battery chefs laid of a tremendous feast and one child on seeing all the good things to eat declared to the Major "Sir, I can hardly wait". The N.C.O.s, Officers wives and other lady helpers became the waiters for the feast that had been laid out on two large tables. A Christmas tree and Punch and Judy show were part of the entertainment. To the sound of Bugles everyone left the hut to greet Father Christmas who arrived by army lorry accompanied by the blackest clown playing a banjo. The children all received from Father Christmas a present and a silver coin.

A "Q" Site, manned by the R.A.F., was built at the far end of Dorney Common off Boveney road. This was a QF Decoy site, the F standing for fire, would have been ignited if the Slough Estate or Windsor Castle was attacked, in the hope that the bombing would be diverted. The site was never called upon to go into action as a decoy to the enemy bombers, but it did ignite once by accident.

R.A.F. men manning this site were billeted in homes in Eton Wick and Dorney. One of the R.A.F. men posted to this site was W/O John Williams, later of the The White Heather Garage, Dorney. Being engaged in camouflage duties he was responsible for the layout of the Decoy site, the building of the service road and Nissen huts. Having no calls to action the airmen on this site turned their hand to keeping pigs, growing potatoes and playing cards to relieve the boredom. One incident is remembered of this unit having to retrieve the body of a German fighter pilot whose parachute had failed to open. He fell in Thames Field [Now Dorney Lake].

Saturday, August 24th, 1940

During the night the A.A. Guns located in South Bucks and East Berks went into action for the first time. Bombs were dropped in Windsor forest near St. Leonards Hill. Incendiary bombs were scattered widely around the area.

An account of an action by 262 Battery on Dorney Common during August is given by Lt. Col. P. J. Barkham.

'By the end of July, I had left Lent Rise and moved to Dorney Common to take charge of that site. I had not been there very long when on a beautiful clear warm summer evening, with no wind, as darkness fell there was much enemy activity over the London Docks. Around 11.30 pm. out of the melee, clearly illuminated by searchlights and flying at about 10,000 feet, there was an enemy bomber, a Dornier. It was obviously going to be our first ever, searchlight aided, night, visual engagement. We were not successful, perhaps because our powder burning fuses had been "at readiness" and exposed to the atmosphere for too long to be reliable. Perhaps not, who knows? There were many more anxious nights to follow, but no more hostile aircraft came within our range before the end of August.’

Monday, 26th August, 1940

Tonight the A.A. battery on Dorney Common drew blood. Hun aircraft was caught in the searchlights over Slough, and a shell fired from Dorney was seen to burst under the port wing. The machine fell away out of the searchlights and crashed in Surrey. No sirens sounded.

Sunday September 1st. 1940

Air raid warnings were now more numerous with air activity over the area daily. Fierce A.A. Fire from the local batteries ensued but no hits were obtained. As the Battle of Britain became more intense 262 battery on Dorney Common found themselves being called to action stations frequently.

April & May 1942

During the months of April and May of 1942 enemy aircraft passed occasionally over the Slough - Windsor area on way to their targets of Bath, Exeter and other Cathedral cities, now called "Baedeker Raids".

The periodic change of troops brought a section of 331 Bty. 106 Regt. to take over the guns at Dorney camp. The battery being under the command of Major Shearer for the months "of December '42. and January '43.

The A.T.S. filled the various posts in the batteries except manning the guns. They were trained to be operators of Radar, Predictors, Plotters, telephonist, Teleprinters, and other essential trades such as Drivers, Cooks and Clerks.

The first mixed Batteries to arrive in the Slough - Windsor area were from 183(M) Regiment H.A.A. having joined 38 Brigade in 1942 / '43. The batteries comprising 183 Regiment comprised of 564(M)HAA; 608(M)HAA; 59l(M)HAA and 640(M)HAA Bty.

Corporal Rose Castle (now Mrs Richings) from 608 Battery H.Q. Uxbridge was the first A.T.S. to arrive at Dorney Camp with Captain Martin. Their assignment, to make arrangements for the camp to receive a troop from the mixed battery. The tents of the original camp were still on site awaiting return to depot stores for which she arranged transport to Slough Station.

The Battery that was about to leave the camp and go overseas was all male and Corporal Castle recalled her first day at Dorney.

‘Being the only A.T.S. and the first, no arrangements existed for feeding so I went to the men’s mess hut. A surprise awaited me in the form of a mass scramble to the centre of the table for the food and I was supposed to have what was left. The tea (char) was served up in a bucket. Needless to say, I got out and took myself to the Officers mess for my lunch.’

Corporal Castle at first cycled from Uxbridge to Dorney each day but later lodged in the Eton Wick road with an elderly lady whom she remembers was very kind, also the enjoyable cups of cocoa she made when she returned at night.

608 Battery manned sites at Datchet, Windsor Great Park and at Dorney. SM7 (Dorney Camp) was in a terrible state when the troop arrived to take over from the men.

Mary Lake, now Mrs M. Clay remembers the day she joined 608 Bty.

‘On the 10th December 1942 I arrived by train at Windsor and on leaving the station I asked a policeman if he knew where I could find 608 Battery, 'no joy', but he directed me to the Windsor Post Office. Another blank but they directed me to the privately own local bus service. I had no idea where it was going but eventually, we came to a camp. The driver let me off and waited until I had been to the guard room. I was lucky and on thanking the driver retrieved my kit bag from the bus. It was then a wait until a Sgt Hellier picked me up and took me to Uxbridge. (Blue Bus service. Windsor to Dorney)

Three days later I was back at Dorney with a fatigue party on the clean up operation for the 608 advance party.

First impressions were mist, sometimes very dense and when running on a call out it was a nightmare. On fine nights the mosquitoes would eat you to death’

Telephonist M. Suddaby, now Mrs M. Staley, has vivid memories of their arrival. ‘Having just completed two weeks firing practice at Ty-Croes on the Isle of Anglesey we were posted to Dorney. Billets were allocated but, unfortunately, the Nissen hut that telephonists and spotters were expected to occupy was in an appalling condition having previously been a meat store. The odour I have never smelt before or since. There was a shortfall of beds, so we were given the usual biscuit paillasse to sleep on, on the flagged floor. We could not deter the assorted number of cats from hanging about this hut, but horrible though it all was we just had to make the best of it. Fortunately for me I was on all night duty that night, but was horrified when the poor girls trying to sleep in that hut told me of a night of horrors as dozen of mice left their nest under the flagged floor and ran over the beds and pillows and anywhere else they fancied. helped by the cats continuing their vigil and making many successful catches. Next morning the Junior Commander came to inspect the hut and ordered the floor to be taken up and it was found that literally there were hundreds of mice nests under the flag stones. We were transferred to share other barrack rooms which became overcrowded and the mice decided to move in with us as well.’

From the last days of June until the end of the war in Europe air activity was seen and heard frequently over the village as large formations of American Air Force bombers passed over. Damage to the American planes that had been inflicted by the German defences was plainly visible when returning from these raids. Falling debris and colours of the day signal flares were fired by the stricken planes was often seen by those watching their return. The drone of aircraft engines continued into the night as heavy bombers of the R.A.F. passed over on their way to attack Germany

October 1943

The troop from 371 Bty. of 117 Regt. stationed at Dorney Camp (SM7) was relieved by B troop from 564(M)HAA Battery. Formed and trained at Blandford, Dorset, 564 Bty. Went to Bude for firing practice before moving into Embrook camp, Wokingham, near Reading. Heavy rain had made Embrook very muddy, making the move to Windsor most welcomed.

Corporal Bratt (now Mrs Goodlad) remembers.

‘Many broken night’s sleep were endured as often the alarm bells would go two or three times a night. Then it was a case of out of bed, into your boots, grab your greatcoat and steel helmet and "Run like Hell" as it was a distance from the A.T.S. huts to the command post. An Ack-Ack site in the middle of a bad winter night was not a funny place to be.’

[See full report of this action below] Whilst stationed at Dorney [on the night of February 22/23, 1944] 564 Bty. bagged its first German Raider which crashed at High Wycombe. Corporal Bratt of C Section was on the height finder that night and witnessed the hit in the telescopic sights. On being stood down after the action, Major Haines, Bty. Commander, ordered the NAAFI to be opened up and a celebration took place. Excited with their success, an armed guard of an Officer and six gunners went to the crash and stood guard overnight. It was 564's victim and they wanted no one pinching their glory.

Although life on an Ack-Ack site was hard, especially the winter months when Nissen huts could be cold and damp, being with a battery for a long period was like being with the family, more so when one had joined at seventeen and a half years old.

L/Sergeant Whitaker (now Mrs Cowley) of D Section, also a Height/Range finder, recalls that a propellor off the plane, which crashed in the High Wycombe area, was given to the Battery to mark their first victory. Major Haines, had it mounted with a suitably inscribed brass plaque.

The proximity of Windsor Castle and the Royal family brought a certain amount of "Spit and Polish" to the local Ack-Ack camps, including Dorney Camp. These show sites were often visited by "Red Tab " Officers from the War Office. Some residents remember seeing King George VI when he visited the camp.