WWII bomb crater discovered in the New Forest

New Forest Tourism Association member Phil Howe, who runs Hidden Britain Tours, discovered a huge World War II bomb crater earlier this week following a controlled burning of gorse and heather close to the Tumulus (a Neolithic burial ground) half a mile south of Beaulieu Road Station.

A silver birch tree seemed to have survived the fire, so Phil walked over the charcoaled heath, and found the tree growing in a perfectly outlined bomb crater; a depression about fifteen feet across and eight feet deep. The crater had been hidden for years by the old heather that had softened the landscape.

Comments Phil: “I have escorted hundreds of people right past the spot over the last two years without realising it was there. The mystery is, of course, we will never ever know why, or by whom, the bomb was dropped, or what they might have been trying to hit.”

New Forest ponies and cattle cannot eat tough leggy gorse and heather, so swathes of the forest are burnt to encourage new growth. This spectacular controlled burning – which is carried out by the Forestry Commission – takes place during the winter months as insects and reptiles are underground and ground nesting birds have not yet started to nest, so it is the best time to fire the heaths.

Plumes of blue grey smoke drift across the sky and the charred land appears black and barren; the smell of the fire hangs around long after the blaze itself leaving a distinctive scent in the air.

If you would like to discover more on a guided walk, visit: hiddenbritaintours.co.uk. For general information on the New forest including things to do and places to stay, visit thenewforest.co.uk.