Bordon: The History of a Military Garrison Town

From the Royal Forest of Woolmer to regeneration: the garrison, Longmoor, Blackmoor and the High Street

Bordon grew from heathland that the War Office bought for training in 1863 into a garrison town of barracks, camps, canteens, churches and schools. It was home first to the infantry and artillery, then to the Canadians, and finally to REME until the army left in 2015. This presentation follows that story from the royal forest to the camps, the Longmoor Military Railway, the wartime years, the Canadians and REME, and then on to the High Street, regeneration and the people and institutions of the town. Along the way it visits Whitehill, the Victorian estate village of Blackmoor, and the Freemasons' Masonic Centre beside the Tesco car park.

Cover image: High Street and Whitehill Road, Bordon, 1912. Source: Woolmer Forest Heritage Society / Bordon Nostalgia community archive.

What You'll Find in This Document

🪖 Military History

Bordon's identity as a garrison town: the wartime years, the Home Guard, the SEME and REME workshops, and the closure of Bordon Camp in 2015.

🚂 Longmoor

The Longmoor Military Railway and Camp, which operated from 1903 to 1969 and shaped the lives of generations of soldiers and townsfolk.

🏘️ Bordon & Whitehill

The origins of the town, from the turnpike road of 1826 and the War Office purchase of 1863, through the arrival of the camps in 1903, to parish status in 1928.

🌳 Blackmoor

The Victorian estate village of Blackmoor, its architecture by Waterhouse, and its long association with the Earls of Selborne.

🛍️ The High Street & Regeneration

Rare photographs, a timeline of change, community memories, and the regeneration of Prince Philip Park and the town centre.

🔺 The Freemasons

The Bordon Masonic Centre, known as Farminer Hall, beside the Tesco car park, and the lodges that have met there.

📚 Contents & Sources

A full contents page and chapter-by-chapter source lists.

Garrison TownBordonWhitehillLongmoorBlackmoor

Bordon: The History of a Military Garrison Town

This document contains 24 sections. Use the contents below to navigate the history of Bordon as a garrison town and the wider story of Whitehill, Longmoor, Blackmoor and the High Street.

Cover and contents (2 sections) · Chapters (19 sections) · Sources (3 sections)

Part One: Bordon, Whitehill & the Military

01

The Royal Forest of Woolmer: Before the Army

02

Setting the Scene: The Origins of Whitehill and Bordon

03

Building the Garrison: Barracks, Huts and the Boer War Legacy, 1899–1914

04

Garrison Life: Churches, Clubs, Schools and a Military Cemetery

05

Wartime and Change: Bordon's Military Era

06

The Canadians at Bordon, Headley and Lindford

07

REME and SEME: The Corps That Made Bordon Its Home

08

Longmoor Military Railway and Camp (including the ranges today, Army Cadets and Army careers)

09

The Bentley and Bordon Railway: Bordon Station, 1905–1966

10

RAF Oakhanger and Skynet: The Military in the Space Age

11

Blackmoor: The Victorian Estate Village on Woolmer's Edge

Part Two: The High Street & Beyond

01

Bordon High Street Through the Lens: Aerial & Street Views

02

A Visual Timeline of Bordon High Street

03

Stories from the Street: Community Memories

04

Bordon High Street and Regeneration: From Garrison Town to Green Town

05

The Freemasons in the Tesco Car Park: Bordon Masonic Centre

06

The Hardy's of Bordon: A Family and a Building on the High Street

07

The Hardy's in Photographs, Press and Today (including the High Street under pressure)

08

A Living History: Join the Project (key takeaways, open questions, suggested outreach and how to help)

Sources & References

Part 1: Bordon, Whitehill, Longmoor, Blackmoor, the Military & the Freemasons

Part 2: High Street, Press & Archives

Part 3: Official Sources, Images & Research Notes (including About the Researcher)

The Royal Forest of Woolmer: Before the Army

Long before the garrison, the High Street or the railway, Bordon and Whitehill lay inside the Royal Forest of Woolmer, a medieval hunting forest of heath, bog and sand that shaped everything that came after, including why the Army chose it.

Wolves, Kings and Forest Law

The name Woolmer appears in Anglo-Saxon charters from the reign of King Alfred (around AD 890), as 'Wuffmaires gemaire', pointing to the wolves that once roamed the area. Bronze Age barrows and Roman finds are scattered across the forest, and a hoard of bronze relics was found near Blackmoor. After the Norman Conquest it became a Royal Forest, grouped with neighbouring Alice Holt and held under the manor of East Worldham. King John stayed at Worldham in 1203–04 while hunting, and in 1278 Edward I ordered trespassers at Woolmer to be held; he is reported to have built a hunting lodge there.

Turf, Peat and Gilbert White

The last native trees at Linchborough were felled in 1578. On the poor Lower Greensand soil, trees could not regenerate, and commoners cut turf and peat. In 1782 alone, 325 loads of peat and 340,000 turfs were taken, which enlarged Woolmer Pond. In the 1780s, the naturalist Gilbert White of Selborne described the forest as about seven and a half miles long and two and a half wide, 'sand covered with heath and fern'. The forest was inclosed by award in 1857, with about 3,000 acres allotted to the Crown and large areas planted with Scots pine. The Crown, through the Forestry Commissioners, later leased portions of it to the Army.

🌿 A Wildlife Treasure

Woolmer Forest is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, designated on 1 April 2005 and covering about 667 hectares. It is the only place in Britain said to support all of the native reptile and amphibian species.

🪖 Why the Army Came

The land was poor, open and free-draining heathland that was cheap to buy and ideal for training. The War Office bought training land in 1863; sources differ on the area (around 1,600 acres in local heritage sources, 781 acres in one summary).

🌳 A Landscape You Can Still Walk

Woolmer Pond, Deadwater Valley, Bordon Inclosure and Hogmoor Inclosure remain as heath and woodland walks today.

A memorial tablet was unveiled near the Queen Victoria Oak in Lynchborough Park, Woolmer Forest, by the Countess of Selborne on 22 September 1902. It links the forest to the Blackmoor estate.

Setting the Scene: The Origins of Whitehill and Bordon

Whitehill and Bordon sits on the edge of the ancient Woolmer Forest, in the East Hampshire district. Unlike its neighbours — Alton, Petersfield, and Farnham — Bordon was never a market town. Its growth was driven almost entirely by the military presence that arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, transforming a quiet forest landscape into a garrison community.

From Turnpike Road to Settlement

After 1826 a turnpike road was cut through Woolmer Forest, linking Farnham and Petersfield. A roadside 'stopping post' along this route grew into the settlement of Whitehill. Some thirty years later a second turnpike linked Liphook and Greatham, further opening the forest to travel and trade.

In 1863 the War Office bought around 1,600 acres of Woolmer Forest as training land. Troops first occupied the Bordon barracks in 1903, and the area has had a large military presence since 1901–1903. The Bentley and Bordon Light Railway opened in 1905, carrying soldiers, supplies, and civilians into the growing community.

Parish Status and Local Governance

The parish of Whitehill, covering both Whitehill and Bordon, gained parish status in 1928 by Act of Parliament. Previously the area fell within the parishes of Headley and Selborne. The parish became Whitehill Town Council in 1991.

  • Military presence established from 1903 onwards
  • Light railway connection opened in 1905
  • Independent parish governance from 1928
  • Set within heathland of international importance

The area's heathland — Woolmer Forest, the Deadwater Valley, and nine SSSIs — supports all twelve native British reptile and amphibian species.

The chapters that follow trace the garrison, the Canadians, REME, Longmoor and Blackmoor, and then the High Street and its families.

Building the Garrison: Barracks, Huts and the Boer War Legacy, 1899–1914

Bordon Camp was built to solve a simple problem. The Army trained on Woolmer Forest, but its nearest base, Aldershot, was about 20 miles away. Soldiers had to march or pay for the train, and often camped overnight in tents. The answer was two permanent hutted camps beside the training ground: one at Bordon and one at Longmoor.

1899 – Work begins on Bordon Camp, laid out by the Highland Light Infantry under the Royal Engineers. Plans call for 140 wooden huts at each camp, enough for about 5,000 men. The Boer War slows the work and effort shifts to Longmoor Camp from August 1900.

1902–03 – The War Office buys more land, reportedly including the 550-acre Broxhead Warren estate. Barracks are named after British victories in the Seven Years' War in North America — St Lucia, Quebec, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Louisburg and Broxhead — beginning a long link with Canada. Officers' quarters are named after commanders such as Amherst and Wolfe.

April 1903 – The Somersetshire Light Infantry, home from South Africa, march from Bentley station behind a band into Quebec Barracks, the first soldiers to occupy Bordon Camp. On 5 May Major General Sir Bruce Hamilton presents them with the Queen's South Africa medals.

June 1903 – The 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who fought at Colenso, Spion Kop and Ladysmith, march into St Lucia Barracks under Colonel H. Batson. The men bring back souvenirs including canaries, parrots and a vervet monkey named James.

1903–05 – Because Longmoor's huts are damp and unhealthy, 68 huts are moved to Bordon on a temporary 18-inch gauge railway. Each hut weighs up to 40 tonnes, is jacked up seven feet by hand and hauled by steam winch at about three miles an hour; on average three huts are moved a week. This creates Guadaloupe and Martinique Barracks and lets Bordon house a full infantry brigade. One hut slips off its trolleys at Whitehill and becomes the local police station.

1906–07 – The first brick barracks, Louisburg Barracks, are built for two artillery regiments, with a riding school and a veterinary hospital for sick horses.

1911 – Royal Engineer lines and stables are added.

1914 – On the outbreak of war the camp is a busy mobilisation base, and the 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment is photographed at Bordon. One of its officers, Lieutenant William Stanley Yalland, is killed leading an attack at Langemarck on 23 October 1914.

Concrete and Heath

The building work damaged local roads, prompting early British Army tests of lorries with pneumatic tyres.

Between the Wars

In the 1920s more land was bought for training. In the 1930s new brick barracks replaced the old wooden huts at Quebec and St Lucia, and a wooden hut training camp was built at Oxney Farm, also called Martinique Barracks.

Garrison Life: Churches, Clubs, Schools and a Military Cemetery

A garrison of thousands needed more than barracks. Within a few years Bordon Camp had its own post office, institutes, clubs, schools, fire station, churches and cemetery — a self-contained town beside the civilian High Street.

The chapel at Bordon Garrison Military Cemetery. Photo: geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).

📮 Bordon Post Office

A post office was set up in Quebec Barracks to serve Bordon and Longmoor. In 1908 it moved to a new brick building and became Bordon Post Office. The site is still the Royal Mail depot and combined army and civilian post office.

🏠 Soldiers' Institutes

The Church of England Soldiers' Institute opened in 1904 as a £1,500 corrugated iron building, open to all soldiers and sailors regardless of religion. A hall for 500 was added in 1906.

The Wesleyan Soldiers' Home opened in 1905 with a games room, reading room and lecture hall for 300. Both closed and were demolished in 1960, and a Tesco One Stop store now stands on the Church of England site.

🏏 Officers' Sports Club

The club gained a cricket ground and pavilion in 1910 and a clubhouse in 1922. It later added squash, tennis, a polo field, and hockey and rugby grounds.

In 1980 it passed to a civilian committee as the Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club.

💃 The Empire Club

The club opened in 1913 with tennis courts and a bowling green. It was taken over by Bordon Entertainments Ltd in 1938.

A cinema, ballroom, bar and lido (1963) were added. The club burned down in 1987, and the site is now housing.

🏫 Schools and Medical Care

A junior and an infant school were built in 1906 and were controlled by the military until 1944, when Hampshire County Council took over. The old Barbados House school is now the Phoenix Centre, home of the Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre.

A new medical centre in 1964 was nicknamed the 'Mississippi Steamboat' because of its shape and tall chimney.

🚒 The Fire Station

A camp fire station operated from 1906 with a horse-drawn pump and three stables. A motorised Thornycroft engine arrived in 1920.

A civilian fire station took over in 1938, but the military station reopened at the start of the Second World War. Green Goddess engines came in 1958, and the RAF took over the building in 1989 until it closed in 2005.

⛪ Garrison Churches

St George's Garrison Church, known as the Tin Tabernacle, was built in February 1921 with a corrugated iron shell over a wooden frame. It had an organ from an old army base in Ireland and was taken down in 1983.

Its reredos altarpiece, dedicated on 22 July 1964, memorialised all the army units who served at Bordon, showing soldiers from the South African War, both World Wars and Korea. A Roman Catholic place of worship was there from the start, with a wooden hut serving as Sacred Heart Church until a brick church replaced it in 1990.

🌹 Bordon Military Cemetery

The cemetery opened in April 1910 on Bolley Avenue and is open to serving personnel and their families. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for 186 Commonwealth burials from the First World War and 8 from the Second, including British, South African and Canadian soldiers.

Nine US soldiers were buried there temporarily. One civilian, Mrs Alice Emily Chandler, killed by a German bomb in 1940, is also buried there.

An earlier military cemetery on the High Street, opposite Bordon Motor Garage, is recorded by the Hampshire library archive as closing in 1910, the year this cemetery opened; Parks & Gardens UK notes that the War Department set aside the land for it in 1908.

St George's Church, Bordon (the former Royal Artillery institute, now the garrison church)

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Bordon (built 1990)

The former fire station, later an RAF facility, unused since 2005

Photos: geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).

The Canadian Forces memorial stone, unveiled in June 1985 on the site of the Tin Tabernacle, remembers Canadian soldiers who served at Bordon in both world wars. The maple leaf was used in the badge of 4 Battalion REME.

What Survives Today

  • Quebec House was originally the Commanding Officer's House for Quebec Barracks, and it still stands today.
  • St Lucia House was originally a forester's house and now sits within Bordon Inclosure.
  • Brickwork from the army sewage works built in 1903 remains visible in Bordon Inclosure.
  • The former Sergeants' Mess and Sandhurst Block were retained in the town-centre plans, and a colonial-style pavilion was rebuilt as a community cricket, dining and social space.
  • The military cemetery remains on site and continues to be cared for today.
  • Bordon Inclosure itself was improved with footpaths, play areas and wildlife features, and was completed in April 2016 with £800,000 from the developers of the Quebec Park and Louisburg Barracks sites.
  • Barbados House, once a garrison school, is now the Phoenix Centre and the home of the Deadwater Valley Trust.
  • A 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun emplacement of about 1943, built to defend the camp, was protected as a Scheduled Monument in October 2020.
  • Broxhead House, once the quarters of the general commanding at Louisburg Barracks (built to house field artillery regiments on more than 20 hectares), later served as Canadian Army headquarters in the Second World War and then as the officers' mess for REME and the Territorial Army; it is now part of BASE Bordon's business centre.

More to see (permission needed for images)

Wartime and Change: Bordon's Military Era

For over a century, Bordon's identity was shaped by its role as a garrison town. Throughout the wars and the decades that followed, the garrison brought soldiers, families, and constant change to the town's streets and shops. The Farnham Herald (5 June 2024) confirms that the garrison was a key staging post for amassing war material in the build-up to D-Day in June 1944. The town is still dotted with concrete slabs on which tanks and armoured cars were parked during the wartime build-up, physical evidence of Bordon's role as a military staging post.

Bordon During the World Wars

World War One: On 5 August 1914, the first day of full British mobilisation, the 44th Howitzer Brigade Royal Field Artillery mobilised at Bordon Camp. On 13 August 1914, the 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers departed Bordon Camp and sailed to Le Havre with the British Expeditionary Force, among the first British troops to reach France. Bordon's ranges were used for final weapons preparation with live ammunition, making the camp a critical last stop before the front.

World War Two: The garrison was confirmed as "a key staging post for amassing war material in the build-up to D-Day in June 1944" (Farnham Herald, 5 June 2024). The Whitehill Town Council records confirm that "during the two World Wars many hundreds of troops passed through as expeditionary forces and reached a high point in 1944, when Bordon played its part in the preparations for the D-Day landings."

Bordon Home Guard: On 14 May 1940, following Anthony Eden's BBC broadcast calling for Local Defence Volunteers, local civilians in Bordon, Whitehill and Blackmoor formed a Home Guard unit of over 90 men. A photograph of the unit was taken beside the Whitehill Club. (Source: Woolmer Forest Heritage Society)

Bombs Over Bordon: During the Battle of Britain and the Blitz (1940–41), a number of bombs were dropped over Bordon. Some were only discovered during the recent Bordon redevelopment and had to be destroyed by Army Bomb Disposal in controlled detonations on site, a vivid reminder of how close the war came to the town. (Source: Woolmer Forest Heritage Society)

The Raid of 16 August 1940

On 16 August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, a Luftwaffe bomb fell on Bordon Camp next to the fire station on Station Road, eleven months after the Canadian Army had made it their European base. Alice Emily Chandler was killed, and she is the one civilian buried in Bordon Military Cemetery. Around 200 German bombers ranged over southern England in small formations that day, and broken cloud made it hard for Fighter Command to intercept them. About 166 civilian deaths were recorded across southern England, a regional figure. It is possible the same formation also attacked Farnborough and Basingstoke, but this cannot be proved.

Image at the top of this section: the former fire station on Station Road, Bordon, next to which the 16 August 1940 bomb fell. Photo: geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).

An Official Snapshot, January 1941

A Canadian officer's report of 10 January 1941 describes Bordon as 'now mainly a Canadian station', the chief centre of the growing family of Canadian Base Units, with some buildings destroyed by enemy bombs some months earlier.

Defending the Camp

A 40mm Bofors light anti-aircraft gun emplacement, built around 1943 to defend the Bordon Army complex, was protected as a Scheduled Monument by Historic England on 22 October 2020 (list entry 1468234). The Woolmer Forest Heritage Society also records Spigot Mortar emplacements around Bordon, Whitehill and Longmoor.

Canadian Army, SEME Workshops

In 1942, the Canadian Army built the SEME (School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) workshops at Bordon. The cornerstone was laid by General A.C.L. McNaughton, GOC-in-C 1st Canadian Army, and the buildings were constructed by the Royal Canadian Engineers for the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. (Source: Woolmer Forest Heritage Society)

Post-War Arrivals: The first REME soldiers arrived in Bordon in 1945. In 1961, the School of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (SEME) was formally created, cementing the town's place at the heart of Army engineering training.

  • Longmoor Military Railway: tramway built from 1903, railway opened 1907, closed 1969; Longmoor Camp remains an active training camp today
  • Bordon Home Guard formed: 14 May 1940, over 90 local volunteers
  • Bombs dropped on Bordon during the Blitz, 1940–41
  • Canadian Army built SEME workshops at Bordon: 1942
  • Bordon was a key D-Day staging post: June 1944
  • First REME soldiers arrive in Bordon: 1945
  • School of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (SEME) created: 1961
  • REME awarded the Freedom of the Town at the Garrison Festival: 27 June 2015
  • SEME relocates to RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire; garrison closes: September 2015

Across both World Wars the town supported hundreds of passing troops, and its garrison grew steadily in importance. Longmoor Military Railway, running through the area, connected the camps to the national network and underscored just how thoroughly military logistics shaped everyday life in the town.

Closure and a New Chapter

The Farewell to the Garrison parade and festival took place on 27 June 2015, when REME marched through the town and received the Freedom of the Town. The garrison formally closed in September 2015 when SEME relocated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, ending more than 100 years of Bordon as a garrison town. The Whitehill & Bordon regeneration programme now promises thousands of new homes, new jobs and a reinvented town centre.

More to read

The Canadians at Bordon, Headley and Lindford

For much of the twentieth century Bordon had a strong Canadian presence alongside the British garrison. Canadian soldiers trained here in the First World War and took over the camps in the Second, and their presence spilled into the surrounding villages of Headley and Lindford.

1

First World War

  • The Canadian Army uses Bordon to train troops before they go to the front.
  • Soldiers land at Glasgow and Liverpool and are taken by train straight to Bordon.
  • They first live in tents in camps named after the Great Lakes, such as Erie and Huron.
  • The Canadian Forestry Corps sets up a steam-powered sawmill nearby.
2

Late 1939

  • The British 3rd Infantry Brigade leaves Bordon for the British Expeditionary Force via Liss station, and Bordon and Longmoor are handed over to the Canadian Army as its base in Europe.
3

December 1939

  • The first convoy of Canadian troops, 7,400 men, reaches the Clyde.
  • Canadian service units soon become a familiar sight around Bordon.
4

1941

  • The 5th Canadian Armoured Division crosses the Atlantic in a convoy of 12 liners, arriving on 22–23 November.
  • The Calgary Regiment is stationed at Headley Down from October to December 1941.
5

1942–43

  • The Fort Garry Horse and their mascot dog 'Whitey' are stationed in Headley and Lindford from April to August 1942.
  • They return from February to May 1943, as they prepare for D-Day.
6

1944

  • Lower Oakhanger Camp, used by Canadians until D-Day, becomes a German prisoner of war camp.
7

1985

  • A Canadian Forces memorial stone is unveiled in June on the site of the old garrison church.

What the Canadians Built

  • Oakhanger Camp and Lower Oakhanger Camp were made of huts built in Canada and shipped over.
  • Security points and anti-aircraft bases rang the town.
  • Concrete slabs, where tanks and armoured cars were parked, can still be seen.
  • The Canadians ran their own fire station and helped staff the main army fire station.
  • After the war, Oakhanger Camp was used to sell surplus army vehicles and was taken down around 1950.
  • The Lower Oakhanger concrete bases were later used by RAF Odiham for helicopter landing practice.

Headley and Lindford

  • Headley, just across the River Wey from Bordon Camp, was part of the same parish until the late 1920s.
  • It became a favoured place for troops to 'get away'.
  • Canadian armoured regiments used the heathlands to practise manoeuvres and waited for D-Day.
  • The 'Erie' camp at Headley Down, now the Heatherlands estate, was a detention centre for Canadian prisoners, supervised by the Canadian Provost Corps.
  • Villagers remembered dances and parties at the Village Hall, tea invitations, wartime romances and toys made by the prisoners.
  • At Lindford, the Bible Christian (later Methodist) chapel ran a canteen for British and Canadian troops.
  • The War Department used land at 'the Triangle'.
  • Lindford was part of Headley parish, joined Whitehill parish in 1929, and became independent on 1 April 1982.
  • During the First World War, villagers saw troops led by military bands marching from Bordon to Ludshott Common to practise digging trenches.

Memorial to the Canadian Army who served at Bordon in both world wars. Photo: geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).

Lindford Methodist Church, Chase Road, Lindford, May 2021. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Ludshott Common, near Headley, where troops from Bordon practised trench digging in the First World War. Photo: geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).

John Owen Smith's book 'All Tanked Up: the Canadians in Headley during World War II' (1994) was compiled from villagers' and veterans' memories. Canadian Roots UK and Project Roots offer help for wartime 'Canadian children' searching for fathers.

Next Door: Bramshott and Liphook

  • From autumn 1915 to October 1919, a Canadian Training Centre stood on both sides of the Portsmouth road (A3) near Bramshott and Liphook, one of the largest Canadian training areas in the United Kingdom.
  • Its hospital, first Stationary Hospital No. 9 and from September 1917 No. 12 Canadian General Hospital, treated the sick and wounded and closed in September 1919.
  • 318 Canadian soldiers lie in St Mary's churchyard at Bramshott (the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 348 casualties there), many of them victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic.
  • The camps were named after the Great Lakes, as at Bordon, and the Canadian Red Ensign flown over the last Canadian camp, Huron, in 1946 hangs in Bramshott church.
  • Laurence Giles's booklet 'Liphook, Bramshott and the Canadians' (1986) tells the story.

Darker Chapters

Not every story from the camps is cheerful. In December 1915 a Canadian officer shot and killed a fellow sergeant at Hindhead while their regiment was training at Bramshott Camp, and in 1924 a Bordon bank clerk was murdered by a soldier. Both are told in the Farnham Herald and Bordon Herald "Peeps into the Past" series. Read more in Bordon Herald, 'Peeps into the Past: Crazy Canadian's murderous behaviour in Hindhead Camp'.

More to see (permission needed for images)

REME and SEME: The Corps That Made Bordon Its Home

For the last half-century of its life as a garrison, Bordon meant one thing above all: REME, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, whose soldiers learned their trades here and whose motto-like phrase, 'Soldier first, Craftsman always', sums up the corps.

1

1 October 1942

REME is formed on the recommendation of a Cabinet committee chaired by Sir William Beveridge, drawing on the Royal Army Ordnance Corps with tradesmen transferred from the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Service Corps; Field Marshal Montgomery says it will 'keep the punch in the Army's fist'.

2

1942

The Canadian Army builds the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering workshops at Bordon, with the foundation stone laid by General A. C. L. McNaughton.

3

May 1945

REME numbers 158,000 officers and men.

4

1945

The first REME soldiers arrive in Bordon.

5

1948

'Corps' is officially added to the title in recognition of REME's wartime work.

6

1951

REME takes on nearly all other units' repair duties.

7

1961

The School of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (SEME) is created at Bordon.

8

From the 1960s

REME units gradually come together at Bordon after troop training moves to Aldershot.

9

1979

New barracks called Havannah Barracks, later renamed Prince Philip Barracks, are built to house a battalion.

10

1983

The old wooden San Domingo Barracks (formerly Martinique) are taken down.

11

2011

It is announced that REME training will move to RAF Lyneham in 2015.

12

Early 2014

Whitehill Town Council agrees unanimously to give REME the Freedom of the Town, as reported in the Farnham Herald on 6 February 2014.

13

27 June 2015

REME receives the Freedom of the Town from the Mayor of Whitehill at the Farewell to the Garrison parade and festival, attended by thousands.

14

September 2015

SEME relocates to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and Bordon Garrison formally closes; REME's operational presence largely moves to Tidworth.

15

2025

Whitehill Town Council discusses a statue or sculpture to commemorate REME's heritage in the town.

What REME Did

  • REME maintains, recovers and repairs the Army's tanks, vehicles, weapons and equipment.
  • It is a combatant corps, because its technicians work close to the front line.
  • It has served in operations from Palestine, Egypt, Malaya, Korea and Kenya to Cyprus and Northern Ireland, and in later conflicts.
  • Bordon was home to 10 Training Battalion REME, which taught soldiers different trades.

The Canadian Connection

  • The Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), formed in 1944, share a heritage with REME and with Bordon.
  • The maple leaf appeared in the badge of 4 Battalion REME.
  • The Canadian Forces memorial stone of 1985 remembers Canadians who served at Bordon.

Longmoor Military Railway and Camp

The Longmoor Military Railway and the camp that gave rise to it were among the most significant military installations in the south of England. Their story spans more than a century, from the Army's first land purchase on the heath to the closure of its railway training centre in 1969, and it shaped the landscape and economy of the Bordon area long before the garrison town was regenerated.

Map of Longmoor Camp, 1947. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

From Training Ground to Camp

The Army bought training land in Woolmer Forest in 1863, and army training had been taking place in the area since around 1870. The Longmoor hutted camp was built between August 1900 and May 1903, following the Boer War. Its occupants, however, complained of damp conditions, and the War Office moved the infantry brigade to Bordon instead.

In 1903 the 53rd Railway Company Royal Engineers relocated 68 huts, each measuring 72ft by 21ft, to Bordon along a temporary 18-inch gauge tramway. The move was completed by 1905 and established the foundations of the military community at Bordon.

The Railway Takes Shape

The tramway developed into the standard-gauge Woolmer Instructional Military Railway, which opened in 1907 to train soldiers in railway construction and operation. It was renamed the Longmoor Military Railway in 1935. The Liss extension opened in 1933, and the Whitehill–Hollywater–Longmoor branch was completed in 1942.

The railway trained railway soldiers for both World Wars and remained the Army's principal railway training centre for decades. It also gained a place in popular culture, appearing in the 1966 film The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery.

  • Land bought in Woolmer Forest: 1863
  • Hutted camp built: 1900–1903
  • Railway opened (as Woolmer Instructional Military Railway): 1907
  • Renamed Longmoor Military Railway: 1935
  • Liss extension opened: 1933
  • Whitehill–Hollywater–Longmoor branch completed: 1942
  • Closed: 31 October 1969, when the Army Railway Centre was disbanded

Remnants of the railway, including buildings and training vehicles, survive on the Longmoor ranges. The ranges cover about 1,800 hectares of heathland, much of which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, so the historic site and its natural setting remain closely linked.

Longmoor in Numbers

  • The system ran to about 71 miles of track, including the four-mile Hollywater loop.
  • The marshalling yard had 53 sidings.
  • At one time the railway owned 27 locomotives.
  • Around 3,000 passengers used the line in June 1941.
  • Recruits were trained in running railways and also in mine warfare, demolition, re-railing and signalling, with a signal school.
  • The last public open day on 5 July 1969 drew an estimated 12,500 people, and 17,500 train rides were booked.

Longmoor on Screen

  • The Lady Vanishes (1938) was shot partly at Longmoor.
  • Bhowani Junction (1956) used the railway for a crash scene, with the 2-10-0 locomotive Gordon disguised as an Indian engine.
  • The Challenge (1960) used Longmoor Downs station as 'Fourways'.
  • The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (filmed 1965, released 1966) used Whitehill station as 'Hamingwell Halt' and Longmoor's Hunslet 'Austerity' locomotives for its chase scenes.
  • Young Winston (1972) was also filmed on the line.
  • In 2000 the cast of Band of Brothers took part in a ten-day boot camp at Longmoor Camp.

More to read

Sources: Portsmouth News, 28 February 2019; British Railway Movie Database; Wikipedia, 'Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps'.

The Ranges Today: Staying Safe

Longmoor is still a working military training area of about 1,800 hectares, and much of it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Longmoor Range Danger Area is used for live firing all year round.

  • Red flags by day and red lamps by night mean live firing is taking place, and the range boundaries are marked by red and white poles.
  • When warning signals are displayed, the public must not enter, whatever the published times say.
  • The Ministry of Defence publishes the firing times for the Longmoor range complex each month on GOV.UK, and says the only guaranteed safe times are before or after the published times.
  • The public may use the rights of way and, when the range is not in use, the permitted areas, but there is no general right of access to defence land, and cycling is restricted to public bridleways.
  • Loud bangs heard from Bordon, Whitehill and Greatham can be training, including demolition and explosives work, so check the published times before assuming anything else.
  • In June 2023 explosives training started a fire that burned about 16 hectares at Longmoor for several days, and in 2023 residents complained about night-time noise while Ukrainian troops were trained there.
  • Military debris and old training vehicles, such as the remnant of an Abbot gun and two Chieftain tanks, should be looked at but never touched or climbed on, and debris should be reported to the Ministry of Defence or the police.

More information: GOV.UK, 'South East Training Estate firing times'; Whitehill Town Council, 'Longmoor Military Firing Range'; Whitehill Town Council, 'MOD reminds public to stay safe and help protect Longmoor', 27 September 2024; BBC News, 'Army explosives training caused forest fire at Hampshire camp', 27 June 2023

Firing times and access rules change; this information was last checked in November 2026.

Sources: GOV.UK; Whitehill Town Council; Greatham Parish Council, 'MOD Longmoor Safety Notice', 30 September 2024; BBC News, 27 June 2023; Bordon Herald, 13 November 2023.

Army Cadets and Longmoor

Longmoor is also home to the Hampshire Cadet Training Centre, used for weekend and training camps by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadet Force. The Army Cadets is a national youth organisation for young people aged 12 to 18, with 47 detachments across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Joining does not mean signing up to the Army: weekly parade nights cover first aid, fieldcraft, map and compass navigation, leadership and drill, and cadets can earn recognised qualifications such as BTECs and Duke of Edinburgh awards, with annual summer camps for further adventure training. A Bordon Army Cadets session is listed for Tuesday evenings, but please check with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadet Force.

More information: Army Cadets, 'Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadets'; Army Cadets, 'Join the Army Cadets'

Sources: Army Cadets UK; SERFCA, 'Cadets in the South East'.

Army Careers Worth Exploring

Army Cadets is not recruitment, but many people later look at what the Army and the Army Reserve (part-time) can offer. The Army says there are well over 100 different roles, and more than 40 apprenticeships, across these areas of work. This list is for interest only: roles, ages, fitness and education requirements change, so check the official Army Jobs pages before applying.

  • Combat roles include Infantry, the Royal Armoured Corps, the Royal Artillery (including gunners and surveillance observers) and the Army Air Corps.
  • Engineering includes the Royal Engineers, whose soldiers include combat engineers, tradespeople and Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search teams who find and make safe unexploded devices such as Second World War bombs.
  • Engineering also includes REME, the corps tied to Bordon's own story, which keeps the Army's vehicles, weapons, electronics and aircraft working.
  • Intelligence, communications and IT includes the Royal Signals, with communications engineers and work in cyber, telecommunications and electronic warfare.
  • Intelligence, communications and IT also includes the Intelligence Corps, with operator, technical (signals intelligence, cyber, languages) and officer career paths.
  • Medical roles include the Royal Army Medical Service, with doctors, nurses, dentists and biomedical scientists, and the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
  • Logistics and support is covered by the Royal Logistic Corps, which handles transport, supplies, catering and equipment management.
  • Policing and protection is covered by the Royal Military Police, whose Close Protection unit trains at Longmoor.
  • Music roles exist in the Army's bands and musicians.
  • HR, finance and support roles also exist, and the Household Cavalry offers ceremonial and reconnaissance work.

Everyone who joins the Army is trained as a soldier first, whatever the specialism.

More information: Army Jobs, 'Find a role'; British Army, 'Army careers'; Army Jobs, 'What are the different Corps?'

Sources: Army Jobs and the British Army careers pages (jobs.army.mod.uk and army.mod.uk), checked November 2026.

Next: the public Bentley and Bordon Railway that served Bordon Camp.

The Bentley and Bordon Railway: Bordon Station, 1905–1966

While the Longmoor Military Railway served soldiers only, Bordon also had a public railway. The Bentley and Bordon Light Railway linked the garrison to the main line at Bentley and, for more than fifty years, was the town's connection to Waterloo.

1

1902

The branch is authorised under the Light Railways Act, with the War Department's support, to carry troops and stores to Bordon Camp.

2

11 December 1905

The London and South Western Railway opens the 4½-mile standard-gauge branch from Bentley to a terminus north-west of Bordon. It immediately becomes the supply route for materials from Woolwich Arsenal to build the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway.

3

1906

An intermediate halt opens at Kingsley, where the line crosses the road on the level.

4

1923 and 1948

The line passes to the Southern Railway and then to British Railways; push-pull trains are used so that engines do not have to run round at Bentley.

5

April 1956

The ABC Railway Guide shows a relatively frequent service between Bentley and Bordon with connections to Waterloo.

6

September 1957

The last scheduled passenger trains run (sources give 15th or 16th September).

7

4 April 1966

Goods services end and the track is lifted in 1966–67.

8

After closure

For some years Bordon is listed in Southern Region timetables among 'principal places not directly served by railway', with details of Aldershot & District buses.

A Station for the Army

  • Although it ran public services, most traffic was military, and the line was heavily used in both world wars.
  • The terminus was a mile from the town centre, but it was handy for soldiers because the Longmoor Military Railway had its own platform alongside.
  • The Longmoor line's station east of Bordon was called Oakhanger Halt, even though the village of Oakhanger lies to the west.
  • Travel on the military line was restricted to servicemen, their families and civilian employees.

What Is There Now

  • The station was demolished, and its site lies under an industrial estate off Old Station Way.
  • There has been talk of relaying the line for the regeneration, but nothing has been agreed.

More images to see (permission needed)

RAF Oakhanger and Skynet: The Military in the Space Age

Bordon's military story did not end with the barracks. A few miles away, RAF Oakhanger carried the Army's old role of communications into the space age, and a satellite control station still operates there today.

1

1939–c.1950

The Canadian Army's Oakhanger Camp, built of huts shipped from Canada, stands near the village; it is a separate, earlier site and was taken down around 1950.

2

1966

RAF Oakhanger opens across three sites near Oakhanger village, with accommodation for personnel at Bordon.

3

Skynet era

No. 1001 Signals Unit provides the satellite ground station and control centre for Skynet 1A, Britain's first military communications satellite, launched from Cape Kennedy.

4

1970s

The civilian contractor Serco begins work at the site, which later becomes a telemetry and command station.

5

March 2002

It is announced that RAF Oakhanger will close at the end of the year as the Skynet 5 programme, worth about £2 billion, is handed to the private Paradigm consortium; around 200 RAF personnel and their families are to leave.

6

2003

RAF Oakhanger closes as an RAF station and continues as MOD Oakhanger, with Serco running operations and site services.

7

Today

The MOD-owned Telemetry and Command Station at Oakhanger operates on behalf of the US Space Force as part of its global Satellite Control Network.

Why Oakhanger

  • RAF Oakhanger was spread across three sites near Oakhanger village, with accommodation for its personnel at Bordon.
  • The station's people were part of the garrison town's community.
  • The RAF station closed in 2003, about twelve years before the Army left Bordon.

A Different Kind of Heritage

  • Much of Bordon's military heritage is brick, timber and railway.
  • Oakhanger's is satellite dishes, aerials and cables, much of it still in use and not open to the public.
  • Public details are limited, so memories from people who served there or lived nearby would add a rare chapter to this history.

More to see

Note that photographs of the site belong to their owners and need permission to reuse.

Blackmoor: The Victorian Estate Village on Woolmer's Edge

Blackmoor lies just south of Bordon on the western edge of the ancient Woolmer Forest, in the parish of Selborne. Described by East Hampshire District Council's 1991 Conservation Area report as "a textbook example of a Victorian estate village", it is the neighbour that gave Whitehill its parish church and is still part of the Whitehill and Bordon story today.

Before the Victorians

The manor was part of the ancient demesne of the Crown. Six acres were granted to the Knights Templars in 1240, and the manor later belonged to the de Heyes family until the 17th century. The modern estate sits within the 13th-century Blackmoor deer park. In 1863–65 Sir A. K. Macdonald bought three farms, including Blackmoor Farm, and sold them on in 1865 to Sir Roundell Palmer.

Roundell Palmer and Alfred Waterhouse

Palmer bought the land in 1865–66 and added more farms until 1882. He commissioned the architect Alfred Waterhouse to design St Matthew's Church, a vicarage, a school, a reading room, cottages and finally Blackmoor House, all built between 1868 and 1870. The house itself was begun in 1869 and completed by 1873; it is a Gothic Tudor-style mansion in malmstone with a clock tower and is now Grade II* listed. Blackmoor became an ecclesiastical parish in 1867, with a population of 448 in the 1870s. Palmer became 1st Earl of Selborne in 1882.

⛪ St Matthew's Church

Built of local stone quarried near Selborne, with a font and pulpit of Purbeck marble, six bells and a unique spiral bell tower. It holds memorials to the Palmer family and a reredos installed in 1897 for the Diamond Jubilee.

🕊️ The War Memorial Cloister

A First World War memorial cloister, one of only 134 Grade II listed in England, commissioned by the 2nd Earl of Selborne and his wife in memory of their second son, who was killed in Mesopotamia in 1916.

🏫 School and Village Hall

The school's roof was destroyed by fire in 1930. A new school opened on Drift Road in 1964, and the estate donated the old building to the village hall trustees, who restored it in 1997 and extended it in 1999. It is Grade II listed.

🍒 Orchards and Apartments

Blackmoor Estate Ltd still owns and manages the land and is known for fruit, orchards and a specialist fruit nursery. Blackmoor House is now divided into private apartments.

St Matthew's Church also serves Whitehill, and the Blackmoor and Whitehill Scout Group carries both names. Civilians from Blackmoor joined the Bordon and Whitehill Home Guard unit formed in May 1940.

A Victoria Cross in the Churchyard

Lieutenant Colonel Tom Edwin Adlam VC lies in St Matthew's churchyard. Born in Salisbury on 21 October 1893, he won the Victoria Cross with the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, at Thiepval on 27 September 1916 (London Gazette, 25 November 1916). He died on Hayling Island on 28 May 1975, and his medal is held at Salisbury Guildhall.

More:

Bordon High Street Through the Lens: Aerial & Street Views

This gallery takes a wider view of Bordon High Street, drawing on aerial photography, the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society Facebook community archive, and the celebrated Francis Frith collection. Together these images show the streets, rooftops, shopfronts, and skyline of the town across the decades, from early postcard views and Longmoor Military Railway scenes to later photographs of the High Street and Chalet Hill junction.

📷 Image Captions

c.1905–1912 — Deadwater Hill, Bordon — a postcard view of Deadwater Hill (now Chalet Hill), showing the corner shop and street scene. The caption on the original reads 'DEADWATER HILL. BORDON.' (ref. S 13208). Licensed from Alamy (ref. ER5E3B).

c.1905–1910 — Longmoor Military Railway — a steam locomotive crossing Station Hill, Bordon, before the First World War. The LMR grew from a tramway of 1903 and ran until 1969. Licensed from Alamy (ref. GM6EGF).

c.1905–1912 — High Street and Whitehill Road, Bordon — a postcard view showing the Refreshments shop, Hairdresser, Cycle shop and other businesses on the left, with horse-drawn transport on the street. The original caption reads 'HIGH STREET AND WHITEHILL ROAD, BORDON.' (ref. S 13212). This is the street where Edward James Hardy later established Bordon Motors in 1929. Licensed from Alamy (ref. 2C878B3).

c.1950s — Chalet Hill, Bordon — the postcard caption reads 'Chalet Hill, Bordon'. H.J. Wells shop is clearly visible on the left alongside other independent retailers. Chalet Hill was the adjacent shopping street to the High Street. Licensed from Alamy (ref. ER5EY2).

Longmoor Station — '1.30 Special' — soldiers packed onto open wagons at Longmoor Station on the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway (W.I.M.R.), the early name for the Longmoor Military Railway. The original caption reads 'Longmoor Station. 1.30 Special.' Licensed from Alamy (ref. JX7115).

c.2000s — High Street / Chalet Hill junction, Bordon — showing the distinctive green-domed corner building (the former Whitehill Club), Coral bookmakers, Fred Chicken Ranch, and Chapplins of Bordon estate agents. This junction of the High Street and Chalet Hill is a well-known Bordon landmark. Licensed from Alamy (ref. WPDM3A).

2025 — Aerial view of Bordon High Street — Google Earth, 9 May 2025. The High Street runs diagonally through the centre-left of the image, with the Tesco car park visible to the right. Source: Google Earth (earth.google.com)

Full image source attributions are listed in Sources & References, Part 3.

📅 A Visual Timeline of Bordon High Street

The photographs in the previous section span over a century of Bordon's history — from the Edwardian garrison town of the early 1900s to the modern High Street of today. The timeline below places them in their broader historical context, tracing the key moments that shaped the High Street, the garrison and the town around it.

1

c.1905

Bordon High Street in its earliest documented form. The garrison is newly established and the first civilian traders appear: Phillips Brothers open a general store at the corner of Chalet Hill and Lynton Road, among the very first civilian businesses in the town.

2

1905

The Bentley and Bordon Light Railway opens, linking the garrison to the main line (closed to passengers in September 1957 and to goods in April 1966).

3

1906

The Bordon Mineral Water Company begins operating from a farmhouse at the bottom of Chalet Hill (then Deadwater Hill), run by Mr Tebbutt. Their motto: "We follow the troops." Later becomes Allen & Lloyd, listed at Bordon until c.1920.

4

1913

The Electric Palace Cinema opens on the High Street, close to the site where Edward Hardy would later run Bordon Motors. For six decades it serves as the social heart of civilian life.

5

5 August 1914

The 44th Howitzer Brigade Royal Field Artillery mobilises at Bordon Camp on the very first day of full British mobilisation. On 13 August, the 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers depart for Le Havre — among the first British troops to reach France.

6

1915–1919

A large Canadian training centre operates nearby at Bramshott and Liphook, and Canadian troops train at Bordon.

7

9 September 1929

Edward James Hardy buys freehold land from the War Department (conveyance deed ref. 1642) and establishes Bordon Motors, with Dorothy May Hardy's Ladies Outfitter trading alongside.

8

1937–1943

Bordon Council School pupils experience wartime Bordon first-hand, including air raid shelters on the school playing field. The High Street continues to trade through the uncertainty.

9

14 May 1940

Following Anthony Eden's BBC broadcast, over 90 local civilians in Bordon, Whitehill and Blackmoor form a Home Guard unit. Bombs are dropped on Bordon during the Blitz of 1940–41.

10

16 August 1940

A Luftwaffe bomb falls on Bordon Camp next to the fire station on Station Road, killing civilian Alice Emily Chandler.

11

1942–1944

The Canadian Army builds the SEME workshops at Bordon (1942). Bordon serves as a key staging post for D-Day preparations in June 1944 — troops and war machinery fill the streets.

12

1956–1962

Frank Butcher takes over the Bordon Cafe on the High Street, working day and night. By 1962 he appears at Guildford Bankruptcy Court — his account books, he explains, had been "chewed by a litter of nine puppies."

13

1966

The Bordon Village Plan sets aside land for a new shopping centre in the middle of the housing.

14

1969

The Longmoor Military Railway, whose origins date to 1903, closes, severing the garrison's direct link to the national rail network. A sign of the garrison's slow decline.

15

1973

The Palace Cinema closes at the end of 1973, reopens part-time with films four days a week and bingo on the other three, and closes finally in the 1980s. Bordon loses one of its great social anchors.

16

1980s onwards

The Forest Centre opens on Pinehill Road, drawing national chains (Boots, Peacocks, Poundstretcher, Lidl, Wilko) and shifting Bordon's retail geography. Independent High Street traders face growing pressure.

17

2001–2003

Tesco is approved on the former Bordon Motors site after two planning inquiries, and the Masonic Centre is rebuilt on Woolmer Way.

18

2010s

The historic High Street building is converted into a shopping centre and community hub with independent businesses.

19

27 June 2015

The Farewell to the Garrison parade and festival is held, and REME receives the Freedom of the Town. The garrison formally closes in September 2015 when SEME relocates to RAF Lyneham. The Whitehill & Bordon regeneration programme, a £1 billion, 15-year transformation, follows.

20

June 2021

The Shed opens as the first major feature of the new town centre, attracting over one million visitors in its first five years.

21

2026–2036

3,350 new homes planned by 2036, with the population expected to rise from around 14,000 to 22,000. Sainsbury's is expected to open in spring 2027.

Stories from the Street: Community Memories of Bordon High Street

Bordon High Street has been home to generations of shoppers, workers and young people growing up in the town. The memories below, gathered from residents and former residents through the Francis Frith archive (francisfrith.com/bordon/memories), capture what life on the street felt like for those who lived it. They complement the photographic record and the timeline, and they show how much the High Street meant beyond the shopfronts.

"I Still Remember Frisby's and Lipton's"

A resident who stayed with their grandmother in Varna Road in 1961 recalls: "Many changes have occurred and I still remember Frisby's at the top of the hill, and Lipton's... my cousins still live in Alma Road, I go back just to see it all now and then." Frisby's Boot Stores and Lipton's grocery were key High Street landmarks. Source: Francis Frith community memories archive, November 2020.

"The Air Raid Shelters on the Playing Field"

A resident who attended Bordon Council School from 1937 to 1943 recalls the wartime years vividly — including air raid shelters built on the school playing field. A powerful reminder of how close the war came to everyday High Street life, and of a community that kept shopping, trading, and living through it all.

"The Penny Café on the Corner"

A resident recalls the 1960s and 70s: "On this corner there used to be a purple/red tin building which was called The Penny Café. Further down Hogmoor Road was a coach firm run by Mr Brown. He operated the school buses around the villages to take children to Mill Chase, Bordon Junior School in Budds Lane and Bordon Infants School." Source: Francis Frith community memories archive, April 2023.

"Lovely Neighbours on Pine Trees"

A REME soldier's family who lived in Bordon in 1964–65 recalls: "We lived on Pine Trees Caravan Park... We had lovely neighbours." The transient but tight-knit military community at Bordon Garrison formed a vital part of the High Street's customer base.

"Very Fond Memories of My School Years"

A Mill Chase pupil from 1964–66 recalls: "My father was stationed in Bordon with the REME... Have very fond memories of my school years." For garrison children, the High Street provided a sense of permanence that anchored their otherwise mobile lives.

"The Dog Ate My Account Books" — Frank Butcher's Bordon Cafe, 1962

Frank Butcher took over the Bordon Cafe in 1956, working day and night, seven days a week, and acquiring a milk bar on the same street and a mobile tea bar at Broxhead Common. In 1962 he appeared at Guildford Bankruptcy Court. Asked to produce his financial records, he offered an extraordinary explanation: the books had "been kept in a room and had been chewed by a litter of nine puppies." The official receiver, Mr E.C. Sherwood, was unimpressed: "I congratulate you, I have heard some excuses for not producing books before but never that they have been eaten by dogs." Source: Bordon Herald, 26 April 2025.

"We Follow the Troops" — The Bordon Mineral Water Company

Bordon once had its own mineral water company, operating from a farmhouse at the bottom of Chalet Hill (then Deadwater Hill) from at least 1906, run by Mr Tebbutt. It later became Allen & Lloyd — a chemist selling everything from pills to false teeth — listed in Kelly's Directory as a mineral water manufacturer from 1911 to 1920. Their motto was "We follow the troops", and their bottles have been found near army establishments across southern England. The Woolmer Forest Heritage Society holds postcards of the farmhouse from 1905 and 1910. Source: Alton Herald, 8 August 2023.

Other Businesses on and around the High Street

Archive sources confirm the following High Street businesses across the decades:

Frisby's Boot Stores

High Street, Bordon, 1919. One of England's earliest chain shoe shops, founded by Joseph Frisby (1848–1902) in Leicester in 1871. By 1888 the chain had 300 stores nationally. A photograph is held in the Francis Frith archive (ref. 68813X). The business remained family-owned until sold for £6 million in 1982.

Lipton's Grocery

High Street, Bordon — part of Sir Thomas Lipton's (1848–1931) national grocery chain, founded in Glasgow in 1871 and grown to 300 stores by 1888. Famous for Lipton Tea, sourced from Ceylon plantations. Lipton was knighted in 1898 and is also remembered for five unsuccessful America's Cup challenges.

Clinton & Co Garage

High Street, Bordon, trading in 1919. The Francis Frith archive holds a photograph (ref. 68814X). Clinton & Co were among the earliest motor traders in Bordon, serving the garrison's growing need for transport.

The Penny Café

Junction of Hogmoor Road and Oakhanger Road, opposite Bolley Avenue, 1960s–70s. A distinctive purple/red tin building, now replaced by detached bungalows. Nearby was a coach firm run by Mr Brown, operating school buses to Mill Chase, Bordon Junior School and Bordon Infants School. Source: Francis Frith community memories archive, April 2023.

Macready & Bennett

Hairdressers, Bordon, early 20th century — among the very first civilian businesses on the High Street. Photographs are held at Bordon Library (SoPSE Archive ref. hs-hl-hs6568) and in the Francis Frith collection (ref. B143307, c.1910). Do you know anything about them? Email us at info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

M.E. Adams Store

Chalet Hill, Bordon, c.1960 — a general store. The Francis Frith archive holds a photograph (ref. B143036X). General stores like M.E. Adams were the backbone of garrison town life. Do you remember M.E. Adams? Email us at info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

Phillips Brothers

Corner of Chalet Hill and Lynton Road, c.1905–1910. One of Bordon's first civilian traders, Phillips Bros opened a general store during construction of Bordon Camp, then moved to larger purpose-built premises in 1905 — the date visible as a medallion on the building. Two archive photographs exist: Francis Frith (ref. 46600CM, c.1905) and SoPSE Archive (ref. hs-hl-hs6572, c.1910). Source: Smith & Wain, Images of England: Bordon and Whitehill, 1998, p81.

Palace Cinema

High Street, Bordon — built in 1913 as the Electric Palace Cinema. For six decades the social heart of Bordon's civilian life. Closed end of 1973, then briefly re-opened showing films four days a week with bingo on the other three, before finally closing in the 1980s. The building later reopened as the Majestic Snooker Club. Bordon also had a second cinema: the Empire on Camp Road (converted 1938, Odeon from 1939, closed August 1973). SoPSE Archive ref. hs-hl-hs6565. Sources: SoPSE Archive; Cinema Treasures.

Bordon Mineral Water Co.

Chalet Hill (Deadwater Hill), 1906–c.1920. In 1906 run by Mr Tebbutt; the site later became Allen & Lloyd, listed in Kelly's Directory as a mineral water manufacturer from 1911 to 1920. The wider Allen & Lloyd firm, founded by Henry Allen and partnered with Mr Lloyd in 1868, had branches in Fleet, Bordon and Aldershot and traded until the 1960s. Motto: 'We follow the troops.' SoPSE Archive ref. hs-hl-hs6573. Source: Bordon Herald, 8 August 2023.

Bordon Cafe

High Street — taken over by Frank Butcher in 1956. He worked day and night, acquiring a milk bar on the same street and a mobile tea bar at Broxhead Common. A decline in service personnel caused earnings to halve; the cafe closed 1960, the milk bar 1961. Total debt reached £3,252 plus four years of unpaid Inland Revenue taxes. Source: Bordon Herald, 26 April 2025.

Church of England Soldiers' & Sailors' Club

Camp Road, Bordon — opened by Princess Alexandra in 1904, having motored from Aldershot. The club had a billiard room, public refreshment bar, devotional room, and a reading and writing room where concerts were held. It stood opposite Quebec Barracks as a vital social hub for off-duty soldiers. SoPSE Archive ref. hs-hl-hs6569. Source: Smith & Wain, Bordon and Whitehill in old picture postcards, 1995, p30.

Bordon High Street and Regeneration: From Garrison Town to Green Town

Few English towns have undergone as dramatic a transformation in the early 21st century as Bordon. The closure of the garrison — which had defined the town's identity, economy, and social structure for well over a century — created both a crisis and an extraordinary opportunity. The Farewell to the Garrison parade and festival took place on 27 June 2015, when REME received the Freedom of the Town, marking the end of over 100 years of military presence in the town. The garrison formally closed in September 2015 when SEME relocated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, with REME's operational presence largely moving to Tidworth. The Army's departure freed over 100 hectares of land, and the Whitehill & Bordon regeneration programme — a £1bn, 15-year initiative — set out to turn the garrison town into a green, healthy and connected town by 2036.

01

Garrison Closure

2015: military departure and economic uncertainty

02

Master Planning

A green, healthy and connected town vision

03

Infrastructure Investment

Roads, utilities, community facilities and the Green Loop

04

Residential Growth

New homes at Prince Philip Park

05

Town Centre Revival

Sainsbury's, The Shed and Health Hub

The programme aims to deliver around 3,350 new homes, new jobs, a new town centre, schools, leisure and health facilities, and a relief road, while protecting about 150 hectares of green space through Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANGs) at Bordon Inclosure and Hogmoor Inclosure. The population is expected to rise from around 14,000 to 22,000. Key milestones so far include the start of the Prince Philip Park project in summer 2017, approval of Phase 1 of the new town centre in January 2019, the opening of Oakmoor School in November 2019, the opening of the leisure centre in December 2020, and the opening of The Shed food and events hub. The Prince Philip Park scheme on the former garrison is planned to deliver around 2,400 homes. In April 2024 the Bordon Herald reported almost 3,000 homes delivered or under construction across the wider area, with a further 1,400 to come.

The High Street has felt the strain of this shift. The Forest Shopping Centre dates from the 1980s, on land set aside by the 1966 Bordon Village Plan, and was redeveloped from 2016 under owner Orchard Grove Asset Management; Lloyds closed its Bordon branch in 2017. As retail moved toward the new town centre and the Forest Centre/Pinehill Road shopping area, the old High Street has been affected, making its revival central to the regeneration story.

Key Regeneration Milestones

🏗️ New Sainsbury's Superstore

Groundbreaking on the new 16,000 sq ft Sainsbury's took place in June 2025. Much of the cladding is now complete and brickwork has started. The building will be joined by five small shop units with more than 4,000 sq ft of office space above, and a multi-storey car park. The town's Banking Hub, open since April 2025 in The Shed, has confirmed it will take one of the units. The store is the cornerstone of the emerging new town centre. Construction is on track for an estimated opening in spring 2027; Sainsbury's will complete the fit-out and decide the final opening date after handover.

Sources: EHDC, 7 August 2026; Bordon Herald, 10 August 2026; DIO/GOV.UK (June 2025).

🏠 The Shed — Five Years On

The Shed opened in June 2021 as the first major feature of the new town centre. By June 2026 it celebrated its fifth anniversary, having attracted over one million visitors. Home to around 15 independent businesses, it has been recently upgraded and remains a hub of the regeneration.

Source: Bordon Herald, 9 June 2026.

🏘️ New Homes Progress

Prince Philip Park is planned to deliver around 2,400 homes on the former garrison, and the wider programme targets around 3,350 homes by 2036. The Foundry, a rental neighbourhood of 174 homes within Prince Philip Park, reached practical completion in October 2026. A new two-form-entry primary school is planned to open in September 2028 (Hampshire County Council, January 2026).

Sources: Prince Philip Park; Packaged Living, 6 October 2026; Whitehill Town Council; Bordon Herald, 22 April 2024.

🏥 Health Hub & Future Plans

The Bordon Taskforce met in October 2025 amid resident frustration at delays, particularly to the long-promised Health Hub, which is planned to follow the completion of Sainsbury's as part of the wider £1 billion programme running to 2036.

Source: Bordon Taskforce, October 2025 and February 2026.

Figures and dates in this section were last checked in November 2026 and may change.

The Freemasons in the Tesco Car Park: Bordon Masonic Centre

Tucked beside the Tesco car park off Bordon High Street (postcode GU35 0AX, Woolmer Way) stands one of the town's least-known but longest-serving community institutions: the Bordon Masonic Centre, now also known as Farminer Hall. The building sits where it does because of the supermarket. Tesco's store was built on the former Bordon Motors site on the High Street, and the land the company had to buy comprised four parcels: the garage, the Masonic lodge, a woodland area and a private home (Farnham Herald, 13 December 2001). The Masonic lodge stood on the site of the supermarket, and the purpose-built Masonic Centre that followed stands on Woolmer Way next to the store's car park.

Where to Find the Lodges

Bordon Masonic Centre (Farminer Hall)

Woolmer Way, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 0AX

Some directories list the address under High Street, Bordon.

Per Headley Lodge, the entrance is on the far side of Tesco's car park.

All six lodges meet at the same building:

  • Woolmer Forest Lodge No. 3872 (warranted 25 June 1918, consecrated 16 October 1918) — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX
  • Bordon Garrison Lodge No. 7538 — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX
  • Whitehill Lodge No. 8425 (warranted 9 February 1972, consecrated 1 June 1972) — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX
  • Cherry Tree Lodge No. 8749 — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX
  • Headley Lodge No. 9072 (enquiries via headleylodge.co.uk) — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX
  • Chequered Flag Lodge No. 9914 — Bordon Masonic Centre, Woolmer Way, GU35 0AX

Lodge details are as listed in public directories. Meetings are for members and invited guests, so visitors should contact a lodge before attending.

1

Where Bordon's Freemasons Have Met

2

1918

Woolmer Forest Lodge No. 3872 is consecrated on 16 October 1918, first meeting in the gymnasium at Guadeloupe Barracks, Bordon Camp; it later meets at the Courthouse in Whitehill (1920) and the Masonic Hall, Whitehill (1926).

3

1957

Bordon Garrison Lodge No. 7538 is warranted on 5 June 1957 and consecrated on 24 September 1957, meeting at Brownlow Hall.

4

1963

Bordon Garrison Lodge moves to the Empire Rooms.

5

1966

The lodge moves to a Masonic Hall in Bordon.

6

1983

Headley Lodge No. 9072 is warranted on 8 December 1982 and consecrated on 23 May 1983, with Whitehill Lodge as its sponsor.

7

1997

The lodge moves to the Masonic Hall on the High Street.

8

1999

A first Tesco application for Bordon is thrown out after a four-day hearing.

9

2001

A second public inquiry takes place in May. On 26 October, the Secretary of State grants outline permission, naming the Bordon Motors site as the only possible location. In December no appeal is lodged, so Tesco can buy the four parcels, including the Masonic lodge.

10

June 2002

East Hampshire District Council's north planning committee considers detailed plans, including a 'market hall' design with a tower feature.

11

2003

Farminer Hall is built as the purpose-built replacement Masonic Centre, used exclusively by Freemasons.

12

2016

An open day on 28 May invites the public in.

The Lodges

Woolmer Forest Lodge No. 3872

A long-established lodge named after the ancient forest around Bordon.

Bordon Garrison Lodge No. 7538

Warranted 1957, reflecting the town's garrison identity.

Whitehill Lodge No. 8425

Meets at the Bordon Masonic Centre.

Cherry Tree Lodge No. 8749

Meets at the Bordon Masonic Centre.

Headley Lodge No. 9072

Founded in Bordon after four Headley men, travelling to a lodge meeting in Aldershot in 1981, decided the fast-growing Headley area needed its own lodge. Its crest features a chestnut tree. It meets on the third Wednesday of several months.

Chequered Flag Lodge No. 9914

Meets at the Bordon Masonic Centre.

Pegasus Forces Lodge No. 9393 formerly met here. The lodges belong to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (founded 1767) under the United Grand Lodge of England.

A Community Neighbour

At the 28 May 2016 open day, visitors toured the facilities and lodge room, and donations were made to local causes including the Forest GP Surgery (a 24-hour blood-pressure monitor), Riding for the Disabled's Woolbeding branch, Headley Sports Association, Parkinson's UK, Blackmoor and Whitehill Scout Group, Friends of Woodlea School, Bloodwise and the Masonic Trout and Salmon Fishing Charity.

On 12 June 2017, Freemasons from the Bordon, Alton and Petersfield centres held a charity evening at Bordon Masonic Centre to mark 300 years of the United Grand Lodge of England. More than £17,500 was presented to 26 charities and organisations, with the Whitehill mayor and the East Hampshire District Council chairman among those attending.

In October 2017, a planning appeal was lodged over the use of the Masonic Hall car park in Woolmer Way for motorcycle training, after the district council refused permission.

On Saturday 16 May 2026, the centre hosted a PSA blood test event for men aged 50 to 80, run by the Hampshire & IOW Freemasons with the Prostate Cancer Support Organisation.

Today the hall is also available for public hire as Farminer Hall for weddings, parties, conferences and meetings.

The Freemasons' Place in the Town

The lodges meeting in Bordon reflect the town's two defining heritages: the garrison, through Bordon Garrison Lodge (warranted 1957), and the surrounding forest, through Woolmer Forest Lodge. The Masonic Centre has documented public activity over the years, including open days (2016), a charity evening in June 2017 that presented more than £17,500 to 26 charities and organisations, a PSA blood test event in May 2026, and public hire of the hall. The lodge land was one of four parcels Tesco bought for its store, after which the replacement Masonic Centre was built on Woolmer Way in 2003. No published reporting, ombudsman finding or complaint has been found concerning Masonic influence on planning or council decisions in Bordon or Whitehill, and no allegations are made against any person or organisation.

Transparency and Public Life

Councillors at East Hampshire District Council must publish a register of interests and declare relevant interests at meetings under the code of conduct established by the Localism Act 2011. The registers and records of declarations are public and can be viewed on the council's website.

Where to Look Next

  • Planning committee minutes and councillors' declarations from 2001–02 (East Hampshire District Council)
  • Freedom of Information requests to East Hampshire District Council and Whitehill Town Council
  • Land Registry title records for the former Masonic lodge land and the Tesco site
  • Farnham Herald and Bordon Herald archives
  • Ask Hampshire Archives and Local Studies and the Library and Museum of Freemasonry about lodge records and the sale of the old lodge site.

Details in this section were last checked in November 2026. Meetings are for members and invited guests.

The Hardy's of Bordon: A Family and a Building on the High Street

The 1937 photograph: D. Hardy Ladies Outfitter and Bordon Motor Garage, High Street, Bordon (user-supplied).

Among the families and businesses that shaped Bordon High Street, one story can be traced in unusual detail: that of Edward James and Dorothy May Hardy, who served both the garrison and the growing civilian town.

Ladies' Outfitter

Dorothy May Hardy (Mrs) ran D. Hardy Ladies' Outfitter on the High Street; the 'D.' stands for Dorothy (Kelly's Directory of Hampshire, 1939).

Bordon Motors

Edward James Hardy owned and ran Bordon Motors, also called the Bordon Motor Garage, which the Hampshire library archive says moved into its High Street premises in the late 1920s. The garage stood close to the Palace Cinema and opposite the old military cemetery, which the archive records as closing in 1910.

A Family Business

Both businesses shared the telephone number Tel 18 Bordon in 1939, pointing to a husband-and-wife partnership. A Kelly's Directory entry of 1931 lists a Walter J. Hardy, outfitter and post office, at Lindford, but how he was related to Edward is not yet known.

The Deed

A conveyance dated 9 September 1929 (ref. 1642) records His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the War Department selling freehold land at Bordon, in the Parish of Whitehill in the County of Southampton, to Mr Edward James Hardy.

The Building After the Hardys

The site was later run by others. Around 2010 the building was converted into a multi-unit shopping and business centre. Its owners over the years are not detailed here.

The Hardy's in Photographs, Press and Today

1. c.1915 (label unverified; a garage visible predates the 1929 purchase)
2. c.1935, a crowd on the High Street
3. 1937, D. Hardy Ladies Outfitter and Bordon Motor Garage
4. c.1960, the end of the High Street looking towards White Hill
5. c.1980s (labelled '1994', but the vehicles suggest the 1980s) showing Bordon Electronics and Minnies
6. c.1929–30, the area around the garage after the 1929 purchase

Can you confirm any of these dates? Please email info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

The Building

The architecture of the Hardy's building is not recorded here. No survey, planning record or listing entry has been consulted. The 1937 photograph shows low-rise commercial buildings with a petrol forecourt. Around 2010 the site was converted into a multi-unit shopping and business centre.

The High Street Under Pressure

  • The Forest Centre on Pinehill Road, built on land set aside by the 1966 Bordon Village Plan, drew national chains and shifted the town's shopping.
  • From the 1980s, supermarkets and chains drew footfall away from High Street independents.
  • Online shopping and the pandemic added pressure in the 2010s and 2020s.
  • Many residents, especially older people and those without cars, still value local shops.

In the Press

  • Farnham Herald, 1 September 2010: 'Shopping mall, cafe on the cards' (owners converting the building into a complex of shops and offices)
  • Bordon Herald, 18 February 2024: the Hardy surname noted as locally well known; no relationship confirmed
  • Farnham Herald, 15 August 2016: 'Forest Centre plan finally approved'

A Living History: Join the Project

The story of Bordon, Whitehill, Longmoor and Blackmoor is still being written, and it is being written every day by the people who live, work, and grew up here. This is an open invitation to everyone with a connection to this area to help make the record richer, more complete, and more accurate.

Share Your Photos

Upload personal and family photographs showing local streets, shops, schools, churches, and everyday life in the town, from any era. Every image adds to our collective visual record.

Tell Your Story

Write or record a memory, an anecdote, or a family reflection about life here, including time spent in the military camps and training areas. No memory is too small, because the richest histories are built from the smallest details.

Share Documents

Letters, receipts, advertisements, newspaper cuttings, maps, and service records are all welcome. We will scan and return all originals.

Correct the Record

Spotted a date, name, or fact that is wrong or incomplete? Please let us know. Accurate history depends on local knowledge, and corrections are as valuable as new material.

Key Takeaways

  • The forest and the 1863 land purchase opened the way to the garrison.
  • The camps, the railways, the Canadians and REME shaped generations of life in Bordon, Whitehill, Longmoor and Blackmoor.
  • The High Street, the Freemasons and local families show how civilian life grew alongside the garrison.
  • Regeneration is changing the town again, so memories and photographs are worth recording now.

Open Questions: Can You Help?

Some things are still unknown. If you can answer any of these, with a source if possible, please send your research to info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

  • Was the garage called Bordon Motors on the Tesco site the same business and plot as Edward James Hardy's Bordon Motors of the 1920s and 30s?
  • How was Walter J. Hardy of Lindford (1931) related to Edward James Hardy?
  • Exactly when did the old military cemetery opposite the High Street garage close, and where was it?
  • How much land did the War Office buy in 1863: about 1,600 acres or 781 acres?
  • What are the true dates of the photographs labelled c.1915 and '1994'?
  • Who were the earlier owners and occupiers of the High Street building between the 1930s and 2010?
  • What happened to the original Masonic lodge on the Tesco site, and what was the sale price?
  • Can anyone supply photographs of Bordon station, Blackmoor House, the barracks and Farminer Hall?

Who Could Help? Suggested Outreach

If you would like to help, please contact one of these on the project's behalf and send what you find to info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk. We have not contacted them yet.

  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society (woolmerforest.org.uk) runs a museum, archive and talks at the Heritage Centre and holds Home Guard, SEME and garrison research. Ask about photographs and permission to reuse them.
  • Bordon Library local studies and the SoPSE archive (Hampshire Library and Information Service) hold local records worth consulting.
  • Hampshire Archives and Local Studies hold deeds, planning and parish records.
  • Whitehill Town Council and the Whitehill & Bordon Community Association can help with records and local contacts.
  • The REME Museum and local REME and Royal British Legion branches may have service memories to share.
  • Liss Area Historical Society (lissareahistorical.co.uk) and Friends of Alton Station (friendsofaltonstation.org.uk) cover the railways.
  • Headley and Lindford village history contacts, and John Owen Smith's 'All Tanked Up', are useful for the Canadians.
  • Library and Archives Canada holds Canadian Army photographs.
  • The Library and Museum of Freemasonry, and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, can help with lodge history.
  • Writers for the Farnham Herald and the Bordon Herald 'Peeps into the Past' column may know of sources.
  • Local Facebook history groups, such as the Woolmer Forest Heritage Group, are good places to ask.

Share your memories, contribute your photographs, and help keep this story alive for future generations. Email info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

Sources & References — Part 1: Bordon, Whitehill, Longmoor, Blackmoor, the Military & the Freemasons

Sources for the chapters on the origins of Bordon and Whitehill, the military era, Longmoor, Blackmoor, regeneration and the Freemasons. Sources for the High Street photographs, the Hardy's sections and press coverage follow in Parts 2 and 3. Wherever a fact could not be confirmed it is stated as such in the text.

Some details of camp facilities come from Wikipedia-derived summaries and should be verified against primary records; please tell us if you can confirm or correct them.

1

🏘️ Setting the Scene: Origins of Whitehill and Bordon

  • Whitehill & Bordon Community Association, 'A Brief History' (wbca-charity.co.uk/history)
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'History' (whitehilltowncouncil.gov.uk/history)
  • Visit South East England, 'Bordon and Whitehill' (visitsoutheastengland.com)
  • Friends of Alton Station, 'Longmoor Military Railway' (Bentley and Bordon Light Railway, 1905)
2

🌲 The Royal Forest of Woolmer

  • Hampshire History, 'Royal Forest of Woolmer' (hampshire-history.com)
  • Shore, T. W., 'Notes on Woolmer Forest', Hampshire Field Club Proceedings, 1902
  • Rolston, G. R., 'Wolmer Forest and a new Roman road north of Milland', Hampshire Field Club
  • Natural England, Woolmer Forest SAC citation (UK0030304)
  • Binsted Parish Council, 'History of Alice Holt Forest'
  • The Spectator, 13 January 1883, 'A Burnt Forest'
3

🧱 Building the Garrison, 1899–1914

  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society, 'Barracks names in Bordon' and 'The Bordon Garrison' pages (woolmerforest.org.uk)
  • Wikipedia, 'Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps' (read via kids.kiddle.co)
  • Clifton RFC History, 'William Stanley Yalland'
  • SoPSE Archive (Hampshire Library and Information Service), photographs of Guadaloupe, Martinique and Louisburg Barracks
4

⛪ Garrison Life

  • Wikipedia, 'Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps' (via Kiddle)
  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society, Garrison pages
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Bordon Military Cemetery
  • SoPSE Archive (Hampshire Library and Information Service)
  • Parks & Gardens UK, 'Bordon Garrison Military Cemetery'
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'War Memorial'
  • BASE Bordon, 'Our Heritage' (basebordon.co.uk)
5

🪖 Wartime and Change: Bordon's Military Era

  • Whitehill Town Council, Armed Forces Week flag-raising ceremony, Town Mayor's speech, 20 June 2022
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'Farewell to the Garrison Festival, 27 June 2015'
  • Wartime Memories Project, 'Bordon Camp in the Great War'
  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society, Military History pages (Home Guard, SEME) at woolmerforest.org.uk
  • Farnham Herald, 5 June 2024, 'Peeps into the past: Getting ready for D-Day'
  • Royal British Legion Hampshire Link, July 2015, 'Farewell to the Garrison'
  • Bordon Herald, 2 July 2025, 'The long farewell'
  • Prince Philip Park, 'Garrison History' (princephilippark.co.uk)
  • BBC News, 15 June 2015 (REME departures from Arborfield and Bordon in September 2015)
  • Historic England, Bofors Gun Emplacement at the former Bordon Camp, list entry 1468234
  • Farnham Herald, 26 June 2024, 'The tragic tale of Alice Emily Chandler'
  • Farnham Herald, 22 July 2024, 'The day the bombs fell on Farnborough and Bordon'
  • Directorate of History, National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, preliminary narrative, 10 January 1941 (visit to Bordon Camp)
  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society pages on the Home Guard, SEME and Longmoor technical training areas, the MOD estate, and Spigot Mortar emplacements (woolmerforest.org.uk/Military_History)
6

🍁 The Canadians at Bordon, Headley and Lindford

  • Smith, John Owen, All Tanked Up: the Canadians in Headley during World War II (1994)
  • BBC WW2 People's War, 'All Tanked Up' (parts 1–6, article A2329490 and others)
  • Headley Village, 'The Canadians in Headley during Wartime' and 'Fort Garry Horse' (headley-village.com)
  • Headley Down Nature Reserve Trust, 'History'
  • Lindford Parish Council, 'History of Lindford' and 'Residents' Sharings about Lindford'
  • RCEME Journal, 2014
  • RCEME Heritage and Museum Foundation, 'Historical Background'
  • CWGC, 'Bramshott (St. Mary) Churchyard'
  • Hampshire History, 'Bramshott and the Canadians in WWI and WWII'
  • Hampshire Gardens Trust Research, 'Bramshott Churchyard'
  • Giles, Laurence, Liphook, Bramshott and the Canadians (1986)
  • Wellcome Collection, 'Canadian Forces Hospital: summary of patients admitted' (MS.8774)
  • Bordon Herald, 6 October 2024, 'Peeps into the Past: Crazy Canadian's murderous behaviour in Hindhead Camp'
  • Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Army photographs and 'Faces of the Second World War'
7

🔧 REME and SEME

  • REME Museum, 'Corps History'
  • National Army Museum, 'Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers'
  • Farnham Herald, 6 February 2014, 'Freedom of town honour for REME'
  • Farnham Herald, 2 July 2025, 'The long farewell'
  • Bordon Herald, 29 July 2025, REME statue proposal
  • East Hampshire District Council planning committee report, 23 April 2015, 'Land at and adjoining Bordon Garrison' (55587/001)
8

🚂 Longmoor Military Railway and Camp

  • Friends of Alton Station, 'Longmoor Military Railway'
  • Farmer, Keith, 'Longmoor Military Railway', The Industrial Railway Record No. 9, March 1966 (irsociety.co.uk)
  • Liss Area Historical Society, 'How did the Longmoor Military Railway start?' (lissareahistorical.co.uk)
  • Science Museum Group Collection, 'Longmoor Military Railway'
  • Hewitt, Sam, 'Military might: Looking back at Longmoor', The Railway Hub, 12 October 2019
  • Ronald, David and Christensen, Mike, The Longmoor Military Railway Volume One 1903–1939, Lightmoor Press
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'Longmoor Military Firing Range'
  • Portsmouth News, 28 February 2019, 'MoD railway which starred in St Trinian's and Young Winston'
  • British Railway Movie Database, 'The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery' and 'Longmoor Military Railway'
  • GOV.UK, 'South East Training Estate firing times' (gov.uk)
  • GOV.UK, 'Longmoor Range complex firing times' (gov.uk)
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'MOD reminds public to stay safe and help protect Longmoor', 27 September 2024
  • Greatham Parish Council, 'MOD Longmoor Safety Notice', 30 September 2024
  • Liss Parish Council, 'MOD Longmoor Byelaws Brief Narrative', 18 November 2021
  • BBC News, 'Army explosives training caused forest fire at Hampshire camp', 27 June 2023
  • Bordon Herald, 13 November 2023, 'Longmoor will be a noisy neighbour while Ukrainian troops are trained'
  • Army Cadets UK, 'Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadets' and 'Join the Army Cadets' (armycadets.com)
  • SERFCA, 'Cadets in the South East' (Hampshire Cadet Training Centre, Longmoor Training Camp)
  • Army Jobs, 'Find a role' (jobs.army.mod.uk/regular-army/find-a-role)
  • British Army, 'Army careers' (army.mod.uk/army-careers)
  • Army Jobs, 'What are the different Corps? Myth busting' (jobs.army.mod.uk/blog)
  • Army Jobs, 'Engineering roles' and 'EOD and Search' (jobs.army.mod.uk)
  • Army Jobs, 'Royal Signals' (jobs.army.mod.uk/roles/royal-signals)
  • British Army, 'Roles in Intelligence' (army.mod.uk)
9

🚉 The Bentley and Bordon Railway

  • Friends of Alton Station, 'Bentley & Bordon Railway' (friendsofaltonstation.org.uk)
  • Disused Stations, 'Bordon Station' (disused-stations.org.uk/b/bordon)
  • Old Hampshire Gazetteer, 'Bentley to Bordon Light Railway' (oldhampshiremapped.org.uk)
  • Alton Herald, 29 October 2023, 'Fifty glorious years of rail travel from Bordon to Bentley and beyond'
  • SoPSE Archive, Hampshire Library and Information Service, 'Bordon Station, 1957' (ref. hs-hl-hs6595)
  • Geograph, 'Bentley (Hants.) Station' by Ben Brooksbank (CC BY-SA 2.0)
10

🛰️ RAF Oakhanger and Skynet

  • Royal Air Force, 'Skynet Control' (raf.mod.uk)
  • Serco, 'Satellite control network' (serco.com)
  • Lost Britain Project, 'RAF Oakhanger' (lostbritain.org.uk)
  • Farnham Herald, 11 March 2002, 'RAF base to close as civilians take over'
  • Wikipedia, 'Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps' (via Kiddle) for the Canadian Oakhanger Camp
11

🌳 Blackmoor: The Victorian Estate Village

  • Selborne Parish Council, 'The Village of Blackmoor' (selborneparishcouncil.gov.uk)
  • Hampshire Gardens Trust Research, 'Blackmoor House' (research.hgt.org.uk)
  • Historic England, Blackmoor House, list entry 1094553 (Grade II*)
  • Victoria County History of Hampshire, Volume 3, 'The parish of Selborne' (british-history.ac.uk)
  • Petersfield Area Historical Society, 'Blackmoor Village, Church and Blackmoor House', 22 July 2021
  • A Vision of Britain through Time, 'Blackmoor' (Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870–72)
  • Victoria Cross holders buried in Hampshire (victoriacross.org.uk/cohampsh.htm)
  • Parks & Gardens UK, 'War Memorial and Garden, Blackmoor'
12

🛍️ Bordon High Street & Regeneration

  • Whitehill & Bordon, 'About Whitehill & Bordon' (whitehillbordon.com/about)
  • East Hampshire District Council, 'Whitehill and Bordon place making' (easthants.gov.uk)
  • Prince Philip Park, 'Town Centre' (princephilippark.co.uk)
  • East Hampshire District Council news, 'Spades in the ground for new Whitehill & Bordon Sainsbury's store', 3 June 2025
  • East Hampshire District Council, 'Sainsbury's store on track for spring opening', 7 August 2026
  • Bordon Herald, 10 August 2026, 'Bordon Sainsbury's on track for Spring 2027 opening'
  • Petersfield Online, 19 August 2026
  • Bordon Herald, 28 October 2025, 'Progress being made but no time for stalling on Whitehill & Bordon's regeneration'
  • HampshireLive, 18 January 2022, 'Bordon regeneration: All the shops, restaurants and venues proposed'
  • Farnham Herald, 15 August 2016, 'Forest Centre plan finally approved'
  • Farnham Herald, 24 November 2015, 'Vision for shopping complex'
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'Annual Town Assembly 2026' (24 March 2026)
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'Regeneration of the Town' (primary school, January 2026)
  • Prince Philip Park, 'New Homes' and 'Masterplan' (princephilippark.co.uk)
  • Packaged Living, 'Welcome to The Foundry, Bordon', 6 October 2026
  • Bordon Herald, 22 April 2024, 'Furious residents hit out at Whitehill and Bordon delays during Question Time event'
13

🔺 The Freemasons in the Tesco Car Park

  • Headley Lodge website and contact page (headleylodge.co.uk)
  • Farminer Hall (farminerhall.co.uk)
  • Lane's Masonic Records 1717–1894, Digital Humanities Institute (entries for Bordon Garrison Lodge 7538, Woolmer Forest Lodge 3872, Whitehill Lodge 8425, Headley Lodge 9072)
  • Worcestershire Masonic Library and Museum Catalogue, 'Bordon, High Street'
  • United Grand Lodge of England
  • Farnham Herald articles: 26 October 2000, 29 April 2001, 17 May 2001, 29 October 2001, 13 December 2001, 18 April 2002, 23 June 2002, 15 June 2016 ('Masonic Centre opens its doors'), 8 July 2017 ('Masons hand out anniversary cash'), 23 October 2017
  • Bordon Herald, 11 May 2026 (PSA blood test event)
  • East Hampshire District Council Code of Conduct for Councillors
14

🔎 Further Local Resources

  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society (woolmerforest.org.uk), museum, archive and talks
  • Deadwater Valley Trust (deadwatervalleytrust.co.uk), managing Bordon Inclosure, Deadwater Valley Local Nature Reserve and Hogmoor Inclosure, based at the Phoenix Centre, Barbados House
  • Prince Philip Park, 'Garrison History' (princephilippark.co.uk)
  • Whitehill & Bordon, 'Bordon Inclosure' and heritage information boards on the Green Loop (whitehillbordon.com)
  • Bordon Library local artefacts and the Whitehill-Bordon museum case (opened 2004; Farnham Herald, 10 February 2006)
  • Bordon Reflections Project (Farnham Herald, 27 November 2014)
  • Whitehill Town Council, 'War Memorial' page
  • Whitehill & Bordon Community Directory

Sources were checked in 2026. If you can add or correct a source, please email info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk.

Sources & References — Part 2: High Street, Press & Archives

Sources for the Bordon High Street photographs, timeline and community memories, and for the Hardy's sections, drawn from archival records and published press articles. Where information remains unconfirmed, this is clearly noted.

1

📰 Local Press — Bordon Herald & Farnham Herald (Tindle Newspapers)

  • Bordon Herald, 18 February 2024 — report of a talk at Blackmoor Village Hall that noted the Hardy surname's local link to Bordon Motors (no family relationship confirmed)
  • Farnham Herald, 1 September 2010 — "Shopping mall, cafe on the cards" — farnhamherald.com
  • Farnham Herald, 5 June 2024 — "Peeps into the past: Getting ready for D-Day" (Daniel Gee) — confirms Bordon garrison was "a key staging post for amassing war material in the build-up to D-Day in June 1944" — farnhamherald.com
  • Farnham Herald, 15 August 2016 — "Forest Centre plan finally approved" — farnhamherald.com
  • Farnham Herald, 28 May 2022 — "Planning permission granted for Morrisons, shopping parade, and Mess Hall in Whitehill & Bordon" (Toby Paine) — farnhamherald.com
  • Farnham Herald, 16 April 2024 — "Sainsbury's to open supermarket in new Bordon town centre after regeneration company ditches Morrisons" — farnhamherald.com
  • Farnham Herald, 2 July 2025 — "The long farewell: Remembering when REME said goodbye to Bordon, ten years on" (Paul Ferguson) — ten-year anniversary of REME's departure from Bordon on 27 June 2015 — farnhamherald.com
  • Bordon Herald, 29 July 2025 — "Whitehill and Bordon should have statue to commemorate REME military heritage" (Marcus McQuilton) — reports Whitehill Town Council discussions about a REME sculpture to commemorate the corps' long-standing presence in Bordon — bordonherald.com
  • Bordon Herald, 26 April 2025 — "Peeps into the Past: Frank Butcher blames puppies for bankruptcy" (Marcus McQuilton) — the story of Frank Butcher's Bordon Cafe on the High Street (1956–1962) and his extraordinary bankruptcy court appearance — bordonherald.com
  • Alton Herald, 8 August 2023 — "Bordon mineral water business 'followed the troops' before it dried up" (Angie Owens) — the history of the Bordon Mineral Water Company / Allen & Lloyd on Chalet Hill (1906–1920) — altonherald.com
2

🏛️ Archival & Library Sources

  • User-supplied primary documents — Conveyance deed dated 9 September 1929: His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the War Department to Mr Edward James Hardy — Conveyance of freehold land at Bordon in the Parish of Whitehill in the County of Southampton (ref. 1642). This is the original legal deed confirming the exact date Edward James Hardy purchased the Hardy's site. Also: a photograph believed to show the Bordon Motor Garage forecourt, c.1929–1930. Both documents supplied directly to this project.
  • Hampshire Library and Information Service / SoPSE Archive — Bordon Garage, High Street, Bordon (c.1930 photograph, unique ID: hs-hl-hs6574-i-00-000.jpg). Confirms: "Bordon Motors, owned by Edward Hardy, moved into its High Street premises in the late 1920s." — sopse.org.uk
  • Francis Frith Collection — 50 photographs of Bordon, Hampshire, spanning c.1895–1960s, including High Street c.1960 (ref. B143038, B143039), Main Street c.1920 (ref. B143301), Village Street 1919 (ref. 68814Y), Clinton & Co Garage 1919 (ref. 68814X) — francisfrith.com/bordon
  • Francis Frith Community Memories Archive — 27 community memories of Bordon contributed by residents and former residents, including recollections of Frisby's Boot Stores, Lipton's, the Penny Café, and garrison life — francisfrith.com/bordon/memories
  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society — Facebook community archive of historic Bordon photographs, including aerial views of Bordon High Street looking towards Whitehill, and Chalet Hill c.1940/50
  • Kelly's Directory of Hampshire, 1931 — Lists "Hardy, Walter J, outfitter & post office, High Road (Tel 159 Bordon)" under Lindford — the earliest confirmed documentary record of a Hardy family member operating an outfitting business in the Bordon area — headley-village.com/historical/1931dir
  • Kelly's Directory of Hampshire, 1939 — Lists under BORDON: "Hardy, Dorothy May (Mrs), ladies' outfitter, High St (Tel 18)" and "Hardy, Edward James, Bordon Motor Garage, High St (Tel 18)". Both sharing Tel 18 Bordon confirms they were a husband-and-wife partnership. This is the most significant confirmation of the Hardy family story — revealing Dorothy May Hardy as the "D." in D. Hardy Ladies Outfitter, and confirming Edward James Hardy's full name. — headley-village.com/historical/1939dir
  • James Bentley Archive (JB Archive) — Vintage photographs of Bordon including High Street c.1915 (ref. HA 3215) and Station Hill c.1915 (ref. HA 5166) — jbarchive.co.uk
  • Wartime Memories Project — "Bordon Camp in the Great War" — documents WW1 mobilisation at Bordon Camp from 5 August 1914, including the 44th Howitzer Brigade RFA and 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers — wartimememoriesproject.com
  • Woolmer Forest Heritage Society — Military History pages — Documents the Bordon Home Guard (formed 14 May 1940, 90+ volunteers), WW2 bombs dropped on Bordon, and the Canadian Army's construction of the SEME workshops in 1942 — woolmerforest.org.uk/Military_History/
  • Cinema Treasures — Palace Cinema, Bordon — confirms the Electric Palace Cinema opened prior to 1914, closed end of 1973, later became the Majestic Snooker Club — cinematreasures.org
  • Cinema Treasures — Empire Cinema (Camp Cinema), Camp Road, Bordon — confirms the Camp Cinema was converted in 1938 by architect David Evelyn Nye into a 475-seat cinema, operated by County Cinemas then Odeon, closed August 1973 — cinematreasures.org
  • SoPSE Archive (Hampshire Library and Information Service) — Palace Cinema, High Street, Bordon (c.1920 photograph, unique ID: hs-hl-hs6565-i-00-000.jpg). Confirms: "The cinema was built in 1913 and closed in the 1980s; it is now (2004) a snooker and night club." — sopse.org.uk
  • Smith, Basil and Wain, Chris. 1998. Images of England: Bordon and Whitehill — referenced for Phillips Brothers Stores (p81) and other Bordon High Street businesses. Published by Tempus Publishing.
  • Smith, Basil and Wain, Chris. 1995. Bordon and Whitehill in old picture postcards — referenced for the Church of England Soldiers' & Sailors' Club (p30).

Continued on the next page — Official Sources, Image Credits & Research Notes (Part 3).

Sources & References — Part 3: Official Sources, Images & Research Notes

Continued from Part 2 — High Street, Press & Archives.

1

📖 Wikipedia & Encyclopaedic Sources

2

🌐 Official & Corporate Sources

  • East Hampshire District Council — Planning records and regeneration updates — easthants.gov.uk
  • Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) / GOV.UK — Sainsbury's groundbreaking, June 2025; construction updates — gov.uk
  • Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company (WBRC) — Regeneration programme updates, Annual Town Assembly March 2026 — whitehillbordon.com
3

🖼️ Image Sources

  • User-supplied photographs (uploaded directly): Five archival photographs of Bordon High Street 1915–1994, including the 1937 D. Hardy Ladies Outfitter and Bordon Motor Garage image. All cropped, watermark-removed and upscaled for publication.
  • Cover image — 'High Street and Whitehill Road, Bordon, 1912' — postcard photograph sourced from the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society / Bordon Nostalgia community archive. Watermark removed and upscaled for publication.
  • Alamy Stock Photography — Six licensed photographs used in the Aerial & Street Views gallery:
    - Deadwater Hill, Bordon (ref. ER5E3B) — c.1905–1912 postcard
    - Longmoor Military Railway, Station Hill, Bordon (ref. GM6EGF) — c.1905–1910
    - High Street and Whitehill Road, Bordon (ref. 2C878B3) — c.1905–1912 postcard, upscaled
    - Chalet Hill, Bordon — H.J. Wells shop (ref. ER5EY2) — c.1950s postcard, upscaled
    - Longmoor Station '1.30 Special' — W.I.M.R. soldiers on wagons (ref. JX7115)
    - High Street / Chalet Hill junction, Bordon — green-domed corner building, Coral, Fred Chicken Ranch, Chapplins (ref. WPDM3A)
    All licensed from Alamy (alamy.com)
  • eBay / Bordon Nostalgia archive — 'High Street and Whitehill Road, Bordon' real photo postcard (posted 1920); 'Bordon High Street, Hampshire' (James Bentley Archive ref. HA 2082). Source: ebay.co.uk
  • Heliview Aerial Photography — Aerial photographs of Bordon, 19 July 2002 and 1 September 2009. Source: stock.heliview.co.uk
  • Google Earth aerial view — The Hardy's, High Street, Bordon, 9 May 2025. Browser chrome removed and pin marker added. Source: Google Earth (earth.google.com)
  • User-supplied aerial photograph — Close-up aerial view of The Hardy's site, Bordon High Street, 2025. Source: supplied directly to this project.
  • Wikimedia Commons — St Matthew's Church, Blackmoor (commons.wikimedia.org, file 'Blackmoor Church.jpg')
  • Wikimedia Commons — 'Longmoor 18 inch gauge military railway'
  • Wikimedia Commons / geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA) — 'Memorial to those of the Canadian Army who served at Bordon' (geograph 1527324)
  • Wikimedia Commons / geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA) — photographs of the chapel at Bordon Garrison Military Cemetery (geograph 1527386), St George's Church, Bordon (geograph 1493218), Sacred Heart Church, Bordon (geograph 1494611), the former RAF fire station, Bordon (geograph 234546) and the tank pit and track, Hogmoor Road (geograph 328760)
  • Wikimedia Commons — 'Longmoor campmap 1947'
  • Wikimedia Commons — 'Lindford Methodist Church, Chase Road, Lindford (May 2021)'
  • Wikimedia Commons / geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA) — Ludshott Common (geograph 3445305)
  • AI-generated illustration (not a photograph) — heathland and pond at the head of 'The Royal Forest of Woolmer'
  • Image credits for Creative Commons images should be checked and completed before publication.
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🔗 More Images to See (Permission Needed)

These images are held by their owners and must not be copied without permission. They are listed here as links only.

  • SoPSE / Hampshire Library and Information Service, including Bordon Station 1957 (ref. hs-hl-hs6595) — sopse.org.uk
1

📸 Photographs Still Wanted

  • Blackmoor House and the war memorial cloister
  • Bordon railway station and the Bentley branch
  • The barracks (Quebec, Louisburg, Guadaloupe) in use
  • Farminer Hall and the former Masonic lodge
  • The Bofors gun emplacement
  • The Home Guard and wartime Bordon
  • Headley, Whitehill and Lindford villages
  • The Canadian camps at Oakhanger and Headley Down
  • The Sergeants' Mess and the Prince Philip Barracks
  • REME and SEME training
  • Whitehill war memorial and the Canadian memorial (Whitehill Town Council holds photographs; permission needed)

If you hold or know of any of these, please email info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk.

This document was researched and compiled in 2026 and contains 24 sections, including a Contents page and three Sources pages. Figures and dates for 2025–26, such as regeneration progress, were last checked in November 2026. Sources were verified at time of publication. The Bordon garrison town history project is ongoing — if you have additional sources, photographs or documents, please email info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk

About the Researcher

Joanne Sycamore
Researcher and compiler of this history.

Why This History Matters to Me

My cadet training prepared me to go into the Army, to serve the then (now late) Queen. That training taught me duty, respect and service, and it is a big part of why the history of Bordon, a town built around its garrison, matters so much to me.

I have lived in Bordon since 2021, and I cycle around the area called the ranges, near Longmoor, where the military still trains, and I sometimes hear loud explosions that sound like controlled detonations. Each time, I am reminded that this is still a working military landscape and that its story is not only in the past. That connection goes back to my teens, and I explain more below.

Cadet Days in Leatherhead

I am an elder millennial. As a teenager, aged 13 to 15, I attended the Leatherhead detachment of the Army Cadet Force, and I have come to appreciate it more with every year. I came away with survival skills, self-discipline, comradeship, respect, accountability and communication; tactical thinking and game strategy; map and compass; and range shooting. But the most important lessons were probably trust, integrity and loyalty, and the ability to have a healthy debate without it descending into war.

I had the best time. I made friends, and one of them is still a close friend today, even though she is now a helicopter paramedic on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. I was shouted at, and I loved it. I trained so hard on the cross-country run and assault course that I was once sick on the sergeant's boots.

In the Field and on Parade

Alongside the weekly parade nights, there were exercises and camps. I could take an L98 rifle apart and put it back together blindfolded, and so could everyone else in the group. I was pretty good at target practice on the range. One of my clearest memories is sleeping in a camouflage tent, fully clothed, with my L98 beside me, as part of a war scenario exercise. I have waded through a river at night wearing webbing and a fully loaded backpack. I learnt that the most important thing to look after is your feet. I have cooked meals from rations in a mess tin over a hexamine block, in a hole in the ground. I camouflaged myself so well that nobody could find me, except that the whites of my eyes gave me away.

I have been to drill parades and shone my boots until I could see my face in them. I ironed and starched my cargo trousers so well that they could stand up on their own. On a two-week camp, officers came round the rooms in white gloves checking for dirt and dust. And I once jumped out of a four-tonne truck and got the foresight of my L98 embedded in my forehead. My finest moment! I had a blast. I learnt so much from those years, and it stays with me to this day.

Those Who Served

I could tell quite a few stories, but none are more interesting than the ones my cousin S told me. He fought for our country and was stationed in Afghanistan, and some of his comrades never made it home. We should all be thankful.

Personal opinion: I only trained for a few hours once every week, on a Thursday evening. Even so, there are many skills and areas of knowledge to be learned from the Army, and in my humble opinion, everyone should learn about this world, including the Territorial Army (now the Army Reserve), and understand just how much some people have given, and given up, for us to be here today, including the ultimate sacrifice: their lives. I believe this encourages humility, builds human understanding, and fosters a real appreciation for history, especially the history of war. I also feel a sense of security from their training. I eternally thank them for their service.

Why I Recommend the Army Cadets

I recommend the Army Cadets to any young person aged 12 or over. There is a detachment in Bordon (6 (Bordon) Platoon at Wolfe House, Farnham Road, which meets on Tuesday evenings at the time of writing), and there are others across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. You can find your nearest on the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadets website and register your interest through Join the Army Cadets. Please check session times with the detachment before turning up.

Army Cadets is not recruitment, but if it sparks an interest in a career, the Army and the Army Reserve (part-time) offer well over 100 different roles. Have a look at Army Jobs, 'Find a role' and British Army, 'Army careers', or read "Army Careers Worth Exploring" in the Longmoor section.

I would love to hear your stories! If you are a local, or grew up or served around Bordon, Whitehill and Longmoor, please share your memories of the garrison, the ranges, the cadets or life in the town with me at the email below.

Contact: info@eco-consciousplanet.co.uk
Website: www.ascenzainternational.co.uk

Corrections, additional sources, personal memories and suggestions for improvements are welcome!