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An account of Christchurch during WW2 including coastal defence, anti-tank island and civil defence.
Christchurch sits between two rivers – the Avon and the Stour – and research indicates it began as an early Saxon settlement. It was originally known as Tweoxneam (Twynham) from Old English meaning between two rivers. The town has two entries in the Domesday Book.
World War II Part of the anti-tank defence which ran the length of the railway line between the River Stour and the River Avon. During the Second World War Christchurch was again fortified against an expected invasion.
During the Second World War the town of Christchurch was defended against invasion as an Anti-Tank Island, as shown above. Christchurch was fortified against an expected invasion with the construction of pillboxes, gun emplacements and tank traps in and around the town and along the coast.
Christchurch was home to the Military Experimental Engineering Establishment (MEXE) during the Second World War, and the first prototype of the famous Bailey Bridge was erected at Stanpit Marsh in Christchurch Harbour. The prototype remains in location at Mother Sillers Channel.
British Empire in World War II. When the United Kingdom declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939 at the start of World War II, it controlled to varying degrees numerous crown colonies, protectorates, and India. It also maintained strong political ties to four of the five independent Dominions — Australia, Canada, South Africa, and New ...
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With an extensive archive of books, old documents and photographs, as well as access to most copies of the local newspapers from 1855 to 1983, we can help you to learn more about the people, events and places that have created the ancient town of Christchurch and Christchurch Borough that we know today.
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