Avon Castle is a house and grounds 1.5 miles south-west of Ringwood.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Sydney Leonard Moss | Secretary timber importer & Antiques dealer |
10 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Bertie Desmond Brumwell | Traveller in clothing |
10 Jun 1940 | 15 Apr 1943 |
| Private Frederick Walter Canning | 10 Jun 1940 | 15 Apr 1943 | |
| Private Wallace Webb Dyson | Sanitary inspector |
24 May 1941 | 16 Jun 1944 |
| Private Jesse Alfred Frampton | Lorry driver for estate |
10 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Arthur George Frampton | Butcher |
30 Mar 1942 | 05 May 1943 |
| Private Charles Edward Green | Worker and lorry driver for estate |
16 Jul 1940 | 15 Apr 1943 |
| Private George Edward Jones | Timber importer |
22 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Peter Thomas Parkin | 18 Jul 1940 | 09 Sep 1943 | |
| Private Valentine Rhys Pritchard | Timber merchant |
23 Jun 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick Archibald Wiseman | Plumber and water engineer |
02 Aug 1940 | 15 Apr 1943 |
The OB was discovered in 1966 during building works for a housing development in the grounds of Avon Castle. It was a box like bunker, 8 foot beneath the surface, with a flat corrugated iron roof supported by strong beams and an escape tunnel made of concrete drain pipes, exiting to a nearby gravel pit. The room was about 8 foot square with a small galley extension where there were still cooking utensils. There were still bunks in the main chamber and what was thought to be smoke cannisters. The main entrance was made with wire netting covered with earth. When discovered it was dry and almost as though it had just been left.
Photos were taken at the time and an article appeared in a local paper.
Three photography students from nearby Salisbury College, John Sennett, Jacqueline Rogers and Christopher Nicholls recorded the site, though the whereabouts of their photos is unknown. Obviously we would love to include them on this site if you know where they are !
Avon Castle Patrol
Sydney Moss painted a watercolour of Avon Castle in 1941 which was sold at auction in 2008. We would love to include a copy of this painting on the site, since he painted whilst in Auxiliary Units, and the cellars of the ruined castle chapel were reputedly used for stores by the Home Guard (but most likely Auxiliary Units).
The Castle itself was owned and lived in by the Turner-Turner family. There was once a chapel within the grounds, at the end of Chapel Rise, which reportedly had two vaults. The Turner-Turner's were buried in one of them and the other was "Used by the Home Guard during the second World War as an ammunition store." However, the chapel was demolished in 1964. In 1939 the Castle was bought and used as offices for Montague L Mayers timber company. It was converted into flats after the War, then houses were built all around the grounds in the 50s and 60s.
TNA ref WO199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A
1939 Register
The Ringwood and Fordingbridge Journal 25 May 1966.
Thanks to the CUW Project and Pearl Musselwhite for scans and the information.
John Burgess