THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — These Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

SECRET ESTABLISHMENT AT HIGH SALVINGTON OVERLOOKING FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2003

Originally published in the Findon News in March 2004

It was with great interest in the autumn of 2003 that I heard of a secret establishment situated high on the downland above Findon.  This had hitherto been unknown to me —

20th October 2003.

Dear Valerie .....how wonderful to be able to find your site!
My Grandmother was stationed at the top of the hill in High Salvington exactly 60 years ago! She was billeted in the large house just before the country lane, now called Mont Dore. The path led to a brick building where they would be locked in and carry on their duties as radio operators bringing in the boys in the spitfires as they came home to RAF Tangmere. She was there throughout the early part of the war.
 
We returned with her two weeks ago and it was such a moving experience. We originally didn't know exactly where we were going or what we would find if anything.
To our amazement she recalled the paths and the houses exactly and then as we pushed our way through a hedgerow we saw it! The old brick building could not be seen, but a new transmitter stood in its position. It must have been the same place as it was the highest point around to get communications and radio traffic.
Instead of a brick building that they were locked into - it was apparently a secret establishment, we saw a large mound and ascertained it was a covered bunker. We realised that in the later part of the war it was probably covered over for defence against a blast impact from a V2, and it was also grassed over to provide camouflage from aerial reconnaissance flights. It was the heart of the control operation for the fighter squadrons at RAF Tangmere.
 
She was upset not to find a plaque there as it is now owned by BT and British Water. 
I have read your site with great interest and although it mentions High Salvington and the fields in which the bunker was, perhaps you didn't know this place existed too! It would be lovely to find out more for her, and hopefully tell you more too - she has so many stories and is such a funny and wonderful women (now 83).
I would like to get an old photo of the area for her for xmas and wondered if you came across good sites.
 
Do let me know if we can help each other, it was lovely to read anyway, thank you.
 
Yours
 
Ian Farmer, Grandson of Hilda Gladys 'Bombie' Eustice - RT Operator High Salvington 1940 - 1943

 

 

 

22nd October 2003.

V
alerie -

High Salvington was just outside of our beat, Rogers farm and Horseshoe wood was as far as we ventured in that direction, had we realised that the bunker was there we would have given it some attention.

Tony Hammond, East Preston, West Sussex.

 

 

The late John Pelling of Worthing solved the mystery by relating that —

"The Bunker at High Salvington lays in the middle of the field just below and to the south of the present reservoir and that it is only a pile of overgrown rubble now".

 

Continue if you would like to read Terry's War Over Findon.

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This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

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Do let me know of anything you hear about Findon - not too controversial.   Please note that opinions expressed in the Findon Chronicles are not necessarily reflective of my own thoughts.... but sometimes they are!