THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

FINDON  WAS NEARLY TARGETED BY THE WEHRMACHT

Copyright Valerie Martin 2004

Not many inhabitants of sleepy Findon Village realised back in the dark days of 1940 that they were nearly in the front line to be targeted by the Wehrmacht.   Even today, most villagers do not know that Findon almost paid a vital role if the tide had not turned in the war. 

I will now relate the utterly amazing story of the drama that never happened — and an important reminder of what could have occurred in the tough times all those years ago.  

Before the Second World War, Germans (supposedly posing as innocent tourists) had taken photographs of the surrounding Sussex countryside.  They had carefully collected images and information which was later to be of vital interest to the powers to be in the Wehrmacht

The enemy had then collated large-scale maps of nearby Worthing and the town was detailed in a 500-page Invasion Dossier.   Most of the flat coastline of our area was considered most suitable for any disembarking troops and tanks from landing barges.  Had the Luftwaffe not been defeated in the Battle of Britain, the enemy invasion would probably have proceeded and their dossier would have been most useful indeed.   

In 1944, the Allied armies invading through France (following D-day) captured a copy of the said dossier, which included numerous photographic illustrations of the nearby coastline.  That is how wartime German maps have come to light showing contour lines of our district and fathom soundings overprinted in metres.  

Unfortunately for the Germans, their aerial photography were clearly out of date even at the time the dossier was prepared.  Although the famous beech trees on the familiar landmark of Chanctonbury Ring to the north of Findon was correctly indicated with an arrow by some enemy hand!  I wonder what plot for military control was being hatched for that vantage point of Sussex?

Their main aerial portrayal was taken from an aircraft over the pier's southern pavilion.   It had been taken some years before and there was no sight of the arcade at the junction of South Street and Montague Street.   Also conspicuous by its absence was a pavilion at the beach end of the pier.... and that had been opened since 1926!    In fact, the Worthing Pier was closed to the public and the military had blown a 120 ft cavern in the decking to frustrate any enemy invasion and to render it impossible for German forces to use in an attempted landing from the sea. 

To all intents and purposes, the carefully prepared German Invasion Dossier was truly passed its sell by date.   It indicated the boundary of Worthing ending at Broadwater Church — and the familiar development of the Findon Valley was non existent and the land still plainly open countryside.  Hopefully, any invading German troop commanders would have been greatly confused by the altered terrain and would have wondered where they had landed in 1940. 

Could Colonel Ulric Oliver Thynne of Muntham Court and his loyal men have prepared a successful ambush in the Findon area if jackboots had thundered up the valley?   Their exploits were kept highly secret (even from their families), but a popular theory of the time was that his band of merry men were mounted messengers strategically placed and awaiting any likely invasion of Sussex.   It is thought that the Colonel had expertly drilled his volunteers to survive behind enemy lines, forming a local underground resistance group to come to the aid of Sussex in the event of a German invasion.

Above is a poster with details of National Registration & National Rationing, issued by Chanctonbury Rural District Council (Sussex Coast) and dated Storrington 29th September 1939.   Also shown are details of notification of People moving and National Identity Cards — a sore point with many of us nowadays, but essential then.

In the meantime, the South Downs had already been pin-pointed by the British army as the second line of defence if the coast ever became occupied by the German army.  Plans to combat an enemy invasion at the time included the compulsory evacuation of Worthing, with the exception of a thousand so-called key workers.   The rest of the inhabitants were to be transported to relative safety inland. 

If the Germans had attempted a dramatic landing, it was intended that the population was to be out within a few hours.   It is said that special trains stood by at the height of hostilities to evacuate Worthing to a more life-enhancing and mind-broadening experience in the Home Counties.  One of two such Orders from the military were planned to be immediately issued upon any  invasion being confirmed.  Broadly, these Orders were —

Well, that was the rough plan back in the dark days of 1940.   It is all very well in hindsight but I can now realise how utterly ridiculous it was.    Had the German troops ever landed, Worthing would have been immediately over-run within an hour or so before any train could possibly chug out of the station.  There would certainly have been no time to evacuate anyone and certainly not by rail with queues on the railway station platforms.

Peter Archbold in New Zealand has sent me an extract from "The Last Ditch" — the secrets of the nationwide British Resistance Organisation and the Nazi Plans for the occupation of Britain 1940-1944.... these bits include mentions of nearby Brighton and Worthing for us....

Thankfully, the enemy soldiers with their trucks, tanks, motor cycles and guns of the Wehrmacht were not to be seen rolling through the streets of Worthing and northwards up the Findon Valley towards Findon Village.

Continue if you would like to read about the possibility of The Battle of Britain in the Findon area in August 1940

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.