RAF HEDNESFORD Cannock Chase is also associated with the military history of the Second World War. In 1938 the building of a training school was begun on Brindley Heath, (on the area which is to the south of the modern Visitor Centre). It was opened in 1939 by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Kingsley Wood. Its official title was the No.6 School of Technical Training but it is better known as RAF Hednesford. During the War many thousands of men and a smaller number of women received their basic training at the camp, before being posted to all parts of the country. The training focused on the maintenance of the air frames and engines of the RAF planes.

At its height the camp was the size of a small town with its own facilities including a cinema, NMFI, YMCA and churches. Later it was unique in having a Jewish Synagogue.

A railway halt was built at Moors Gorse and the recruits had to trudge, with their heavy bags, up the long climb of Marquis Drive. This soon became known as Kit Bag Hill. At the Visitor Centre there is an Old Comrades Book for service personnel who served at RAF Hednesford to sign.

At the end of the war it became a personnel dispatch centre and service personnel were demobilised. Between 1950 and 1956 it was used for National Service training and 81,500 men received basic training there, including the dreaded "square-bashing".

Immediately after it closed as a training camp it was reopened as a resettlement camp for Hungarian refugees fleeing from the Russian Invasion of Budapest. After further weekend use by the Territorial Army, many of the buildings were sold off and the site fell into disrepair. In the 1960's and 70's the remains of the camp were demolished and the whole site became part of the Country Park. All that now remains are the roadways which were in between the dozens of wooden huts. The east of the area is now a quiet wildlife sanctuary, the rest of the site being used for occasional events and providing an excellent surf ace for wheelchairs.

Various publications are available from the Information Centres, local booksellers and the Cultural and Corporate Services Department, Shire Hall, Market Street, Stafford. STl 6 2LQ.

Tel: 01785-277264

VISIT: Cannock Chase Visitor Centre, Marquis Drive. For details of opening times etc.

Tel: 01543-871773

Location Map

Many thanks to CJ. & CP. Whitehouse in the preparation of_this leaflet.

Produced by the Cultural & Corporate Services Department.

Staffordshire Coanty Collcil

~&~s-«,a 30p

CANNOCK CHASE & THE GREAT WAR At the beginning of the 20th Century Cannock Chase was very different from the way it is now. It was a very bleak landscape with none of now familiar Forestry Commission pine trees.

Between 1914 and 1918 two huge Army Training Camps were built. Up to ¼ million British and Commonwealth troops, destined for the trenches, passed through.

Remains of these camps and the railways which supplied them can still be seen, throughout the Chase, if you look closely.

Pnvate Golf COUf\()

in the war

N

i

Site

Q JOQ I

1-------l melres

I

I

I

•

1. Milford Shugborough Hall, County Museum and Park Farm. Lord Lichfield's grandfather granted the Chase to the army for the Camps

Home Guard Grenade Range •

the trench can be seen in the trees

• Oat Hill , , Supplies • hauled up th,s g

slope to the Cm,

Mere Valley

Gorse covers the concrete scale model of the Messine Ridge,

liJ , , . 2. Coppice Hill • ~ "' j Pr,soner of War Camp.

battle site, commemorating the succesful battle of 191 7. Ironically it was built by German POWs. - --., ••

N Hut Lines. The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps lived and trained here

A track marks the line of the Camp railway

A long concrete base marks the

, 4 Park on D Lines Parade Ground

• • • In 1915 about 1,500

wooden huts blanketed the lop of Cannock Chase. It was very

exposed there , with hardly a tree outside

the oak wood.

Freda's Crave

Power-House, Pumping Station, - Engine Pit and Wells.

The railway brought coal for generating electrici ty and for pumping water forthe Camp.

The Glacial Boulder stands on the base of the huge Reservoir Tower,

which stored water from the Wells.

Ordnance Swre. ----...-• • Ammunition, uniforms, horse­tack, etc., were unloaded here at the Station for storage.

Daily rations were issued from the Army Service Corps Stores, Baker, and Meal S!Ore. The local name 'Fat Factory' indicates that dripping was made here · fat was scarce!

3. Chase Road Corner

·-·-rinary Hospital : Officers, Lines , was mainly horse , four hut bases ansport then , set away from N

i metres

Anson's Bank

' the men hut lines 1

•

Q and P hut lines --' '

Daily coal and coke rations for

heating and cooking were

issued from the Coal Store. The railway

was high up here to help

unloading. The hopper

stood on those pillars so wagons

could drive underneath.

4. Commonwealth & German Military Cemetery Many German, New Zealand and British Servicemen who died in the Camp Hospitals were buried in the Commonwealth Cemetery. In 1967 remains of all German Servicemen who died in Britain in both wars were brought from all over Britain for reburial in the beautiful German Cemetery, which has its own visitor facilit ies.

To the Rifle Range - Last of the five Great War Ranges.

Rugeley Camp stretched between Whitehouse, Marquis Drive, and Penkridge Bank.

None of these trees were here in 1915

5: Brindley Village

The car park is on the site of

The long

1 top corridor and 12 wards of the •

'

• , Great War Hospital

Wor

• , , can be seen

A , , Hospital Church ,

arquis Drive ·tor Centre

-. I

n

-~~ .. ' , - - :,:.--- Hospital • e _ : • - : _ Sewage Works -¾- JIJ

-• ~ --- • -~ :_ ii: -.-• -.-• -•• -• -ff_~ .. •-• ¼ - • •1 . -. . ·-re • - - - , • ~ - - ..

Officers; -- - -, - - •• Quarters • - - - - • • • and mess The tarmac loop was the Tracks and bases

Hospital Reception Area mark the Nursing

l To Sisters' Home Pye Green The Hospital received wounded from the trenches. Later it

was a Ministry of Pensions Hospital, then colliery workers

0 100 1-------i metres

\ moved into it to make Brindley Village.

KEY

••• Walk Route Track

- Army Camp Remains ~ Car Park

-++++ 1914 - 18 Railway Line (now removed)

~~MILFORD ~

To Stafford and M.6. J.1 3

Bfoc Hill

[S] BROCTON

To Stafford and M.6. 3 miles J.13 ~

qJ ~It,,

~(;I Sycamores Hill

Oldacre Valley

Satnall HIiis (;I

. .... .,. I

( unchbowl

Harts Hill

Bloct~n ~ opp,ce

Stepping Stones

Horse Hills

/ Lower : : Sherbro6k

Weetmans Bridge

·· · · ··· ····· ....

Haywood Warren

Drsu<.ed 1914 19U

gt.

I

·········

··.: Pool : ...... ....... ."•:· .. .... . ... . . -~ . ...... . .. _.,. ...... . .. ... . Dry Pits ·. ·.

11~ Glacial 1\'" Boulder

··· ... Womere ·· .. _

Trig ·· ..

Point '4.\-··· -- · ········ · "'

~1··.. ., ~~ 8 '~

o 't!fb& DfDfJ(J(J, •:

nson's ,, Bank : ::;/\\

Katvn : KEY

I .Officers' Mess and quarters ,..,. llnn,.

RAF Hednesford ! • ··-~.::··: • •• , Ki\bai,H1l\

'/J &/ff ;- 1/), 6J

3

""" 11.Ua

. '/Jn

Springslade Lodge .111>· ..

Aspen

N

0 ¼ ½ mile

CC &illil llil @~ lk CC fJD &1 ~ ®

/Vlt:IIIUlldl

:- .. .... . .. ......

3.NAAHs (Navy, Anny and Air Force lns111u1es) 4 .M am gate, Stauon IIQ, Post Office. 5 Dming Halls 6.Scrgcants' Mess 7 .Astra Cinema 8.Educational lluts. 9.Mam Gym, also used as Church and Concert Hall IO.llmaid1 mumng sheds 11 .Trainmg sheds 12.Tcchmcal sheds 13. Synagogue and J~ish Club.

W8itehouse 14.YMCA I S.Y WCA

~o~ ~

. . ace./ · ..

. · ·.

r.t · . . I.II ·· .....

_:···• ...

:··

···· ·· ······ · ··· · · So Blrftmtko/

IHl6lltlh

..z::r.. .... . I ' ··:. r., IRII ····•.. ...... : I.II IUI 6. ~ .·IOl!Me········· ....... . ~ l!I ··.. Furnace lml fl Cannock ,t:·... Coppice

Chase V.C. /t 6> ·· .. . ct,s> ·· ...

·•BBQ ~ 1 ...

~ Nine Gates

Events Arenas

Brindley Heath Rd. Rawnsley Hills

Ill Country Park Tackeroo Railway Route ~ Emergency Phone

Cannock Forest - Military firing range ~ Shops

O ther public land Iii Car Park Ill> Cafe

i~l~l&~W ~~~i©~W Main Walks E Toilet ft Picnic Place

Vehicle Tracks D Information (Q Public House

Foot trail • Self guided trail •