Ganger Camp Woodley Romsey History

Ganger & Luzborough Camp, Romsey

Aerial Photo Of Ganger Camp 1947 Ganger Camp Photos Plan Of Ganger Camp Luzborough Camp

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Gone but not forgotten

We have learned with some sadness that the following have recently passed away;

Cyril Luffman (2011), Florence Ethel Chappell (2011), Jean Levy (2010), Stuart Reeves (2010), Harry Gerrard (2010), Jean Turner (2009), Kay Reeves (2009), Barbara Milsom (2007), Pamela Thornton (2003)

Ganger Camp Memories

The first memories I have of the Woodley area were the huts of Ganger Camp, an ex P.O.W (site No 41) which was used as temporary housing by the local Romsey & Stockbridge Council. It is believed the first family to have moved in was Mr & Mrs Gwilt followed by the Levy family. I moved into one of the huts in 1947. Some of the huts were made of concrete panels and some with felt exteriors.

When I first lived in Ganger Camp there were still some ex P.O.W's living in some of the huts. They were mainly Italian and Polish. There was still a guard house on the site and a massive water tower at the entrance next to Braishfield Rd. The water tower was very often climbed by the children that lived their. In 1958 the Council started building proper brick house’s on the site, these gradually replaced all the huts and became Woodley Close. In one of the photos below the top half of Ganger Camp had been demolished. The black huts can be seen in the distance along side a smaller water tower. In the middle 60,s the Great Woodley estate was starting to be built with prices starting from £2,999. A shopping precinct was also built at Warren Gardens.

Hundreds of families lived at Ganger Camp. Some of the names I remember were as follows

Bill & Leita Abernethy:- Leita

Mrs Andrews:- Sylvia

Mr & Mrs Barr:-

Mr & Mrs Burnett:- John

Cecil & Queen Callen: Pat, Dee

Mr & Mrs Chappell:- No 50,Linda, Derek, Trish, Ernie, Brenda, Peter, Terry, Maureen

Mr & Mrs Dewar:- Valerie

Geoff & Eileen Connell:- Annette, Linda

Mr & Mrs Cox:- Brian, Marion, Marina

Mr & Mrs Dittrich:- No 47, Bernard, Muriel, Joe, Andrew, Don, Debora, Bridget, Katherine

Mr & Mrs Edwards:-

Mr & Mrs Head:- Christopher, Garry

Mrs P & Mr S Gerrard:- Brian, Jan, Anne Ashley, Jenny and Sally.

Harry & Joyce Gerrard:- Tony, Carol, Joan, Ron

Norman & Sylvia Goodland:- Adrian, Robin, Bryony

Les & Mrs Gwilt:- No 43, Margaret

Mr & Mrs Jolliff:- Terry

John and Emily Jones (No 62) 1957- Teddy, David, Martin and Molly

Mr & Mrs Jones:- Tony

Mr & Mrs Keel:-

Mr & Mrs Legg:- Victor, Zedric

Albert & Gladys Levy:- No 44, Brian, Jean, Carol, Len, Tony, Chris, Kath, Gwen

Mr & Mrs Luffman:- Win

Joe & Mrs Middleton:- Geoff, Mike, Hazel, Maureen

Les & Barbara Milsom:- David, Geoff, Alan, Gordon, Pat, Chris, Derek, Richard, Steven, Julie

Mr & Mrs Murphy:- Chris, Susan

Fred & Mrs Nichols:- Edgar, Horatio, Peggy, Christine, Charles (Bubbles), Susan

Mr & Mrs Nut:- Colin

Mr & Mrs Orham:-

Nell Osman:- No 5 & No 43, John, Brian, Celia

Sam & Tine Porter:- Sam, Frank, Jean, Pauline, Angela, Rosemary

Doug & Kay Reeves:- No 42, Stuart, Denise, Angela, Antony, Valda

Mr & Mrs Scivier:- Terry, Pam

Mr & Mrs Sellick:- Mike, Rosina, Angela

Dennis & Mrs Smith:- Brian

Mr & Mrs (Joan) Snowden:- No 72

Mr & Mrs Starke:- Colin, Carol

Bill & Pam Thornton:- Peter, Colin

Sid & Mrs Tubb:- Peter

Eli & Mrs Way:-

Charlie & Violet Woods:- No 41, John, Charlie, Rosemary, Beryl, Garry, Steven, Geoff, Jackie

Wally & Dorothy Wassell:- Barry

Ganger Camp Photos

Letter sent to Brown Ave, Evanston, Illinois USA in 1943 from Ganger Camp

Entrance to Ganger Camp, Braishfield Rd. 1957

Entrance to Ganger Camp, Braishfield Rd. 1957 (Now Woodley Close)

L/R:- Eileen Way, ??, Eli Way, ? Way and Mrs Way. (Names not confirmed)

Top end of second row at Ganger Camp Woodley Romsey

Concrete dwellings at Ganger Camp Woodley Romsey

Concrete dwellings at Ganger Camp (Now 23 to 29 Woodley Close)

Valda Reeves at Ganger camp, Woodley Romsey

Valda Reeves in the "Front Row" of Ganger camp, Woodley Romsey

Some Young Ladies At Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey

Jenny Woods, Janice Gerrard, Beryl Woods, Jackie Woods, Susan Murphy and ?

The Scivier family with John Osman at Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey

The Scivier family with John Osman (Right) at Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey

Eileen Connell & daughter Annette at Ganger Camp

Eileen Connell & daughter Annette at Ganger Camp Woodley

Huts at Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey in 1953

"Front Row" huts at Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey in 1958

Kids at Ganger Camp Woodley Romsey on Coronation Day 1953

United States Air Force drop by..

Fifty two years ago one of the largest helicopters in the world, a Vertol H21 from the United States Air Force, made a force landing in a field next to Ganger Camp (Woodley Close).

It spent nearly 21 hours grounded. The red and silver 22-seater twin rotor machine, came from Braintree in Essex. It had left its base with a crew of four to fly to Exeter. It refuelled at Greenham Common, and took a different course to avoid bad weather. Visibility then got so poor that it made an emergency landing in Woodley, Romsey. No one got hurt. A nice gesture by the Americans was to let dozens of local children go on board to have a look around. They entered the helicopter at the front end and left through a door at the rear.

Vertol H21 from the United States at Ganger Camp, Woodley Romsey

Vertol H21 from the United States

Water Tower at entrance to Ganger Camp Woodley, by Braishfield Road

Water Tower at entrance to Ganger Camp Woodley

by Braishfield Road