My Early Days At Longmoor

A Memory of Longmoor Camp.

I was born at the Louise Margaret Hospital at Aldershot while my father was RSM at Longmoor, then of course the home of the well known Longmoor Military Railway. I was christened at the St Martin's Garrison Church. Last time I visited Longmoor the site of the church was just grass but with the trees still standing that were around it, it may have changed again since. Dad was RSM there from 1950 to 1953 when he was posted to the TA at Braintree, Essex; I think his replacement at Longmoor was Lofty Pearce. My sister was born in our quarter, 3 Quorn Terrace. I think Longmoor is responsible for my life long interest in railways. The railway was closed in 1969 and is now almost completely gone, but there are still some relics left here and there. Last time I visited there were some rails still fixed in the concrete road by the depot along Longmoor Road from Greatham and at Liss the platform, shelter and conrete buffer stop were still there. A few bits and pieces of steelwork from the track and signals were lying in the scrub alongside the narrow footpath which now goes along the trackbed towards Liss Forest Road. The locomotive shed area was an assault course. The signal box, signalling training school building was still there but I believe has been disused for many years and I heard fairly recently that it was to be demolished. Some of the locomotives and rolling stock survive at the various railway preservation centres around the country and in Belgium (loco 196, Errol Lonsdale) I believe that the contents of the museum at Longmoor, which I think mostly went to the now closed Museum of Army Transport in Beverley, Yorkshire, are now at the Royal Engineers Museum. The site of Longmoor Downs station has been completely obliterated by a dual carriageway road. We were friends with Sid Strickland who worked at the camp as a civilian (a veteran of the Japanes POW camps) and family who lived in an isolated timber built house along the Liphook Road. We also met Colin (17 Port & Maritime Regt I think) and Jean Shean. Both my father and Colin are now deceased (1996 and 2007 respectively) but we are still in touch with Jean. Colin & Jean lived in Marchwood for many years after Longmoor and Singapore and Jean is still there, a truly lovely couple. We used to travel to my mother's home town of Bath to see her parents, leaving Longmoor by LMR train for Liss, then switching to the BR Southern Region line to London, then to Paddington and Bath. We went back to Longmoor many times up until closure and a few times afterwards to look at the museum with Major Robins. If there is anybody out there who knew my dad at Longmoor I would be pleased to hear from them. Dad was stationed at Longmoor twice, in the late 40's, and came back in 1950 as RSM after a spell at Chatham. He was in the Royal Engineers, joining as a 14 year old at Chepstow (Beachley) in 1925. The locomotives Woolmer and Gazelle that were on the parade ground for many years are still around. I'm not sure where Gazelle is, but it is being looked after and is in the custody of the National Railway Museum. It could be at Shildon, the NRM outstation. Woolmer is displayed in the Milestones Museum at Basingstoke. Both are now in 'Longmoor Blue', instead of Army green.