WW2 Radio Station, Paulsgrove, Hampshire

On possibly the wettest summer’s day in history we walked across the stretch of grassy land now in front of the northern face of the Paulsgrove chalk pit towards a former World War Two radio station.

The radio station, now frequented by kids, is actually in great condition considering how well known it is by the locals. I’ve seen more litter in harder to get to locations than here.

About 20-30ft up the side of the chalk pit is the entrance. Having visited the radio station once before I wasn’t expecting how difficult it would be in the wet! Slip-sliding all over the place it took a good ten minutes grasping on to tufts of grass and taking leaps of faith to reach the entrance, a three foot high cave-looking adit since it was backfilled in the past.

The passageway soon opens up and consists of sections of rough rock and corrugated iron archways. Three chambers in total for the transmission of messages, receiving & a third near the entrance which is unclear what it may have been used for. The final chamber as you walk through the radio station is down on a lower level via a set of stone-carved stairs. It’s in this chamber where there’s a bore hole up to the surface which would have linked to the long since removed aerials. Beyond, a passageway to the escape tunnel.

Messages bound for France would pass through this radio station via the aerials installed on the surface almost 100ft above. Probably the most fascinating fact about this small, unassuming radio station is that the first signals to come from the Normandy beaches delivering the messages of success would have been received here; amazing, and that fact alone should be reason to preserve these historic tunnels.