Fort Gilkicker During World War Two
Stokes Bay and The D-Day Preparations
The Second World War
Fort Gilkicker seems to have been unmanned for the period up to the Second World War but the married quarters may have been occupied by families of the Royal Engineers stationed nearby. Trinity House had a small observation post on Fort Gilkicker after 1939. This was manned twenty four hours a day. In 1939 the narrow gauge railway was removed and its metal presumably used for the war effort. Its route is still visible from the top of Fort Gilkicker. After Dunkirk it was decided to surround Great Britain with a ring of Emergency Coast Batteries. The first to be installed were manned by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The Coast Artillery soon replaced them. Many coast defences were supplemented with ex-naval guns as part of the anti-invasion defences. Searchlights were installed for night attacks. The Royal Engineers mounted a mobile searchlight on a purpose built platform on the top of Fort Gilkicker, west of gun position B1. At this time or shortly after Gilkicker was also reportedly equipped with a twin Vickers and possibly a 20 or 30 millimetre gun forward of the old 6 inch gun positions. In the early years of the war an eye witness reports seeing a triple generator, which he referred to as 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred‘, mounted outside the fort. This provided power for a radar set. Pip provided auxiliary power, Squeak supplied the listening device whilst Wilfred supplied the network of wires which were spread across the field to the rear of the fort. Subsequent research has failed to find any more information about this generator.
D-Day and The Fort Gilkicker Signal Station
The requirement in the summer of 1943 to provide a suitable staff organisation for reloading, repairing and storing the numerous ships and craft that would take place in any future combined operation in the Channel resulted in the setting up of a TURCO (Turn Around Control) at Portsmouth, another at Portland, Weymouth and Poole, with a third at Newhaven, Shoreham and Littlehampton. The one at Portsmouth dealt with the Isle of Wight area. It was decided that in order that the Portsmouth TURCO should be able to maintain a clear picture of the situation, and be in a position to give orders to ships and craft, it would be necessary to have officers stationed somewhere overlooking Spithead. A new signal station was accordingly constructed at Fort Gilkicker with a good all round view and an operations room embodied in the fort.
Early in April 1944 Radio Transmitting equipment was installed in Fort Gilkicker to provide emergency communication in the event of breakdown in land lines and for communication with the Solent Patrol vessels employed on traffic control duties. As part of Operation Overlord and important station was erected at Fort Gilkicker to take the place of an obsolescent station at nearby Fort Monckton and it became a key part of the V/S (Visual Signals) communication system. Gilkicker also housed a Principal Collecting Officer with associated telephone installation and teleprinter. His duties were concerned with the Stokes Bay 'Collecting Area' where L.C.T.s (Landing Craft Tank) could proceed, on return from the far shore landing area, and be inspected and their wants ascertained. It was also decided that a maintenance organisation would also be necessary in Collecting Areas. An organisation, integral with that of the Principal Collecting Officers was set up at Gilkicker to carry out short term maintenance, first aid repairs in the collecting areas and survey of damaged craft, informing TURCO accordingly. Up to 31 July 1944 maintenance parties from Fort Gilkicker serviced 1300 L.C.T.s, 250 L.C.I.(L) and 50 L.S.T.s a total of 1,600 jobs done.
A 'Report on Communications at Fort Gilkicker during June and July 1944' shows that on June 9th. over 1,000 signals were recorded for the day needing routing to over 1300 addresses. Later an average of 800 signals to almost 1,000 addresses were routed via Gilkicker. In June an exhausted carrier pigeon arrived at Gilkicker from France with a message from an Allied Paratroops Commander. The message was despatched at once with the pigeon being victualled until collected by the local army pigeon unit. The fort made 3,670 issues of confidential code and signals books to landing ships and craft in the Stokes Bay and Gosport areas in the first two months of the operation. Also operating from the fort was No. 10 WT, No.15 Radar and No. 17 WD mobile maintenance units. In the first two months six hundred routine maintenance visits were made to all types of ships and craft. Offices in the fort were occupied by the Principal Collecting Officer, Assistant Berthing Officer, Principal Engineering Officer and Confidential Book Officer.
Stokes Bay, Phoenixes and D-Day
Stokes Bay was requisitioned by the War Office for the construction of a huge series of D-Day Phoenix units.
Construction of Phoenix units (concrete caissons) for D-Day was begun in December 1943. Fourteen type B.2 units were constructed at Stokes Bay, Gosport. These formed part of the Mulberry harbour for the British landing at Arromanches, Normandy. The B-2 units were fully submerged units that were towed out to the D-Day beach by tugs and sunk to form support for the floating roadways and pierheads. 147 Phoenixes of six different types in total were ordered. The largest of the Phoenixes had a displacement of 60,447 tons, was 60ft high, 204ft in length and 56ft 3ins in breadth, formed of concrete. The B.2 units were 204ft long, 46ft wide and 35ft high, divided into 22 compartments in two rows of eleven separated by dividing concrete walls 10ft thick at intervals of 16ft. The B.2 type did not have anti-aircraft guns like other types and had sections at either end roofed over with concrete slabs. At Stokes Bay two contractors worked on the construction of the Phoenixes, eight by Holloway and Sons and six by W.C. French, each unit requiring 100 men to construct, a combined workforce of 1,400 men all accommodated locally, working 12 hour shifts for 2s/1d hourly pay. For security reasons the labourers working on the project were not told their purpose. The Phoenixes were all constructed at the same time on the promenade at Stokes Bay, one behind the other on keel block walls on a raised platform 2M above the ground to allow them to be moved. At least one of the phoenix units was constructed on the grassed area to the east of the modern sailing club compound. In dry Summer months the lines of the concrete foundations on which the ball carriages ran can be seen in the grass.
Google Earth view of 2007. The parallel lines show the site of the construction of one of the Phoenix units.
When they were 20ft feet in height and weighed 2,000 tons they were transferred to eighteen ball carriages using wedges and clamps. Each unit was then hauled forward using winches and tackle until it was directly over a rolling track running parallel to the foreshore. It was then winched along the rolling track until it lay over the sloping standing way, or slipway, where the weight was transferred from the ball carriages to the slipway. It was launched sideways down the slipway into the sea at high tide. The construction was completed whilst floating and they were then towed to an assembly point at Selsey or Dungeness and sunk ready for D-Day. In the days following D-Day they were pumped out and refloated, then towed across the Channel to the D-Day beachhead where they were sunk to provide the supports of the Mulberry harbours.
A disaster occurred whilst launching the first of the Phoenix units at Stokes Bay. As it was being launched it fell off the rolling walls and broke, killing three men and trapping fifteen other underneath it. The fault was thought to be due to sand, shingle and seaweed fouling the launchway and the Fire Brigade were called to hose down the launchway before subsequent launches. All further launches were carried out without any problems.
Two concrete Phoenix units can be seen at Portland. Phoenix units.
Caisson (Phoenix) at Stokes Bay, possibly the one involved in the launching fatality
(the pier can be seen in the background)
A section of composite pier under construction at Stokes Bay with The Crescent in the background.
Launching slipway.
The fourteen Phoenix units constructed at Stokes Bay were side launched into the Solent down purpose built slipways.
A slipway under construction at Stokes Bay
The slipway site in 2010
This map of 1952 shows one of the slipways at Stokes Bay that may have served this purpose. Note the structure on the promenade that may have held the winch. Nothing remains of this slipway today.
Phoenix launching slipway at Stokes Bay?.
Photographs show that at the east end of Stokes Bay other parts of the Mulberry harbours were constructed, including sections of the composite piers and walkways.
Embarkation Hards
Four Embarkation Hards designated as G1 to G4, were constructed at Stokes Bay. These embarkation hards were numbered from west to east and the first two correspond with the car parks now in use along the Bay. G1 corresponds with the car park south of Bay House (SZ 589 988), G2 the next car park east of Alverbank (SZ 59296 98631), G3 south of Pebble Beach cafe (SZ 59647 98404) and G4, was between the D-Day Command Centre and Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Station at the east end of the Bay (SZ 59951 98127). They were built by the Admiralty in 1942 under the control of Portsmouth Command in preparation for D-Day. Portsmouth Command controlled 22 sites in total. They were four-berth hards for landing craft carrying troops (LCT Hards) Each consisted of a concrete loading ramp equipped with steel framed mooring points known as dolphins to anchor the craft during loading. The portion of the ramp extending to low water was made of flexible concrete matting resembling blocks of chocolate (5 blocks by 3 blocks), anchored to the concrete approach by steel hooks and spiked down using overlapping wire loops on each side. The embarkation hards needed approach roads to accommodate the concentrated heavy traffic and transit areas for marshalling troops, vehicles and equipment. Jellicoe Avenue was widened to accommodate the huge volume of traffic. Accommodation and ancillary buildings at the embarkation sites included offices for embarkation staff; a central control room; a workshop for maintenance crew; stores; a watch hut and a latrine. Sites were also fitted with fuel tanks, lighting and utilities.
The foundations of the embarkation complex (hutments) for the slipway near the Pebble Beach Cafe, south of Jellicoe Avenue/Village Road can be seen to the left of the embarkation road on this plan of 1951. It is now a car park. Three dolphins for mooring the Landing Craft are marked in the sea. The dolphins were used by locals as diving platforms for many years after the War. Two of them were removed by Gosport Council in 1954 and the last one was removed in 1982. Further to the east is another slipway. Stokes Bay was de-requisitioned and returned to Gosport Council on 25 Dec 1951.
Embarkation HardG2 at Stokes Bay.
Hard G3, showing the site of the office hutments (now the car park) with the hard to the south of them in line with the dolphins.
At low tide other portions of embarkation hard G1 can be seen south of the promenade opposite Bay House. Locals refer to them as ' chocolate blocks' because of their shape. They were broken up in 1949 but some were not removed.
Blocks forming part of G3 can also be seen at the Pebble Beach Bistro.
Embarkation Hard G3 can still be seen next to the Pebble Beach Bistro and cafe.
At very low tide some of the 'chocolate blocks' that formed G4 can be seen on the water line. The concrete that formed the access to this embarkation hard can also be seen adjacent to the promenade. The section down the beach to the low water level has been removed.
Embarkation Hard 4 during very low tide at a full moon in March 2011; the best time to view this hard as it is otherwise under water.
Hard G4 fully exposed during a very low tide on
21 March 2011: Looking west.
Hard G4 fully exposed during a very low tide on 21 March 2011: Looking east.
Embarkation Hard G4 between GAFIRS and the D-Day Command Centre
Embarkation Hard G4 looking west along the bay
The concrete approach to Embarkation Hard G4: The hard is on the right.
The concrete approach to Hard G4
An aerial view of the remains of Hard G4
From slipways at Stokes Bay various vehicles were loaded into the transport craft to be taken to the Normandy beaches. This included at least 33 DUKW amphibious vehicles that were heading for a LSD (Landing Ship Dock) off Stokes Bay. In the build up to D-Day, as well as DUKWs, Swimming tanks and their crews were tested at Stokes Bay.
Embankment to G4
Bisecting the common at Stokes Bay is an earth embankment with a modern tarmac path joining Anglsey roundabout to the promenade. I am grateful to Gosport historian Philip Eley for pointing out that this embankment is clearly too wide to be necessary for the modern path and that the route of this embankment is the ideal one for vehicles to access D-Day embarkation Hard G4 from Anglesey Road. The embankment joins the promenade in the centre of the concrete at the top of Hard G4. The search goes on to find evidence in the form of maps or plans to prove whether or not the embankment dates from WWII. It is not shown on the O.S. map of 1945-46 updated 1951 but is on the O.S. map of 1969.
Embankment to Hard G4 viewed from the seaward end towards Anglesey Road.
Embankment to Hard G4 viewed from the seaward end towards Anglesey Road.
Embankment to Hard G4 viewed from the Anglesey Road end.
Embankment to Hard G4 viewed from Anglesey Road.
79th. Armoured Division
The B instructional Wing of the 79th Armoured Division (British) was based at Stokes Bay in October 1943 onwards. From January to May 1944 they perfected Sherman Duplex Drive Amphibious Tank loading and launch techniques. Over 30,000 launches were conducted as the Duplex Drive tank training came to a close in May 1944. A member of the 13/18 hussars reported that for training they travelled in Amphibious Tanks across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. The 79th Armoured Division were to be the spearhead of the assault on D-Day. A man working on the Phoenix units at Stokes Bay reported seeing men stripping down tanks, hundreds of them parked at the Bay, and then re-assembling them. He was told that they were being waterproofed.
Some D-Day vehicles at Stokes Bay
DUKW at Stokes Bay
The D-day Control building is still to be seen at Stokes Bay, modernised and incorporated into the H.Q. building of the Stokes Bay Sailing Club.
D-Day Control Building at Stokes Bay
Now the Sailing Club H.Q.
The building has been extended and the basement enclosed. The building was constructed on columns, which have been enclosed to form a basement.
Canadian 10th Armoured Regiment.
On D-Day minus 2 (4th June 1944) The Canadian 10th Armoured Regiment, dispersed around Fort Gomer, was mobilised and loaded onto LCTs at G1 Stokes Bay. They loaded tanks, infantry carriers, anti-tank guns, trucks and jeeps. They were in the vanguard of the landings on Juno beach, part of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.
Exercise Fabius III
A pre D-Day exercise, codename Fabius III, was carried out at Stokes Bay during April and May 1944. In all there were six Fabius exercises which constituted the largest amphibious exercise in history. Fabius included four of the invasion assault forces and two major buildup forces that were to assault the Normandy beaches. Fabius III was the rehearsal for assault force J consisting of elements of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division and and attached units which were to assault Juno beach. This force embarked at Southampton and Gosport and landed at Bracklesham Bay as part of the exercise. Fabius I II III and IV were carried out simultaneously.
HMS Porcupine.
This ship, (which was in two sections after being torpedoed in the Mediterranean - both parts stayed afloat hence they were known as "Pork" (forward section) and "Pine" (aft section ). Pine was used as the Headquarters ship of Landing Craft Command at Stokes Bay from March 1943 to April 1946. After the war it was used for the storage of minor landing craft on shore. The ship itself was used for accommodation of crews of Landing Craft in Stokes Bay.
"Pork" - The forward section of HMS Porcupine
A house in Palmerston Way called Windbrake was commandeered by the MOD to be used as part of HMS Porcupine. It was used in orchestrating the construction and transportation of the Mulberry Harbours from Stokes Bay, during the D-Day landings.
Windbrake in Palmerston Way
HMS Porcupine II
This was a Combined Operations Base and Hard Party School. (A 'hard' was a hard landing area on a beach) commissioned at Stokes Bay and Fort Gilkicker on 29/1/44, closed on 29/4/44 and placed on the disposal list 30/4/46.
