Mystery of the Shorne Doodlebug Strike

By Trevor Bent

During 2010, whilst the Shorne Woods Archaeological Group (SWAG) worked on oral histories for the Shorne Woods Heritage Project, Trevor Bent met a few of the older residents of Shorne and was told about a V1 ‘Doodlebug’ that struck the west side of Woodlands Lane. The accounts were confused as, to date, nobody had investigated what actually happened and who was involved. The account relayed to Trevor suggested that two soldiers stationed at Shorne had been killed by a direct V1 hit on an army hut.

SWAG decided to seek out the land owner of the purported impact site to search for clues and if any visible evidence remaining to back up the story. SWAG were granted permission to investigate an overgrown area containing six concrete bases where the army huts had once stood been. On closer investigation, there were in fact five and a half bases; one base appeared to have been either been partially demolished or subjected to a traumatic event. In view of this discovery, Trevor again met with the landowner and arranged for an archaeological investigation of the site to take place and carried out by SWAG, the objective of which was to determine the extent of the truth of the stories and add this fascinating story to the Shorne Woods archaeological record.

The archaeological investigation began in the Autumn of 2010 and started with the clearance of the five intact ground level concrete bases, recording and photographing them as we went. The next stage moved onto the sixth, interesting and badly damaged base.

The remnants of a crater were clear from the topography close to the sixth concrete base; (North West corner) it had been backfilled at some stage but a depression in the ground surface was visible. As with the other five buildings (which remained largely intact to ground level), the undergrowth was cleared and revealed that the remaining brick foundation walls had been blown over and foundation blocks underpinning these walls were out of place by up to a metre. Faced with this evidence, the fact that half the concrete base was missing and the visible remnants of a crater, it was hypothesised that the sixth concrete base was a candidate for the V1 impact.

Further excavations targeted the area around the sixth concrete base. The natural ground make up was sand and rounded pebbles. Excavations discovered evidence for a large crater filled with pebble fragments, nearly a metre in depth, and five to seven metres across, confirming where the impact occurred. We found a layer of rusty metal buried at the base of the crater that was later identified as coming from the remains of the hut that had been destroyed.

as a section of a probable wing spar from a V1.

The site had been extensively cleared at some point in the past and there was very little evidence to suggest a military encampment had been present over 70 years ago.

A few contemporary personal artefacts were found on the site including a tin of Dubbin (still useable) and a brass button stick, twisted and one end broken off.

Once excavations ceased, Trevor visited the National Records Office and found a ‘War Diary’ relating to the incident. The V1 strike occurred at 3.50am on 3rd August 1944. The V1 caused a direct hit on a Nissen hut (sixth concrete base), resulting in the death of six military personnel and minor damage to surrounding residential property in Shorne. Further investigations discovered that the six soldiers killed were from the Pioneer Corps. They were stationed to support mobile Anti-Aircraft guns kept at the top of Woodlands Lane, Shorne.

A V1 weighed about 2000 pounds and carried the same amount of explosive and was a ‘blast’ weapon. The ‘War Diary’ reported minor damage to property when in fact verbal accounts suggested the house some 50 yards away was very badly damaged. The property in question was patched up for people to live in and pulled down after the war was over. Windows were blown out of houses some 200 yards away and shrapnel embedded in trees.

Trevor attempted to contact relatives of the soldiers and was successful in tracking down the great niece of one of the soldiers, a Private Boniface. She knew her great uncle had been killed in the war but had no details except from the telegram that was sent to his wife, the transcript of which is below:

Mrs Boniface,

5 Bullbourne Tring Herts

Deeply regret to inform you 1303321 Pte Boniface G.G. died from enemy air action on 2nd August '44 and is now removed to the R N Hospital Chatham If you desire to carry out the burial at own expense the body will be sent home at government expense and cost of coffin will be met from government funds in addition you will be allowed £5 towards funeral expenses otherwise all funeral expenses will be made by their service Full details will be notified to you later If in order to attend the service funeral a free warrant providing third class return travel to Chatham for not more than two persons one of whom must be a relative may be obtained from a police station on production of this telegram Please advise which arrangement to make.

C O 504 Coy of Pi Corps

JEROME Square, Aldershot

This seems a fitting point to end the story. SWAG is pleased with its efforts in bringing the account of the six soldiers, who tragically lost their lives, to the public’s attention.