consequently pulled down by the army
due to the extensive work which would
have been required to restore them.
Is this what has caused unsettled
ancestors to return? Is this what
explains the claims of investigators of
hearing growls and screeching voices
on EVPs and having stones thrown at
them? The discontent of previously
proud and hard-working residents of
Tyneham seeing the destruction of their
once beautiful and quaint village?
I also wonder if some of the activity
documented could be down to the
spirits of long lost troops who have
returned to the part of England that
they trained in, in late April of 1944,
there is believed to have been the loss
of nearly 800 American GI’s on Slapton
Sands in Devon whilst on Exercise Tiger,
a mock landing in preparation of D Day.
It is highly plausible that some of these
men were stationed in Lulworth Cove
and were being trained on tank and
modern warfare in that area – it should
also be noted that Bovington is a stone’s
throw away from this area and is where
the Army’s tank regiment has been
based since 1916 (originally known as
the Heavy Branch as it incorporated the
Machine Gun Corps).
Look through copious reports of
paranormal events on the internet and
you will find accounts of things that
have been experienced in the area of
the Ghost Village, a shuck is meant to
prowl the woodland
just outside of the area
stopping people crossing
into the neighbouring
community, a Dairymaid is
believed to walk wistfully around
the large oak tree that she was buried
under after committing suicide and
a soldier has been seen walking the
streets around the houses. All of
these are plausible, but none can be
verified. Investigators report the name
Warren appearing on EVP and Spirit
Box sessions, perhaps fitting with the
American connections to the area or
just some kind of audio pareidolia.I cannot say unequivocally if Tyneham
is haunted or purely haunting, many
visitors do comment on the ethereal
nature of the fact that only the church
and schoolhouse are still intact –
although that can be easily explained
away by the fact that these buildings
are maintained by the military and
National Trust and promoted as a
museum to the village and it’s way of
life as was, the schoolhouse having
closed its doors as an educational
facility some 11 years or so before
the 200 plus villagers had to leave. It
would not surprise me if something still
lingers there, after all, with hundreds
of years of habitation and the fact that
many residents of old would never have
travelled away from the village and
died where they were born, they could
quite possibly be going about their dailyroutine.
The last
known
resident of
Tyneham, Arthur
Grant, was interred
in the church in 2010, the dying
wish of many of those who were forced
to leave in 1943.Perhaps however, it was the note that
was left on the Church doors when the
last villager left in December 1943 that
gives the biggest clue –“Please treat the church and
houses with care; we have given up
our homes where many of us lived
for generations to help win the war
to keep men free. We shall return
one day and thank you for treating
the village kindly”Penny is the presenter for Haunted
Histories every Wednesday on
Parasearch Radio and is also the Author
of “My Haunted History” which is
available on http://www.amazon.co.ukPenny x
*some not so ‘orrible histories might
actually be a bit ‘orrible at times.