More than 200 people lived in the area, in Powys in Wales, which was made up of 54 farms.
Then one day, the farms suddenly lay empty.
Homes were abandoned, livestock vanished and buildings were eventually torn down.One woman, aware of the finality of the situation, insisted on taking her front door with her when she left the community.
They were probably terrified by all those consonants.
We have Tynham here taken for the war effort . Homes left , promised they could return after the war but the army still own it . A small school with baby desks and inkwells . A beautiful village still sits quietly after 75 years .
Thankyou for posting
Oh Susan…that sounds so sad. I wonder how many other places around the UK have been taken over like this…families uprooted and decanted elsewhere. What on earth do the army do with them now? Surely they can’t still be using them - for all the people who are struggling to find a roof over their heads, and these little villages are still being commandeered by the army (who aren’t really doing much army stuff now are they?!)
I think they are still being used as military training grounds / firing ranges - it would be difficult to move people back into those places as the surrounding land may contain all sorts of dangerous stuff used over the years during army training exercises,
Yes I suppose that is true… 
A good place for Boris the Barmy to park his illegal immigrants - cheaper than rwanda as well!
Especially if the military continue with live ammunition excercises.
Tynham is beautiful, a visit a must . The cove is so pretty and the broken down cottages with their intact open fire places . The smell of the school room the chalk and the blackboard and the room had its own open fireplace. The army use it for training and firing so it’s usually only open weekends. A hidden gem
It sounds idyllic, Susan…can people go and visit at weekends then, and take photos? I must google it and see if I can find anything.
A similar thing happened at Slapton, Devon. In fact many villages in the South Hams were told to evacuate as part of the war effort. Slapton and surrounding area was chosen as a training ground for the US army in preparation for the Normandy landings, because it bore a strong resemblance to the parts of the French coast chosen for the landings, in particular to Utah Beach.
Sadly Exercise Tiger, the operation designed to be as realistic as possible, turned into a devastating tragedy, as nine German E-boats managed to slip in among the US crafts, sinking two landing ships and badly damaging a third; 946 American servicemen lost their lives.
Michael Morpugo wrote a wonderful children’s book, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, told through the eyes of a child whose family was one of those evacuated. The story tells of a young girl whose cat disappeared into the no-go zone beyond the barbed wire, just as they were leaving - but Lily couldn’t leave without her cat!
I don’t know how long after the event people were allowed to return, but return they did, although some never went back.
Wow, Sheba, that is an interesting story. How traumatic for the families. I wonder how the families who did return, fared…it couldn’t have been the same, not after that.
Yes pixie . And free . Take a picnic. Chairs spend the day then walk 1 mile to the hidden cove to swim
.Tynham village Dorset
Wildlife has benefited greatly as a result of this.
Loving the sound of that, Susan! 
I’m wondering now if you mean actual wildlife, or wildlife (other) because, y’know…I can never tell with you 
Granted at times I’m obtuse, sometimes deliberately, but in this case I mean little bunnies and things.
Well that’s alright then! 
Thank you for clarifying 
Pixie I went one late evening with a friend and we broke down in the village and had to wait till 1 30am for rescue. We loved every second of the darkness , the black starlit sky was awesome and the silence . We would have stayed all night if we could , we sat in the church and felt the history of the past . It was truly a magical night . Enjoy when you go . Just to say the gates to the village now close at 9pm so you can’t now stay over.
