Someone once asked me why I write posts about the navy when my blog and book were entitled Nothe Fort and Beyond. ‘Beyond’ maybe gives a clue because the Victorian fortifications weren’t built as a stand alone defence. They were not only designed to protect our south coast from invasion but to protect the naval…
On Yer Bike! Victorian Sailors as Cyclists; History of the British Navy and Sport.
I know this article isn’t actually based at Portland, thought it was a large naval base during the Victorian era and men from the torpedo services frequently set up camp on the military area of the Nothe ridge to hone their skills down in Portland harbour. So maybe they brought along with them a couple…
Nothe Fortifications and the 18th corps Royal Engineers; Military history of Weymouth.
The pre 1850’s Nothe headland was a very different place to the one we know nowadays, but it was still very popular with both locals and the visiting elite. Joseph Russell Tompkins in an article from the Dorset Year Book of 1923 builds a wonderful early Victorian image of this headland; ‘the Nothe was quite free…
Military Tarts.
Bev Allen’s Military Tarts. I bet the soldiers on the Nothe would have scoffed these quicker than they could have fired a shell, probably washed down with a quart of ale from the Nothe Tavern. 😁 those down, https://kentishmaid.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/military-tarts/
WEYMOUTH DURING WWI; BRITISH ARMY HUMOUR 1915
Like most institutions, the army developed their own sense of humour. During one of my night time rummages through the online auction sites I came across this little cracker from WWI and my finger just inadvertently hit the ‘buy’ button. It is a tongue in cheek magazine created by those soldiers stationed in the Weymouth…
1856 1st Devon Militia arrive in Weymouth; Military history in Weymouth.
The gradual declivity rendered the sight easily to be seen by all. A view of it could also be obtained from the Pier and from the Esplanade. The number of persons gathered together was very great, and amongst them were many of the elite of the town and neighbourhood as well as several of the Officers of the Dorset Militia, attired in regimental dress.
Weymouth’s Nothe Guns, Gardens and Graveyards; Military History in Weymouth.
Here in Weymouth and Portland we are blessed with a bevvy of beautiful parks and gardens, all embracing their own special identity. Unbeknown to many people visiting Weymouth, one hidden gem holds a fascinating history, that of fighting men and fearsome artillery. Though it stands right next to the harbour, it’s secreted beneath a solid green canopy. Up on…
