Second World War

1939-1945

During the Second World War, Waterlooville was less heavily bombed than Portsmouth, but the community was deeply affected by the conflict. Many residents served in the armed forces or worked in war production. The proximity of Portsdown Hill, with its chain of military forts and installations, meant that military activity was visible and audible. Evacuees from Portsmouth were billeted with families in Waterlooville and Cowplain. The Canadian Army established camps in the surrounding area during the build-up to D-Day in 1944, and local people remember the convoys of troops and vehicles heading south towards the coast. Rationing, blackout restrictions and the anxiety of wartime affected daily life for six years.