Convoy of World War Two vehicles to celebrate Somerset’s military history

Somerset’s rich wartime heritage is being celebrated with a convoy of military vehicles.

The parade will travel from the old hospital site in Minehead to the World War Two tank training grounds and radar station on North Hill.

It is part of a free event being hosted by Exmoor National Park Authority to include displays, activities and a walking tour of the historic site.

“We’re fortunate to have this really rich historical and archaeological record here on Exmoor, so it’s a really exciting adventure to come and discover,” said historic environment officer, Dr Lucy Shipley.

North Hill, on Exmoor, was used extensively for military training during World War Two.

It became one of the country’s five tank training ranges for British, American and Canadian troops.

It also had a top secret radar station, one of 244 across the country, and was part of a coastal defensive chain to identify ships and low-flying aircraft.

“The radar station, which is the only standing structure to survive, is part of the broader landscape of a military training area,” Dr Shipley told BBC Radio Somerset.

“We’re so lucky also to have the memories of people who were living in Minehead during the war,” she added.

Residents, Peter Batchelor and Dudley Parsons, remembered seeing the vehicles being driven along the seafront.

“The Churchill tanks’ caterpillar tracks tore up the roads and damaged iron railings, and the sound, the firing, was like living in a war zone.

“But this soon became part of everyday life,” they said.

Exmoor ranger, Tim Parish, said: “It was in the early days of mass tank warfare, and so imagine being someone watching these things unloading from the railway station and clanking their way up through the very narrow streets.

“To get to the top of North Hill must have been quite something for everybody involved,” he said.

Visitors to the event on Saturday are being asked to donate to the charity CareMoor for Exmoor.