Alton Towers during the Second World War

[Squiggs]

As the country is commemorating the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, I thought it was a fitting time to have a look at the role Alton Towers played during the war.

During World War Two, Alton Towers was requisitioned by the Army to become an Officer Cadet Training Unit. Life on the estate during this period was unlike any time either before or since, and it was the final period when the house itself was occupied and the estate was home to an entire community.

For obvious reasons, not much has been recorded about this period, but I've just added a new article to the site offering a glimpse at what life at Alton Towers was like for the Officer Cadets who knew Alton Towers, not as a theme park, but as an Army Training Camp.

Wartime at Alton Towers – TowersStreet - Your premier Alton Towers guide!

towersstreet.com

 

[BarryZola]

That's a good piece, thanks. I wasn't aware of that research by Bury Grammar School Alumni so it was interesting to read some new stuff in your write-up. I like the revamp of the old map too. Nice one

 

[Squiggs]

That's a good piece, thanks. I wasn't aware of that research by Bury Grammar School Alumni so it was interesting to read some new stuff in your write-up. I like the revamp of the old map too. Nice one

Thanks. It's been a little while in the making.

I've had a folder on my computer with lots of random snippets of info for a while, waiting to be pulled together into something. Whilst it's not a topic that has a huge amount of info available, it's amazing what you can find out when you find the right nooks and crannies to start researching.

Unfortunately because it has been quite a few years I've been collecting up research on the subject, the original piece from the Bury Grammar School Alumni, which had more detail, has also gone offline in the meantime. Though there are still a few references online to the research that was carried out. I'm sure at one point I had also found another reference to a death in training at the camp, but I couldn't find it when I was writing up the piece this year.

And of course, thanks for the info you had gathered on the subject. I had some notes I'd made from back when your site was still online, which definitely helped flesh out how the house was being used at the time.