More information : SZ 44749863: Lepe House [NAT] (1)
Lepe House, home of Lady Forester, was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1943 and became part of HMS Mastodon, the Headquarters of which were based at Exbury House (SU 40 SW 44). It was the base for J.1 Assault Group for the D-Day landings. A signal tower was added to the top of its bay windows which overlooked the entrance to the river, from where signals could be made to all craft leaving or entering the river. A new jetty and hard was constructed on the beach in front of the house. The hard was designated as Q Hard which could accommodate four tank landing craft. The remains of the hard can still be seen at low tide. (2) |