Stoneham Recovery (After the War)

Hi all,

I just thought I would put these pictures up for you all to look at. This was sent to the club via Twitter but it’s a copy of an article written about Stoneham and how it survived the war and held the Dunlop Masters (Now the British Masters). I hope you can zoom in on the pictures. This will allow you to read the article after all these years. I have asked for a copy so I can put it up in the clubhouse.

From this article I have learnt some very interesting things:-

•1906 Willie Park Surveyed an old deer park north of Southampton and reported it would make a “First-Class golf course”

•June 10th 1941 - Four parachute bombs landed on the course. One landed in the car park killing 16 soldiers who were standing by military vehicles. 

•During the Blitz no fewer than 2000 people were fed snack meals and given shelter in the clubhouse (old clubhouse). 

•The clubhouse became a Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Rendezvous and the bomb shelter to the right of the clubhouse (from 18th) was Southampton’s Emergency Control centre before becoming a Greenkeepers building later on. 

•Wire and metal poles erected on the fairways to stop planes landing (Some of these chains are still visible within the truck of some of the trees on the course today). 

A Bunker was added to the 18th Fairway to make it narrower for planes to land. 

•George Tolfree Head Greenkeeper (50 years) ran the course pretty much on his own during the war with volunteer parties helping out. He did however get help from the then Captain Mr E C Waller (Un Paid). Both have caricatures hanging in the clubhouse!

•Plus lots more...

Please have a look. It’s amazing to see some of the old photos and here the reasons why certain things are how they are today! 

Enjoy 

Matt