Many of the young men were interested in cars; John Pinkerton
had a 1925 vintage Lancia, Don Priest had an Alvis speed 20
and Doug Hogg had a 3-litre Bentley.
The villagers provided much accommodation although some were
billeted in Swanage about three miles away. Many would cycle
into work each day along the cliff path. George Bacon and
the New Zealander, C.J.Banwell spent their first night (4/5/40)
in the Vicarage. The men and their work were initially treated
with suspicion, but soon the Dorset 'locals' treated them
with the utmost hospitality and they seem to have found the
surrounding countryside conducive to their vital research.
Gradually, a great camaraderie grew up amongst these men and
they soon joined in the social life of the village...
Most of Renscombe Farm had been requisitioned by the War
Office and the farmer had to move his stock to Hampshire.
However, he agreed to provide milk and his wife even set up
a little tea cabin for the men between 'a' and 'b' sites.
Kenneth Hopkinson recalls that in June 1940, Swanage had
a lot of spare accommodation
and so his family could join him and enjoy the beach for a
little while…until a defensive
barrier was placed across the bay. He also remembers that
the bus fares seemed very
high. His abiding memory of TRE Worth is"mud and bikes".
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