Morn Hill Troop Transit Camps

During WW1 soldiers disembarked from the trains at Chesil Station Winchester and marched up St Giles Hill along the old Roman road. They arrived at large Army Camps on Winnall Down and Morn Hill. The role of Morn Hill was as a transit base for troops moving to France and Belgium through the port of Southampton.

Most stayed for only a few days before moving on. When a division was fully assembled it was transported from Winchester, by train, to Southampton, and then most likely to the Front line in France.

The Morn Hill Camp was one of the largest military transit camps of the First World War and was the temporary home of thousands of men on the way to the Western front. Around 2 million soldiers are thought that passed through Winchester during the war. The camp was situated on the downs on each side of the Alresford Road. It probably housed some 50,000 men at the time, more than double the entire population of Winchester at the time.

When America joined the War in April 1917, Morn Hill was transferred to the US Army also for the rest and transit soldiers. During the war, some 700-800,000 American troops passed through the camps.

 

There were two main camps. The Magdalen Hill Camp was situated north and south of the Alresford Road, some of it occupying the current day Magdalen Hill Butterfly Reserve. The Avington Park Camp was situated north of the Alresford Road and South of Avington Park. The layout of the camps has been taken from a copy of a map made by F. J. Bevis de Vitie Lt cre and dated 09/04/1919.

In 1918, a branch from the Great Western Railway at Winnall was built to serve the camps but was only used for a short period as the War ended in November.

In 1919 Morn Hill served as an assembly place for troops of all Allied nations awaiting repatriation. When this was complete the camps closed and the buildings were demolished.

For a narrative on life in the camps see the following website: