All Tanked Up . . .
The story of Canadian troops in a Hampshire village during World War II

All Tanked Up . . . by John Owen Smith
Large-format pages – 48pp, photos, maps, information – ISBN 1-873855-00-1

EXTRA! for stories which arrived too late to be included in the book

When Canadian troops arrived in Great Britain during the Second World War, many were given quarters in old, cold, damp barracks buildings in the military town of Aldershot.

For these young men thousands of miles from home, and in many cases away from their families for the first time, it was a depressing experience.

Imagine their joy then, when they found their next station in England was not another military camp, but a charming rural village with pubs, girls, dances - and a welcome for them from the local population.

This is the story of their benign 'invasion' of a Hampshire village over a period of four years, told from the point of view of both Villagers and Canadians.

The troops involved were mainly from Armoured regiments, using the local heathlands to practice manoeuvres. Whether they knew it or not, they were preparing and waiting for D-Day.

Includes photos of the period, technical details of tanks used (including a full 19-part check list on How to start a Grant Tank), and a complete Order of Battle for Canadian Regiments in 1945.