Lee-on-the-Solent at War
Both world wars, D-Day operations and the home front in a coastal Hampshire town
Lee-on-the-Solent's position on the Solent coast, directly opposite the Isle of Wight and adjacent to Portsmouth's naval dockyard, placed it at the centre of Britain's military activity during both world wars. The town's wartime story is one of airfields, embarkation beaches, the home front, and the daily reality of living in a place that was simultaneously a small seaside town and an active military zone.
The First World War brought the establishment of the seaplane base that would become HMS Daedalus. In 1917 the Admiralty requisitioned farmland at the western edge of Lee for a training facility for naval pilots and observers flying seaplanes and flying boats. Hangars, workshops and accommodation were built rapidly, and the Solent became a testing ground for maritime aviation. The base brought hundreds of servicemen and support workers to a town that had previously been a quiet Victorian resort, and the military presence would define Lee-on-the-Solent for the rest of the century.
The Second World War transformed the town entirely. HMS Daedalus was expanded into one of the busiest airfields on the south coast, handling aircraft maintenance, operational squadrons, and the training of Fleet Air Arm pilots and aircrew. The airfield's proximity to Portsmouth and the English Channel made it strategically vital. Fighters, torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft operated from the station, and the hangars and workshops ran continuous shifts.
The civilian population experienced the war directly. Air raid shelters were constructed, and blackout regulations were strictly enforced along the seafront where light visible from the sea could guide enemy aircraft or submarines. Bombing raids targeted the airfield and the surrounding area, and damage to civilian property occurred. Rationing, evacuation of children, and the constant presence of military personnel and vehicles defined daily life.
The build-up to D-Day in the spring of 1944 was the most intense period. The Solent coast from Lee to Stokes Bay became a concentration area for troops, vehicles and equipment preparing for the Normandy landings. Camps were established in the surrounding countryside, and the beaches and hard standings along the shore were used for loading landing craft. HMS Daedalus provided air cover and reconnaissance support for the invasion fleet.
On 6 June 1944, the invasion force departed from the Solent. The coast that Lee-on-the-Solent overlooks was filled with ships, and aircraft from Daedalus flew missions in support of the landings. The scale of the operation was visible to everyone in the town. Residents recalled the noise, the endless columns of ships heading south, and the knowledge that what they were witnessing was a turning point in the war.
The aftermath of D-Day saw continued military activity. Wounded servicemen were returned through the Solent ports, and the airfield remained operational. The war in Europe ended in May 1945, but the military presence at Lee-on-the-Solent continued through demobilisation and into the Cold War period.
The physical evidence of wartime Lee-on-the-Solent is still present. The HMS Daedalus hangars survive, now housing the Hovercraft Museum. Concrete anti-tank blocks and pillbox remains can be found along the Browndown and Stokes Bay coastline. The D-Day memorial at Stokes Bay commemorates the troops who left from these beaches. The Lee-on-the-Solent War Memorial on Marine Parade records the names of local servicemen who did not return.
For visitors, the wartime story adds depth and meaning to the coastal landscape. The same beach that families enjoy on summer afternoons was an embarkation point for one of the largest military operations in history. The hangars that house hovercraft once sheltered Swordfish torpedo bombers. The quiet promenade was a blacked-out coastal watch post. Understanding this history enriches any walk along the Lee-on-the-Solent coast.