STANTA (Stanford Training Area)
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In 1942 the
Ministry of Defence (MOD) compulsorily purchased an area in
the Brecklands to turn into a battle training area. To do so
it evacuated the villages of Buckenham Tofts, Langford,
Stanford, Sturston, Tottington and West Tofts. At the time
the villagers were told that they would be able to return to
their homes after WW2 - however the MOD later reneged on its
promise. There is still considerable resentment in the area
about this decision. The area became known as STANTA which
stands for the Stanford Training Area. One positive outcome
of the evacuations has been the creation of the largest Site
of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in lowland Britain -
where rare Breckland flowers and birds - such as the stone
curlew - now thrive.
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The Battle Zone, as it is sometimes
known, is in constant use as an area to train troops and
includes a live-firing area. Originally it was used to train
troops for Northern Island but more recently for
Afghanistan. In fact, a replica Afghan village was created
to make training more authentic.
Today it is only possible to
enter the Battle Zone with permission from the MOD. All of the six
villages had churches - although those at Buckenham Tofts
and Sturton were abandoned in earlier centuries.
In
2013, the poet Andrea Holland published a collection of
poems entitled Broadcasting which painted a moving
picture of the evacuation and the impact that it had upon the
villagers.
Here is one of her poems: |
Borrow
in this
accent is burrow, the home of the rabbit
unearthed by
dogs. The home of the farmer
unearthed by tanks;
everything is borrowed.
From there its the barrow to
carry, the barrow
to bury. And it's a small step from
warren
to warrant, to declaration; an eviction.
We
murmur through promise, reassurance,
the sound of
neighbour and home:
all the village words burried by
dogs
or lost in the war.
The collection also
contains a poem about Tottington Church entitled: Tottington
Church: Reredos and a poem about a dummy airfield that
was created during WW2 to fool the Luftwaffe. Many of the fittings and fixtures from
St Andrew's Church were stripped out and moved to Rockland
St Peter.
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In my haiku sequence entitled
Norfolk Deserted Villages there are two poems relating to
Stanford:
Stanford Church
Stranded now in the
Battle Zone - with your old graves
And your blast proof roof.
Stanford
Among the shelling
And machine gun fire lie
Your
unquiet dead. |
STANTA was also used
extensively as a location for many of the
outside sequences in Dad's Army.
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Norfolk Battle Zone Churches |
Supported
by Norfolk Tourism