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HMS Forward was a shore establishment of the British Royal Navy during World War II. It was based at South Heighton, just outside Newhaven, East Sussex.
Service history
Based in a former Guinness Trust Holiday Home,[1] Forward served as the command centre for all Royal Naval establishments in the area and was responsible for:
- HMS Marlborough, the Electrical Training School at Eastbourne.
- HMS Forward II (renamed HMS Aggressive in 1942), the Coastal Forces base at Newhaven.
- The Combined Operations Landing Craft bases of HMS Newt at Newhaven and HMS Lizard at Shoreham and Hove.
- HMS Vernon (R), the Torpedo, Mining & Electrical Training Establishment at Roedean School, Brighton.[2]
In 1941 a complex of tunnels were constructed 20 m (66 ft) underground to house a centre which plotted all shipping traffic in the English Channel between Dungeness and Selsey Bill, in conjunction with the coastal radar chain.[3]
Forward was decommissioned on 31 August 1945.[1]
References
- ^ a b Ellis, Geoffrey (2011). "The Guinness Trust Holiday Home (a.k.a. Denton House) 1938-1996". Our Newhaven. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ Ellis, Geoffrey (2011). "HMS Forward". Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ Ellis, Geoffrey (2011). "Royal Naval HQ, HMS Forward, Newhaven, 1939-1945". The Secret Tunnels of South Heighton. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
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