Hayling Island WWII Heritage Trail

Hayling Island played a significant part in Britain’s wartime efforts, particularly in the lead-up to the Normandy landings. The WWII Heritage Trail runs along the southern coastline, marking locations where military activity transformed the area. Holiday camps and hotels housed troops, while beaches and open land supported training and construction work tied to the invasion.

The trail consists of six information boards positioned at key points along the south shore. Each board covers a specific aspect of the island’s contribution. One focuses on the construction of Mulberry Harbour sections near the Ferry point, where concrete structures were built and later towed across the Channel.

Another details the heavy anti-aircraft battery at Sinah Common, part of the defences protecting nearby Portsmouth. Further east, boards explain the secret work of the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP), a small unit that carried out beach reconnaissance under hazardous conditions.

Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) Memorial on Hayling Seafront

A board near the former railway station touches on logistical support, including the role of the Hayling Billy line in moving personnel and materials. The trail also covers landing craft testing sites and pillboxes that formed part of the coastal fortifications. At the centre stands the COPP Memorial, a granite monument honouring the volunteers whose intelligence gathering aided the Allied advance.

The route follows the seafront, combining shingle beach, promenade sections, and nearby paths. It spans roughly four miles from west to east, starting near the Ferry point and ending at Eastoke Corner. Walkers can pause at benches along the way, with views across the Solent adding to the experience. The boards provide photographs, maps, and accounts that bring the wartime operations into focus.

Hayling Island WWII Heritage Trail

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