In the spring of this year, forestry clearance work at Rownhams Woods has uncovered again one of the huge craters made by one of the 30 or so 1000KG parachute mines dropped on North Baddesley, Rownhams, Nursling and Chilworth between 1.30am and 4.48am on the night of the 22nd June 1941.
The Luftwaffe, using up to 100 bombers in the concentrated attack on Southampton, dropped 50 parachute mines, many smaller H.E. bombs, and thousands of incendiaries, but many were lured away by the main Decoy site on Baddesley Common and smaller ones at Lee, Chilworth and Rownhams—these were manned by RAF personnel with H.Q. at Heatherlands Road, Chilworth.
The decoy at Baddesley was a Starfish QF site—the ‘F’, meaning Fire was the main attraction for bombers and was one of hundreds set up around target towns and industries during the early part of the war.
The Southampton Civil Defence report for this night stated: The initial shower of incendiaries fell outside the Borough, between it and Romsey, and the succeeding mines & bombs were largely discharged onto the fires caused by these: —this was proof the decoys had worked well, though 18 parachute mines and 17 H.E. bombs actually fell on the town with a death toll of 19 including 7 military personnel.
North Baddesley and the integral Scragg Hill; then a part of Romsey Extra which received about 9 parachute mines, 6 H.E.s and thousands of incendiaries suffered the most structural damage with 39 homes destroyed and most others damaged in some way; so this then small village of around 800 people lost about 20% of its housing stock, though no lives were lost. About 15 of the destroyed homes were in the Rownhams Lane area of Scragg Hill. So contrary to popular belief, Romsey literally was badly bombed. 16 mines fell in the Chilworth area, one falling on the sloping ground opposite the now Science Park causing the only fatality—a man cycling from Southampton to avoid the bombing.
Of the 13 mines dropped at Rownhams, one dangled by its parachute in a tree and was viewed by most of the village children before being removed by a RAF bomb disposal squad. If the branch had broken these people would have had just 17 seconds before the detonator timer exploded the 2000 lb charge and oblivion.
The most tragic event, of this night was also at Rownhams: ‘ Fernyhurst’ owned by Mrs. Poore; located near the present Bakers Drove, was home to quite a few evacuee children and a mine tore the centre section right out of this house and it is believed the toll here eventually was seven deaths.
These converted sea mines were a terrifying weapon; taking about 5 minutes or so to descend with the aircraft long gone when they exploded, then you waited and waited for the next big expected bang, preceded by a startling violet flash in the strange, oxygen depleted air.
In the Baddesley School Log it stated that some of the many evacuees in the village who had endured the night blitzes in Southampton & London would sooner face these again than endure another night of the mines in Baddesley. 
To view this mine crater take the Rownhams Lane from Baddesley to Rownhams— on your left is a gravel car park for the Forestry Commissions track through Rownhams Woods (signed); about 180 paces from the gate and on your right and about 20 metres in, is this hole about l8 metres across and 4 metres deep.
Of course none of the destruction in Southampton’s northern villages was made public at the time, for the obvious reason you could not let the enemy know the decoy had worked, and most of the bombs had fallen in forests and fields. Hence the Title! Up to now, no photographs of the destruction, in any of the villages have been unearthed, but the Baddesley Archive would be very grateful to anyone who has any stored away.
Please contact Ray Cobern on 023 8073 0298
Recent photograph of Eric Cosier standing in the crater left by a parachute mine off Rownhams Lane