During both World Wars Hothfield Common was used as a large training ground preparing troops for the front. In WWII many Nissen huts were erected to house soldiers while they trained. After the war these huts were taken over by the West Ashford Rural District Council to become temporary Council Houses. The Council divided each hut into three sections: a kitchen diner with wood-burning range, and two bedrooms.
These were still in use at least as late as 1953 by which time the enlarged village of Hothfield had been built.
Click on the items below to read the individual stories of those who lived in the Nissen Hut Camp at Hothfield after the second World War. Many moved to the new Council houses and so their stories continue into that next era.
From huts to the first Council house
The story of John and Clare Nicholls, and their family
Linda Girling's story
From Nissen Huts to Westwell