In May 1944 preparations for D Day were in full swing and the Brockenhurst area was full of military personnel and hardware. Two large bombs fell around Sway Road and Woodlands Road, shattering the windows of adjacent property and destroying a cottage on Sway Road. Unfortunately, there were three civilian casualties, but the outcome could have been much worse if the petrol fuel dump on the opposite side of Sway Road had received a direct hit.