RNMD Milford Haven

The Newton Noyes area had previously been occupied as a ship breakers yard. Known locally as Wards Yard, it was connected to the mainline railway via a spur from Milford Haven which crossed Castle Pill via a swing bridge. A cast iron pier, built in 1872 with the intention of encouraging transatlantic traffic to unload, allowed a rail / marine interchange.

In 1934, the Admiralty purchased Thomas Ward's ship breaking yard. Construction work began the following year and by the outbreak of war in 1939 the Depot was ready for action. The site consisted of an extensive storage facility of six armament sheds, comprising tunnels built into the neighbouring valley. A reservoir was constructed on higher ground to the north in case of explosion or fire. All of the tunnels were connected by rail, which also extended to the pier. Housing for the naval officers was located near the former mansion of Castle Hall. At the height of World War II, it employed 1,000 people, and thereafter hundreds of people from the local area. By the 1970s its future was…