First World War impact on the area

1914-1918

The First World War affected the farming communities around Whiteley as it did all rural areas. Men from the farms and cottages in the area enlisted in the Hampshire Regiment and other units, and some did not return. The war accelerated changes in agricultural practice, with increased mechanisation and the ploughing of marginal land to boost food production. Women took on farm work that had previously been done by men. The memorial crosses in the churches at Swanwick and the surrounding villages record the names of those who served and fell.