Arne is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Wareham.

[2] Evidence of prehistoric human activity within the civil parish consists of 19 barrows and the remains of 4 linear dykes.

The earliest record of the village is from 1285, though the parish church, which consists of a single-cell chancel and nave, dates from around 1200, and has not been substantially altered since, though it was restored in the 19th century and in 1952.

Its isolated location would have mitigated civilian losses should an explosion have occurred, but following the start of World War II, the factory was a clear target for bombing raids by German aircraft.

With the main flight path to Holton Heath passing right over Arne, the government created several "Starfish" decoy sites in the village.

These consisted of a heavily guarded site containing a network of tar barrels and pipes containing kerosene that could be ignited when needed to give the appearance of a burning factory, thus confusing pilots into bombing empty countryside.

[5] After the war, the village remained largely derelict until the late 1950s, and in 1966 the Arne Peninsula was put under the protection of the RSPB.