Fort Henry, Dorset

Fort Henry is a Grade II listed[1] World War Two observation bunker overlooking Studland Bay, in Dorset.

It was built in 1943 to defend the bay from possible German invasion along with other beach defences such as gun emplacements, Type 25 pill boxes and concrete Dragon’s Teeth anti-tank obstacles (which have also been listed for protection).

[4] An English Heritage spokesman commented following the bunker's listing on 20 November 2012:[5] Fort Henry provides an impression of the scale and significance of the preparations for D-Day and is associated with the most prominent figures of the Allied forces.

On 18 April 1944, six weeks before D-Day (6 June 1944), Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, was joined by King George VI, Supreme Allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and Acting Admiral Louis Mountbatten at the observation point to witness the largest live ammunition practice of the entire war.

A trial run of the tanks ran into difficulty when a change in the weather adversely affected the sea conditions.