TODAY, most people think of Dorset as the archetypal rural English county, all cream teas and the seaside.

However, during the Second World War Dorset's maritime position made it front line territory in the struggle with Nazi Germany, whose forces lay just across the English Channel in occupied France.

As the tide of war turned in the Allies' favour, Dorset played a crucial role in the Normandy landings, and ultimate victory.

In Dorset At War, a new 85-minute documentary, local historian and author Colin Pomeroy takes us on a tour of the county's war sites, some of which are very well known while others are all but forgotten.

It is not the first documentary Colin has made. The Christmas before last, his first documentary Weymouth Through The Ages was the best seller at 1st Take, the Bristol-based company that produced both DVDs. The new documentary, too, out in time for Christmas, will make an ideal present for those with an interest in military history.

"I wrote a book a few years ago called Military Dorset Today, which looked at Dorset and what the wartime history was, and that was the catalyst for this project," explained Colin.

"While wartime Dorset has been well documented in the written word, pictorially a project like this has not been done."

The documentary is illustrated extensively by rare archive photographs and drawings, and, as viewers, we follow Colin's tour on an old map.

"I had already done a lot of the research. Maureen Attwooll gave me a hand, but most of it was stuff I had done before when I wrote the book," said Colin.

His tour starts in Portland, where remnants of the Mulberry Harbour that fuelled the Normandy Invasion still stand. Then he continues to Weymouth, the embarkation point of thousands of American soldiers, and then Chesil Beach, which had been heavily defended earlier in the war, when it was feared that a Nazi invasion could strike at Lyme Bay.

Colin explained: "Obviously, the greatest effort was on the coast. But elsewhere things were happening on a smaller scale such as at the hospital at Haydon Park, which closed in the early post-war years, and the bridge built over the River Lydden, installed in World War Two as a temporary' measure."

Other highlights on Dorset At War include visits to Tyneham village, where American troops trained in preparation for the invasion of the continent; Warmwell aerodrome, whence Spitfires defended Britain, and USAAF Lightnings took the fight to the enemy; and St Aldhelm's Head, where TRE Worth Matravers performed such vital work in the development of radar.

"I wasn't born until 1942, so it's just an interest," said Colin. "We have all got hobbies and I find it interesting and awe-inspiring what people got up to.

"For example, with Dorset's worst ever aeroplane crash, 27 people died and these people are forgotten about; they're only remembered by very close relatives. It's important that the youngsters of today should know about the people who died for them."

Colin, who is originally from Weymouth and now lives in Pallington, Dorchester, was a pilot himself. He left the RAF in 1980 and was an airline pilot for eight years. Members of his family, though, were involved in one way or another with the war effort.

"My father was one of the first to get to land on Gold Beach on D-Day," he said, "and my grandfather was the registrar of evacuees landing in Weymouth from the Channel Islands; his name was Arthur Daniels and he was a retired head postmaster. My older son was also an RAF pilot and is now an airline pilot."

Dave Rogers, who produced Dorset At War, said: "Dorset's tranquillity and beauty belies how hazardous it once was to live and work in the county, particularly in the early years of the Second World War. This documentary pays tribute to the bravery displayed during those dark days, and it underlines Dorset's crucial role in overthrowing Hitler's European fortress."

  • Dorset At War costs £14.95 and is available from many local outlets including WH Smith in Weymouth and Dorchester and Ship To Shore, Brewers Quay. Postage costs £1 extra for mail orders; to order, contact 1st Take, PO Box 1840, Yate, Bristol. BS37 4WB, call 01454 321 614 or email sales@1st-take.com