THIS May marks 76 years since the Second World War ended in Europe. At Tredegar House, while you stroll through the tranquil gardens or enjoy the bustling parkland, it might be hard to imagine that British, Canadian and American troops once walked these grounds.

When war broke out, Evan Morgan was head of the Tredegar Estate and Ruperra Castle, and had also just got married to Russian Princess, Olga Dolgarouky. With the conflict quickly escalating, many stately homes and estates were requisitioned by the British Government to help with the war effort; being used for everything from military hospitals to schools.

South Wales Argus: Evan Morgan with the home guard - Newport Museum

Evan Morgan with the home guard. Picture: Newport Museum

Evan offered Ruperra Castle to the Government, and it was used from 1939 – 1946 by the British Army, housing several different regiments throughout the war. However, Tredegar House was also used to support the war effort, and the estate was converted from a pleasure ground to a military camp. The cricket pavilion and sports ground (now where the car park and slip road are) were taken over by Nissan huts to house soldiers, initially from the UK, and then from Canada and America.

South Wales Argus: Evan and Olga at a wartime lunch - Newport Museum

Evan and Olga at a wartime lunch. Picture: Newport Museum

A former employee recalled how the park was transformed: “There were military vehicles parked all over estate land, around the lake and as far as the eye could see. There were sentries posted at the entrance to the estate. The forces were being prepared for the Normandy Landings and there were men sleeping in vehicles. Along Forge Lane were French and Canadian troops, with tanks and tank carriers. Behind the walls were stacked cans and cans of petrol.”

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South Wales Argus: Evan Morgan at a wartime Christmas party - Newport Museum

Evan Morgan at a wartime Christmas party. Picture: Newport Museum

The grounds weren’t the only thing at Tredegar to become part of the war effort. Olga, having only recently moved to the UK, quickly trained to become a nurse. She cared for patients throughout the war years, both in the Royal Gwent Hospital and in London. Throughout the war she was also heavily involved with the Red Cross, being awarded two certificates herself, as well as presenting certificates and badges to other nurses. Olga was involved in a number of different military fundraisers too, including collecting donations for the ‘comfort fund’. Gifts from the public (such as socks, books and games) were gathered and given to those who manned the anti-aircraft stations and endured remote and lonely postings.

South Wales Argus: Evan Morgan playing cards with the home guard - Newport Museum

Evan Morgan playing cards with the home guard. Picture: Newport Museum

After the war, the Nissan huts at Tredegar were used for the ‘War Agriculture’ campaign, a government scheme which hired out machinery to farmers for tasks such as ploughing and hay making, and they were also used by demobbed soldiers and those without housing. The fields opposite the estate were worked on by German and Italian prisoners of war.

76 years later, there isn’t much that remains of the wartime effort at Tredegar House, aside from the faded signatures of American GIs, which are still on the internal walls of the stable clock tower. However, the memories of those who were here at the time can help us to imagine the trucks and soldiers that once filled the grounds that we enjoy today.