Remembrance at heart of New Milton War Memorial Centre as its is rebranded as ‘hub’
The recreation ground, the War Memorial Centre and the New Milton Royal British Legion Branch
The history of a building, a place or a long-standing organisation in our locality can be fascinating. It often helps us to understand how an area came to be used in a specific way and how that use has evolved and changed over time.
In recent months there has been much debate over the future of the War Memorial Centre newly renamed ‘New Milton Hub.’ The building and surrounding area have played a significant part in the story of Milton Parish. The history of New Milton Royal British Legion is interwoven into the biography of the building. This newspaper has recorded the events as they happened from 1929 through to the present day.
The foundations
Remembrance and commemoration are at the heart of the creation of the building. In World War One Britain and her empire suffered approximately 744,000 men and women killed in the armed forces. Over 6 million men and women had served in the British armed forces. Of those who returned 1.75 million suffered some kind of disability and half of these were permanently disabled. Many of the servicemen were left traumatised by what they had seen and undergone, but spoke little about their experiences to family members.
The one group they could open up to were former servicemen who had shared similar experiences. They banded together in clubs and groups such as the Comrades of the Great War and the Post War Brotherhood who had branches in New Milton.
The rector of Milton Parish, the Reverend John Edward Kelsall picked up on the collective need to commemorate the names of the Miltonians who had been lost in the war. He started a collection to buy a plot of land and erect a war memorial in honour of the Milton fallen. £850 was raised by public subscription.
The war memorial and recreation ground
In the centre of New Milton was Hayward’s Farm. It stretched from Whitefield Road to Old Milton Road and from Station Road as far west as the present-day Vincent Road. Farmer William Hayward had, through ill health retired in 1920. He sold his land to a Mr Matterson, a local pharmacist living in Fernhill Lane. Mr Matterson was extremely supportive of the idea of creating a war memorial and a public recreation area for the people of Milton Parish and he agreed to sell the land to the project committee of which he was the chairman!
On the 26th of September 1920 the War Memorial was unveiled to a large crowd including veterans, boy scouts, girl guides, school children and locals. Reverend Kelsall announced that the ground had been given to the town, debt free “to be used henceforth for the good of the whole parish.” He went on to say that he did not apologise for naming the field a ‘Recreation Ground’ since he wanted to see people “re-created” by sport. He believed that when people were “out of health, despondent or ill-humoured” they could be “restored to health, cheerfulness and good temper” by using the facilities.
The creation of the British Legion.
Lance Bombadier Thomas Lister, a Manchester insurance clerk had joined the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1914. He was wounded and discharged from the army in 1916. He became a member and later president of the National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers (NADSS). There were many organisations supporting veterans. These were based on political lines and mutual support and cooperation for the benefit of the former servicemen was virtually non-existent. The NADSS supported by Field Marshal Earl Haig invited the many competing veterans organisations to a conference in August 1920. By July 1921 they had amalgamated to form the British Legion. Lister was elected the chairman and Earl Haig the president. The British Legion was granted a Royal Charter in 1925 and became the Royal British Legion in 1971.
New Milton branch
At a meeting held on April 19th 1928 in the Milton Hall, it was agreed to form a local branch. The first enrolment meeting was held at the Parish Hall on Friday 11th of May 1928. Brigadier General Stewart stated that in the British Legion “everyone was equal, [it was a] non-political body. It was a matter of personal service in the cause of ex-servicemen, especially the disabled ones and their dependants and the widows and orphans of our fallen comrades.” He urged those present to “bring their pals and renew the bond of comradeship, loyalty in all ranks [and] the bonds of friendship and unity.” By the end of the meeting ninety-four men had enrolled.
A public hall was built in 1930 by the Post War Brotherhood, on land purchased from the Unionist Club (now Conservative Club) by a conveyance dated 31st December 1929. It was a well-attended venue in the 1930s with several local organisations paying rent to the Brotherhood for use of the building as a location for their activities. The British Legion started using it from 1935.
The Public Hall was taken over for use by the Air Raid Precautions service in 1939. Part of the building was let to Moody’s and Son limited and used as a furniture depository.
In 1945 there was a debate in the New Milton Advertiser as to how Milton would remember the WW2 casualties. The Rector, David Edwards wanted to build cottages for the elderly. The Legion wanted a club where ex-servicemen could meet and enjoy likeminded company. The Rector pointed out that there was a government scheme which enabled towns of a certain population to apply for a grant to build a hall which could be used as a community centre. The Legion won the debate and funds were raised from public donations to acquire the freehold of the former public hall from the Post War Brotherhood. This was reported in the New Milton Advertiser from 1945 onwards. The cost to purchase the hall in 1945 was £4000.
The first memorial hall
On 20th of February 1946 there was a Trust Deed signed between the trustees of the War Memorial Hall and the Chairman and Committee of the New Milton and District Branch in which it was agreed that the trustees would hold the hall until sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of. The trust permitted the committee and members of the New Milton and District British Legion Club to use the hall free of rent for the purpose of the club and of the New Milton Branch of the British Legion. It was also permitted to allow use of the hall for educational, social, and recreational purposes of the residents of New Milton and district on payment of rent towards the upkeep and maintenance of the hall. There was a clause in the document that said if the New Milton British Legion club could no longer manage the hall a public meeting of all the town’s residents should be called and a decision made as to the future management of the hall.
On 7th March 1948 the ‘new’ Legion Hall was dedicated in a formal ceremony. The building was officially named the British Legion War Memorial Hall.
Public ownership
On 27th of November 1973 a public meeting was held where it was agreed that the New Milton Royal British Legion could no longer manage and maintain the hall. At a further public meeting held on 24th of September 1974 a fresh declaration of trust was made where it was confirmed that the hall would be held upon trust as a War Memorial for the purposes of a community hall for the use of the inhabitants of Milton Parish. It was to be used for meetings, lectures, classes and other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation. The trust document went on to detail who should be on the management committee including one member of New Milton Royal British Legion and one member of the women’s section of New Milton Royal British Legion along with five elected members. There were various stipulations and conditions of service for the management committee including that all had to reside within Milton Parish.
In the early hours of 23rd of July 1978 the War Memorial Hall was destroyed in a fire. The committee set about fund raising to replace the hall. Money was raised through public donation and council grants. To help with fundraising, residents were invited to "buy a seat" at £10 each for four years. Named "bricks" could also be purchased at £25 each. These were inscribed with the name of a person who had given money to the rebuild or the name of a Miltonian who had lost their life in either of the two wars.
Phoenix from the ashes.
Phase one of the rebuild cost £200,000. Phase two cost £50,000. The architect was William Penney of West Wellow. The builders, E.G. Dunford and Sons were very supportive of the project and signed the contract to rebuild the hall even though the fund was still short of the necessary amount. The building was constructed on a tight budget. The new hall was formally opened on Friday 11th of September 1981. It was now called ‘The New Milton Memorial Centre.’
Money for the Memorial Centre was always hard to come by. The building needed regular maintenance and problems such as the basement flooding and the roof leaking were difficult to overcome. The main sources of revenue for the centre were renting the rooms for concerts, theatre productions, special events, church services and for several years one room was used as a nursery for toddlers.
It was recognised that the building needed to adapt and change to suit the needs of the town. In 2017 the centre was in negotiation with Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and New Milton Town Council to become ‘The New Milton Community and Cultural Hub.’ This was a key part of the neighbourhood plan. The County Council were struggling with budget cuts and could not support the plan at that time.
Troubled times
Covid put a stop to the hiring of the Memorial Centre and the much-needed income fell to almost nothing. The post covid recovery was slow not just for the centre but for many businesses. The leaking roof that had been patched on many occasions became a serious concern. The repair cost was partially met through fund raising, but a considerable sum had to be paid out of the centres reserve funds. In addition, regular income from the hire of a room by the nursery stopped when they moved out to new premises.
In the last year plans have been drawn up to turn the centre into a thriving entertainment space and a cultural and community hub. The Memorial Centre has been rebranded the ‘The New Milton Hub.’ It is hoped to receive much needed funding by means of a long-term lease of the upstairs rooms.
There is an Emergency General Meeting being held at the New Milton Hub at 7pm on Wednesday 2nd of July 2025. All members of the public are invited to attend. At the meeting the trustees will explain the situation that the building is in and the plans to revive its fortunes.
Over the years the membership numbers of the New Milton Royal British Legion declined. In 2023 the branch could no longer form a committee and it was placed into county administration. Thanks to the efforts of the president, Brigadier Paul Jepson the branch was reconstituted, has a new committee and is once again thriving.
New Milton British Legion branch is looking for new members. You do not need to have served in the armed forces to join. Further information can be obtained from the branch secretary at NewMilton.Secretary@RBL.Community
Nick Saunders MA is a local historian and chairman of the Milton Heritage Society. He can be contacted via nick@miltonheritagesociety.co.uk
