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75-612: The ATS had its roots in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), which was formed in 1917 as a voluntary service. During the First World War its members served in a number of jobs including clerks, cooks, telephonists and waitresses. The WAAC was disbanded after four years in 1921. Prior to the Second World War, the government decided to establish a new Corps for women, and an advisory council, which included members of

150-504: A causeway , dug in 1746 and initially referred to as the Canals, which is now a good place to see water birds. Richmond Lodge fell out of use on Caroline's death in 1737 but was brought back into use by her grandson George III as his summer residence from 1764 to 1772, when he switched his summer residence to Kew Palace and had Richmond Lodge demolished. In 1751, Caroline's daughter Princess Amelia became ranger of Richmond Park after

225-593: A state visit to Britain. The Petersham Hole was a sink hole caused by subsidence of a sewer which forced the total closure of the A307 road in Petersham in 1979–80. As the hole and subsequent repair work had forced a total closure of this main road between Richmond and Kingston, traffic was diverted through the park and the Richmond, Ham, and Kingston gates remained open throughout the day and night. The park road

300-614: A base for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) until after the war. During World War II Pembroke Lodge was used as the base for "Phantom" (the GHQ Liaison Regiment ). The Pen Ponds were drained, in order to disguise them as a landmark, and an experimental bomb disposal centre was set up at Killcat Corner, which is between Robin Hood Gate and Roehampton Gate. An anti-aircraft gun site

375-491: A charitable organisation since 2009. It has 3,700 members, is run by approximately 300 volunteers and has no staff. Broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, former Richmond Park MP Baroness Susan Kramer and broadcaster Clare Balding are patrons of FRP. The chairman, since April 2021, is Roger Hillyer. In 1625 Charles I brought his court to Richmond Palace to escape an outbreak of plague in London and turned

450-551: A drill ground. Giuseppe Garibaldi , Italian general and politician, visited Lord John Russell at Pembroke Lodge in 1864, as did the Shah of Persia , Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in 1873. He was the first modern Iranian monarch to visit Europe. Edward VII developed the park as a public amenity by opening up almost all the previously fenced woods and making public those gates that were previously private. From 1915 level areas of

525-510: A family walk, caused a stampede when it chased a 200-strong herd of deer in the park in March 2021. Kruger apologised and said he would be more careful in future. Cycling : Cycles are available for hire near Roehampton Gate and, at peak times, near Pembroke Lodge. The Tamsin Trail (shared between pedestrians and cyclists) provides a circuit of the park and is almost entirely car-free. Fishing

600-494: A location for several films and TV series. Richmond Park includes many buildings of architectural or historic interest. The Grade I-listed White Lodge was formerly a royal residence and is now home to the Royal Ballet School . The park's boundary walls and ten other buildings are listed at Grade II, including Pembroke Lodge , the home of 19th-century British Prime Minister Lord John Russell and his grandson,

675-458: A secret test on Pen Ponds, how selenium cells would work in a remotely controlled prototype weapon for use against German Zeppelins . Reporting on this story several years later, in April 1924, The Daily Chronicle reported that the test had been carried out in the presence of Arthur Balfour , Lord Fisher and a staff of experts. Its success led to Matthews receiving a payment of £25,000 from

750-410: A separate rank system, that was somewhat modified. All uniforms and badges of rank remained the same, although crowns replaced laurel wreaths in the rank insignia. Members were now required to salute all superior officers. The only holders of the rank of chief controller were the first three directors, promoted to the rank on their appointment, and Princess Mary , who held it from 1939 and was appointed

825-456: A single unit – the latter was merged with Kew Gardens by George III in the early 19th century. In 1736 the Queen's Ride was cut through existing woodland to create a grand avenue through the park and Bog Gate or Queen's Gate was opened as a private entrance for Caroline to enter the park on her journeys between White Lodge and Richmond Lodge. The same map shows Pen Ponds, a lake divided in two by

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900-401: A time. In 2013 a cyclist was successfully prosecuted for speeding at 37 mph in the park. In 2015 a cycling club member was fined for speeding at 41 mph and faced disciplinary action from his cycling club, which uses the park for training. In 2014 and 2015 two men were prosecuted for picking mushrooms in the park. Conservative MP Danny Kruger was fined after his puppy, during

975-471: Is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The largest Site of Special Scientific Interest in London, it was designated as an SSSI in 1992, excluding the area of the golf course, Pembroke Lodge Gardens and the Gate Gardens. In its citation, Natural England said: "Richmond Park has been managed as a royal deer park since

1050-662: Is allowed only on main roads, on National Cycle Route 4 through the centre of the park and on the Tamsin Trail (the shared-use pedestrian–cycle path that runs close to the park's perimeter). National Cycle Route 4 crosses the park between Ham Gate in the west and Roehampton Gate in the east, skirting Pen Ponds and White Lodge. It interlinks with the Thames Cycle Route and forms part of the London Cycle Network . The speed limit on this route through

1125-460: Is allowed, by paid permit, on Pen Ponds from mid-June to mid-March. Golf is played at Richmond Park Golf Course , a public facility opened in 1923 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII ). It has two 18-hole golf courses and practice facilities and is accessed from Chohole Gate. Horse riding : Horses from local stables are ridden in the park. Rugby : A section of the grassland to

1200-746: Is at the heart of the south London centre of distribution for stag beetle Lucanus cervus , and is a site of national importance for the conservation of the fauna of invertebrates associated with the decaying timber of ancient trees". Since October 1987 the park has also been included, at Grade I, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England , being described in Historic England 's listing as "A royal deer park with pre C15 origins, imparked by Charles I and improved by subsequent monarchs. A public open space since

1275-456: Is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer park . It is now a national nature reserve , a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation and is included, at Grade I, on Historic England 's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England . Its landscapes have inspired many famous artists and it has been

1350-531: The 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics . Richmond Park is the largest of London's Royal Parks. It is the second-largest park in London (after the 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) Lee Valley Park , whose linear shaped area extends beyond the M25 into Hertfordshire and Essex ) and is Britain's second-largest urban walled park after Sutton Park , Birmingham . Of national and international importance for wildlife conservation, most of Richmond Park (856 hectares; 2115 acres)

1425-654: The Minister of Works , Charles Key , was opposed, preferring that the site be eventually returned to its former parkland use. Key's department refurbished and repurposed the camp as an Olympic Village for the 1948 Summer Olympics . The Olympic Village was opened by Lord Burghley with Key making the announcement, in July 1948. After the Olympics, the camp was used by units of the Royal Corps of Signals and then by

1500-647: The Territorial Army (TA), a section of the Women's Transport Service (FANY) and the Women's Legion , was set up. The council decided that the ATS would be attached to the Territorial Army, and the women serving would receive two thirds the pay of male soldiers. All women in the army joined the ATS except for nurses, who joined Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS), medical and dental officers, who were commissioned directly into

1575-450: The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and the Women's Transport Service . Married women were also later called up, although pregnant women and those with young children were exempt. Other options under the Act included joining the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS), which supplemented the emergency services at home, or the Women's Land Army , helping on farms. There was also provision made in

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1650-652: The Women's Royal Air Force on the formation of the Royal Air Force . Demobilisation commenced after the Armistice in November 1918, and the corps was disbanded on 27 September 1921. The last surviving QMAAC veteran was Ivy Campany , who died in 2008. Instead of standard military ranks, a specific grading system was authorised by Army Council Instruction No. 1069, 1917. All insignia was worn on epaulettes except that for forewoman and assistant forewoman, which

1725-530: The Women's Royal Army Corps following their formation in 1949 as successor to the wartime ATS. Although it had been hoped to clear the camp during the 1950s, it remained in military use and was used to house service families repatriated following the Suez Crisis in 1956. It was not until 1965 that the camp was eventually demolished and reintegrated into the park during the following year. In 1953 President Tito of Yugoslavia stayed at White Lodge during

1800-621: The ATS included Mary Churchill , youngest daughter of the prime minister , Winston Churchill , and Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II , eldest daughter of the King , who trained as a lorry driver, ambulance driver and mechanic. After the cessation of hostilities women continued to serve in the ATS, as well as in the WRNS and WAAF. It was succeeded by the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC), which formed on 1 February 1949 under Army Order 6. Initially ranks were completely different from those of

1875-556: The ATS represented 10 per cent of the Royal Corps of Signals , having taken over the major part of the signal office and operating duties in the War Office and Home Commands, and ATS companies were sent to work on the lines of communications of active overseas theatres. By VE Day and before demobilization of the British armed forces , there were over 190,000 members of the women's Auxiliary Territorial Service. Famous members of

1950-589: The ATS's honorary controller-commandant in August 1941. When other ranks were assigned to mixed-sex Royal Artillery batteries of Anti-Aircraft Command starting in 1941, they were accorded the Royal Artillery ranks of gunner , lance-bombardier , and bombardier (instead of private, lance-corporal, and corporal), and wore the RA's braided white lanyard on the right shoulder and the 'grenade' collar badge above

2025-827: The Army and held army ranks, and those remaining in the FANY, known as Free FANYs. The first recruits to the ATS were employed as cooks, clerks and storekeepers. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 300 ATS members were billeted to France. As the German Army advanced through France, the British Expeditionary Force was driven back towards the English Channel. This led to the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk in May 1940, and some ATS telephonists were among

2100-495: The City of London . It was returned to the restored monarch, Charles II , on his return to London in 1660. In 1719, Caroline of Ansbach and her husband, the future George II of Great Britain , bought Richmond Lodge as a country residence. This building had first been built as a hunting lodge for James I in 1619 and had also been occupied by William III . As shown in a map of 1734, Richmond Park and Richmond Gardens then formed

2175-543: The Friends successfully campaigned for the withdrawal of plans for open-air screenings of films in the park. In 2012, the Friends contributed towards the cost of a new Jubilee Pond, and launched a public appeal for a Ponds and Streams Conservation Programme in which the Friends, the Richmond Park Wildlife Group and Healthy Planet have been working with staff from The Royal Parks to restore some of

2250-541: The Government the very next morning. Despite this large sum changing hands, the Admiralty never used the invention. Between 1916 and 1925 the park housed a South African military war hospital, which was built between Bishop's Pond and Conduit Wood. The hospital closed in 1921 and was demolished in 1925. Richmond Cemetery , just outside the park, contains a section of war graves commemorating 39 soldiers who died at

2325-527: The QMAAC, all for brave conduct during air raids or shelling in rear areas. Seventeen women were also deployed as " Hush WAACs " with the military intelligence codebreaking team in France. A total of 17,000 members of the corps served overseas, although never more than 9,000 at one time. In April 1918, nearly 10,000 members employed on Royal Flying Corps air stations, both at home and in France, transferred to

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2400-527: The Richmond and Bushy Parks Forum, comprising 38 local groups of local stakeholder organisations. The forum was formed in September 2010 to consider proposals to bring Richmond Park and Bushy Park – and London's other royal parks – under the control of the Mayor of London through a new Royal Parks Board and to make a joint response. Although welcoming the principles of the new governance arrangements,

2475-416: The act for objection to service on moral grounds, as about a third of those on the conscientious objectors list were women. A number of women were prosecuted as a result of the act, some even being imprisoned. Despite this, by 1943 about nine out of ten women were taking an active part in the war effort. Women were barred from serving in battle, but due to shortages of men, ATS members, as well as members of

2550-405: The all-women 301 Battery was transferred to the new 93rd (Mixed) Searchlight Regiment , the last searchlight regiment formed during World War II, which by August 1943 comprised about 1500 women out of an establishment of 1674. Many other searchlight and anti-aircraft regiments on Home Defence followed, freeing men aged under 30 of medical category A1 for transfer to the infantry. Similarly, by 1943

2625-400: The area on the hill above Richmond into a park for the hunting of red and fallow deer. It was originally referred to as the king's "New Park" to distinguish it from the existing park in Richmond, which is now known as Old Deer Park . In 1637 he appointed Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland as keeper of the new park for life, with a fee of 12 (old) pence a day, pasture for four horses, and

2700-496: The army, but used the same rank insignia, although the crown was replaced by a laurel wreath. Members were required to salute their own superior officers, but not other organisations' officers, although it was considered courteous to do so. On 9 May 1941, the ATS rank structure was reorganised, and as of July 1941 the ATS was given full military status and members were no longer volunteers. The other ranks now held almost identical ranks to army personnel, but officers continued to have

2775-661: The capacity of the East Surrey Regiment 's regimental depot Infantry Training Centre (ITC). As a result, the ITC was better able to meet the demands of training new recruits and called-up militia between early 1940 and August 1941 when the ITC transferred to a facility in Canterbury shared with the Buffs . The camp was subsequently used as a military convalescent depot for up to 2,500 persons after which it continued as

2850-402: The centre of the park, where it is off the main road, is 10 mph (16 km/h). As the park is a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, all dog owners are required to keep their dogs under control while in the park. This includes not allowing their dog to disturb other park users or disrupt wildlife. In 2009, after some incidents leading to the death of wildfowl,

2925-479: The death of Robert Walpole . Immediately afterwards, the Princess caused major public uproar by closing the park to the public, only allowing a few close friends and those with special permits to enter. This continued until 1758, when a local brewer, John Lewis, took the gatekeeper, who had stopped him from entering the park, to court. The court ruled in favour of Lewis, citing the fact that, when Charles I enclosed

3000-480: The filmed location of the shells' detonation and the target, accurate calculations of their relative position could be made that would reveal any systematic error in the gunsights . In December 1941, Parliament passed the National Service Act, which called up unmarried women between 20 and 30 years old to join one of the auxiliary services. These were the ATS, the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS),

3075-471: The forum (in 2011) and the Friends of Richmond Park (in 2012) expressed concerns about the composition of the new board. Richmond Park is the most visited royal park outside central London, with 4.4 million visits in 2014. The park is enclosed by a high wall with several gates. The gates either allow pedestrian and bicycle access only, or allow bicycle, pedestrian and other vehicle access. The gates for motor vehicle access are open only during daylight hours;

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3150-511: The hospital; the section is marked by a Cross of Sacrifice and a Grade II listed cenotaph designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens . Faisal I of Iraq and Lebanese politician Salim Ali Salam were photographed visiting the park in 1925. An army camp was established in 1938. It covered 45 acres (18 ha) to the south and east of Thatched House Lodge, extending to the area south of Dann's Pond. It became known as Kingston Gate Camp and expanded

3225-456: The last British personnel to leave the country. As more men joined the war effort, it was decided to increase the size of the ATS, with numbers reaching 65,000 by September 1941. Women between the ages of 17 and 43 were allowed to join, although these rules were relaxed in order to allow WAAC veterans to join up to the age of 50. The duties of members were also expanded, seeing ATS orderlies, drivers, postal workers and ammunition inspectors. Over

3300-534: The left breast pocket of their uniform tunic. Women%27s Army Auxiliary Corps (Britain) The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps ( WAAC ), known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps ( QMAAC ) from 9 April 1918, was the women's corps of the British Army during and immediately after the First World War . It was established in February 1917 and disbanded on 27 September 1921. The corps

3375-410: The main entrances, along with other regulations that govern use of the park. The bridleways are special in that they are for horses (and their riders) only and not open to cyclists, like normal bridleways. The Beverley Brook Walk runs through the park between Roehampton Gate and Robin Hood Gate. The Capital Ring walking route passes through the park from Robin Hood Gate to Petersham Gate. Cycling

3450-532: The mid C19". Richmond Park is located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is close to Richmond , Ham , Petersham , Kingston upon Thames , Wimbledon , Roehampton and East Sheen . The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport manages Richmond Park and the other Royal Parks of London under powers set out in the Crown Lands Act 1851 , which transferred management of

3525-470: The north of the Roehampton Gate is maintained and laid out during the winter months for rugby; there are three pitches. At weekends, this area is hired extensively to the rugby union club Rosslyn Park F.C. . Visiting teams are transferred by bus to and from the park pitches from the club's nearby clubhouse and changing rooms. Running : The Tamsin Trail is a 7.2 miles (11.6 km) trail around

3600-451: The often desolate searchlight sites, members of the ATS began training at Rhyl to replace male personnel in searchlight regiments. At first they were employed in searchlight Troop headquarters, but in July 1942 the 26th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery became the first 'Mixed' regiment, with seven Troops of ATS women posted to it, forming the whole of 301 Battery and half of 339 Battery. In October that year

3675-509: The operation of anti-aircraft gun-laying radar. During the war, Hey discovered that the Sun is a radio source and he investigated radio reflections from meteor trails, and radio noise from cosmic sources. In 1946 Hey's group discovered Cygnus A , later shown to be the first radio galaxy . The Richmond Park installation thus became the first radio observatory in Britain. In addition to use of

3750-544: The other women's voluntary services, took over many support tasks, such as radar operators, forming part of the crews of anti-aircraft guns and military police . However, these roles were not without risk, and there were, according to the Imperial War Museum , 717 casualties during World War II. The first 'Mixed' Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) battery of the Royal Artillery ( 435 (Mixed) HAA Battery )

3825-490: The park for military purposes, approximately 500 acres (200 ha) of the park was converted to agricultural use during the war. The Russell School (then located within the park's boundary) was destroyed by enemy action in 1943. and Sheen Cottage a year later. John Boyd-Carpenter , MP for Kingston-upon-Thames , proposed using the Kingston Gate Camp to help alleviate the local post-war housing shortage but

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3900-429: The park had been raised from 20 to 30 miles an hour and there were concerns that the roads in the park would be assigned to the main highway system as had recently happened in parts of Hyde Park . In 1969, plans by the then Greater London Council to assign the park's roads to the national highway were revealed by the Friends and subsequently withdrawn. The speed limit was reduced to 20 miles an hour in 2004. In 2011,

3975-548: The park in the 17th century, he allowed the public right of way in the park. Princess Amelia was forced to lift the restrictions. Full right of public access to the park was confirmed by Act of Parliament in 1872. However, people were no longer given the right to remove firewood; this is still the case and helps in preserving the park. Between 1833 and 1842 the Petersham Lodge estate, and then part of Sudbrook Park , were incorporated into Richmond Park. Terrace Walk

4050-462: The park were marked out for football and cricket pitches. A golf course was developed on the former "Great Paddock" of Richmond Park, an area used for feeding deer for the royal hunt. The tree belt in this part of the park was supplemented by additional planting in 1936. The public golf course was opened in 1923 by Edward, Prince of Wales (who was to become King Edward VIII and, after his abdication , Duke of Windsor). The future king had been born in

4125-406: The park which is popular with runners. Members of Barnes Runners complete at least one circumnavigation of it on the first and third Sunday of every month. Richmond Park Parkrun , a five-kilometre organised run, takes place every Saturday. There is a children's playground at Petersham Gate. The Friends of Richmond Park (FRP) was founded in 1961 to protect the park. In 1960 the speed limit in

4200-448: The park's dogs-on-leads policy was extended. Park users are said to believe that the deer are feeling increasingly threatened by the growing number of dogs using the park and The Royal Parks advises against walking dogs in the park during the deer's birthing season. A mugging at gunpoint in 1854 reputedly led to the establishment of a park police force. Until 2005 the park was policed by the separate Royal Parks Constabulary , but that

4275-595: The park, at White Lodge, in 1894. In 1925, a second public 18-hole course was laid out to the south of the first (towards Robin Hood Gate); it was opened by the Duke of York ( George VI ). In honour of their respective openers, Richmond Park Golf Course 's two courses are named the "Prince's" and the "Duke's". The park played an important role during World War I and was used for cavalry training. On 7 December 1915 English inventor Harry Grindell Matthews demonstrated, in

4350-516: The park. From April to November, a free bus service, calling near Mortlake railway station , runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, stopping at the main car parks and the gate at Isabella Plantation nearest Peg's Pond. The gates open to motor traffic are: Sheen Gate, Richmond Gate, Ham Gate, Kingston Gate, Roehampton Gate and (for access to Richmond Park Golf Course only) Chohole Gate. The park has designated bridleways and cycle paths . These are shown on maps and noticeboards displayed near

4425-630: The parks from the monarch to the government. Day-to-day management of the Royal Parks has been delegated to The Royal Parks , an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Royal Parks' Board sets the strategic direction for the agency. Appointments to the Board are made by the Mayor of London . The Friends of Richmond Park and the Friends of Bushy Park co-chair

4500-438: The philosopher Bertrand Russell . In 2020, Historic England also listed two other features in the park – King Henry's Mound which is possibly a round barrow and another (unnamed) mound which could be a long barrow . Historically the preserve of the monarch , the park is now open for all to use and includes a golf course and other facilities for sport and recreation. It played an important role in both world wars and in

4575-509: The seventeenth century, producing a range of habitats of value to wildlife. In particular, Richmond Park is of importance for its diverse deadwood beetle fauna associated with the ancient trees found throughout the parkland. In addition the park supports the most extensive area of dry acid grassland in Greater London." The park was designated as an SAC in April 2005 because it has "a large number of ancient trees with decaying timber. It

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4650-552: The six-year period of the War, about 500 ATS personnel were trained to operate the Cinetheodolite , with the highest number being in 1943–44, when 305 ATS were in active service using this equipment. One application of this specialist camera was in gunnery practice, where a pair of Cinetheodolites a known distance apart filmed the shell bursts from anti-aircraft artillery against target drones towed by an aircraft. By comparing

4725-583: The speed limit is 20 mph (32 km/h). The gates for pedestrians and cyclists are open 24 hours a day except during the deer culls in February and November, when the pedestrian gates are closed between 8:00 pm and 7:30 am. However, since 2020, there has been restricted through traffic in Richmond Park, for example restricted traffic between Richmond Gate and Roehampton Gate at weekends. Apart from taxis, no commercial vehicles are allowed unless they are being used to transact business with residents of

4800-427: The streams and ponds in the park. The Friends run a visitor centre near Pembroke Lodge, organise a programme of walks and education activities for young people, and produce a quarterly newsletter. The Friends have published two books, A Guide to Richmond Park and Family Trails in Richmond Park ; profits from the books' sales contribute towards the Friends' conservation work. The Friends of Richmond Park has been

4875-472: The use of the brushwood  – later holders of that office were known as "Ranger" . Charles's decision, also in 1637, to enclose the land was not popular with the local residents, but he did allow pedestrians the right of way. To this day the walls remain, although they have been partially rebuilt and reinforced. Following Charles I's execution , custodianship of the park passed to the Corporation of

4950-501: Was created from Richmond Gate to Pembroke Lodge. The Russell School was built near Petersham Gate in 1851. Between 1855 and 1861, new drainage improvements were constructed, including drinking points for deer. In 1867 and 1876 fallow deer from the park were sent to New Zealand to help build up stocks – the first fallow deer introduced to that country. In or around 1870, the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteers were using an area near Bog Gate as

5025-614: Was established to free up men from administrative tasks for service at the front. It was divided into four sections including cookery, mechanical and clerical. Nursing services were administered separately, although an auxiliary corps of the Royal Army Medical Corps was set up to provide medical services for the QMAAC. On 31 March 1917, women in the WAAC were first sent to the theatre of war in France, at that stage just fourteen cooks and waitresses. Helen Gwynne-Vaughan

5100-520: Was formed following a January 1917 War Office recommendation that women should be employed in non-combatant roles in the British Army in France. While recruiting began in March 1917, the corps was only formally instituted on 7 July 1917 by Lieutenant-General Sir Nevil Macready , the adjutant-general , who appointed Dr Mona Chalmers Watson the first chief controller. More than 57,000 women served between January 1917 and November 1918. The corps

5175-663: Was formed on 25 June 1941, and took over an operational gun site in Richmond Park , south-west London, in August. It was the forerunner of hundreds of similar units with the ATS supplying two-thirds of the personnel: at its height in 1943 three-quarters of Anti-Aircraft Command 's HAA batteries were mixed. Several Heavy Anti-Aircraft regiments deployed to North West Europe with 21st Army Group in 1944–45 were 'Mixed' regiments. A secret trial (the 'Newark Experiment' in April 1941) having shown that women were capable of operating heavy searchlight equipment and coping with conditions on

5250-551: Was inside Sheen Gate for the duration of the war. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill , visited it on 10 November 1940 and it was featured in a photograph published in Picture Post on 13 December 1941. Associated with the gun site was the research site of the Army Operational Research Group (AORG), located on the polo field beside Sheen Cross, where Stanley Hey researched improvements to

5325-403: Was reported that police had been given the power to issue £50 on-the-spot fines for littering, cycling outside designated areas and dog fouling offences. In August 2012 a dog owner was ordered to pay £315 after allowing five dogs to chase ducks in the park. Since 2013 commercial dog-walkers have been required to apply for licences to walk dogs in the park, and are allowed to walk only four dogs at

5400-578: Was subsumed into the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police . The mounted police have been replaced by a patrol team in a four-wheel drive vehicle. In 2015 the Friends of Richmond Park expressed concern about plans to cut the numbers of police in the park to half their level ten years previously, despite an increase in visitor numbers and in incidents of crime. In July 2012 it

5475-524: Was the chief controller overseas, and Florence Leach was the controller of the cooks. In 1918, women doctors (attached to the QMAAC) were first posted to France. One such was Dr Phoebe Chapple , who was awarded the Military Medal for tending the wounded regardless of her own safety during an air raid on an WAAC camp near Abbeville in May 1918. In all, five military medals were awarded to members of

5550-476: Was widened at Ham Cross near Ham Gate to accommodate temporary traffic lights. About 10 deer a month were killed by traffic while the diversion was in operation. When the present London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was created in 1965, it included the majority, but not the whole, of the park. The eastern tip, including Roehampton Gate, belonged to the London Borough of Wandsworth , and the southern tip

5625-431: Was worn on the right upper arm. Most of the service records were destroyed in a German air raid in September 1940. Those which did have suffered fire and water and mould damage. The National Archives digitised these to prevent further damage and they can be searched and viewed online. Richmond Park Richmond Park , in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames , is the largest of London's Royal Parks and

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