The owners of Lackham in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries ...

The Manor of Lackham IV : 19 th & 20 th century owners
Fig. 35 War Department areas of Lackham, the hatched lines indicate Home
Farm land, not part of the WD requisition *
In 1940 Maj Holt rented Home Farm to Mr PE Pocock for £500 pa 389 . The
Farm was 236 acres in extent and the ponds were excluded from the rental,
being requisitioned by the government. The rental didn’t last very long, on 7th
September 1944 Holt’s agents 390 issued a notice to quit. Iit is noteworthy that
the farm is given both as Home and Lackham, the earliest indication the two are
synonymous
In 1942 Holt rented Naish Hill Farm to Mr Dew for £152 10s pa 391
During the period 1943 to 1944 Lackham was the headquarters for the 10 th
Armored Infantry Battalion of the 4th Armored Division of the 3rd United
States Army, commanded by Gen. George S Patton.
The unit’s Battle Diary includes details of their early training and their move to
England (see Appendix 3).
It was late when they arrived at Lackham; a veteran of the 10th who visited
Lackham in 2001, recalled that they arrived at Lackham in the dark of night and
were surprised at how small the house was – the soldiers were apparently taken
directly to the Stable Yard, and it was the Bothy and Stable Yard buildings
they first saw, having been driven past Lackham House and not seen it in the
blackout.
Very little information seems to have survived from this period, although it is
said that damage was inflicted on the garden wall by a Sherman tank. It is also
claimed that the original entrance pillars by the Front Lodge were damaged at
this time and were later replaced. The wooden hut, used in the 1980's as a
389 Agreement between Capt. HP Holt and Mr PE Pocock dated 6 June 1940 Thrings
papers
390 Thomson & Neeld of Chippenham
391 Thrings papers
115