From Ynyslas to the Stars...
Eitemau yn y stori hon:
A special contribution to the war effort
A special contribution to the war effort made by a community on the Dyfi Estuary.
Few visitors to the Ynyslas National Nature Reserve are aware that they have entered one of World War II’s most secret research facilities – a weapons-testing range that once played a vital role in the development of rocketry, space travel, and all the associated inventions (from home insulation to heart-pacemakers) which have radically changed the world we live in today.
It was towards the end of the war that the quiet, isolated sand dunes of Ynyslas were added to the military firing ranges of Cardigan Bay. As the threat of invasion had long passed, the pillboxes and barbed wire entanglements installed in 1941 were pressed into service as perimeter defences, keeping the public and prying eyes away. HMS CAMROUX III, a small coaster which had been specially converted with rocket launch ramps, was anchored at Aberdyfi to provide billets for some 30 army officers during the construction phase.