Weymouth & Dorchester — War Revision 1940 — Sheet 140 — Geographical Section, General Staff No. 3907 [with manual annotations]. [Dorset / WWII / Military mapping] Weymouth & Dorchester — British War Office issue of the Ordnance Survey one-inch map (Popular Edition), War Revision 1940, Sheet 140 (title at head), with G.S.G.S. military overprint and marginal reference panel at foot; a large folding sheet covering Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and the Chesil Beach/Fleet area, showing roads, railways and relief with purple grid and extensive coastal soundings. The sheet bears manuscript annotations in coloured pencil/crayon, including directional arrows and traced routes with dated notes at the right margin “22 Apr” (blue) and, in a different colour, a second dated note “18 Apr” inland (near Batcombe), together with “LMGs” marked along the Chesil frontage (undated). While the precise purpose and authorship of the markings cannot be proven from the map alone, their character is consistent with a working staff map used for movement control and dispositions, and the Dorset location with April dating fits plausibly within the pre-D-Day marshalling period in south Dorset, when large troop movements passed through and around Dorchester toward the Weymouth/Portland embarkation complex. Weymouth is documented as the principal embarkation point for troops assembled in Marshalling Area “D”, with many embarking troops belonging to the U.S. 1st Infantry Division (“Big Red One”) bound for Omaha Beach. The blue route runs into the Weymouth hinterland and, as annotated, terminates at Tatton House, just north of Weymouth; although Tatton House was not designated as a numbered marshalling camp, its location lies close to known Marshalling Area “D” sites around Weymouth, including Camps D8 (Downwood) and D9 (Bincombe) and Camp D14 (Charlestown, outside Weymouth), making it a credible candidate for a billet or sub-camp of one of these numbered locations. Batcombe is recorded as having hosted a U.S. Army detachment during the war. Contemporary accounts that around 80,000 U.S. troops were billeted in Dorset in the period leading up to D-Day, and this annotated sheet may reflect the movement of some of those units. The "LMGs" notation very likely indicates the location of defensive light machine-gun positions along Chesil Beach (pillboxes and associated posts), while a smaller set of purple arrows plausibly suggests pre-D-Day movement from coastal defence positions around Abbotsbury toward Marshalling Area D7 (Dorchester/Poundbury). . Geographical Section, General Staff. Based on the Ordnance Survey of England & Wales. Published by the War Office. Published c1944 - First published 1919. Published at the War Office 1932. War Revision 1940. Manual annotations assumed to be 1944. Antique Second World War British military occupation and administration planning map. Accompanied by Sicily Zone Handbook Map Section Cover page marked "Secret", dated June 1943 and numbered 181. Size 85 x 59 cm | 33.5 x 23.0 inches. Condition: Good; suitable for framing. Light wear at junctures. Minor staining and handling marks. Manual annotations clear and visually striking. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Please contact us if you would like to arrange to view this map. This is a folding map. There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain. Tags: 1944, Dorchester, Dorset, Dorset | Dorsetshire, Map, Second World War, War Office, Weymouth

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