Alan F:-
We were assigned the duty of mapping any and all approaches/through/around Basingstoke.
The Americans had many men and/or equipment in England North of Basingstoke so we had to know any and all routes to facilitate their movement to the ports when D-Day was coming.
Believe me we were not sitting on our butts as we had duty every day. The pubs and so forth were also something we had to know to get men back to their units when the alert was given.
Also there were two cases:- one American General that, in his cups, spoke of things that earned him a trip back home after the loss of his command. That also happened to a ranking Brit officer.
I have friends that live in the residential section of Basingstoke and they have a beautiful home surrounded by other beautiful homes. The area around the railroad station is full of shops and car parks now and many of the places I spoke of have been demolished. Do you know where the Hatch Warren section is???
It's also because I have an excellent memory(LOL)