Hayling Island ( near Portsmouth) with a population of 18000 is dominated by two Warner Leisure hotels, providing leisure facilities and accommodation for the visitors to the island and jobs for the local community.
However, when I visited the island for a few days, l couldn’t miss the Union Jack flag flying proudly over the coast of the island and I also learned about the part the island had played in the WWII. During the war the Warner Hotels and other places were used for the war effort and the island's population nearly tripled as military personnel moved in for D-Day rehearsal and the landing craft training.
Little Hayling Island unknown to most, was also the base for the highly secret Combined Operations Pilotage Parities ( COPP) unit.Their work was vital for the success of the D-Day operations.
