WW2 

The US 16th Infantry Regiment set up three camps in marshalling Area “D” (sub area “Y”) (see map below).

All areas were chosen in woodland to make the camps hidden from aerial view.

The largest camp (D12) was on Bradford Down to the north of the A35 (just to the north of Steepleton parish boundary).

Camp (D13) was a D-Day marshalling Area Camp at Winterbourne St Martin (Martinstown)  

A smaller camp (D10) was located at Littlebredy - known as Well Bottom Wood 

Another smaller camp (D11) was south of Winterbourne Abbas - known as a Big Wood. This D-Day Marshalling Camp had a capacity for 2400 personnel and 340 vehicles.  Abbas also had a Medical Distribution point.

Winterbourne Steepleton had a US Army Temporary Advanced Storage Depot for D-Day - 298th Combat Engineers

To the east of Steepleton there was a "wading pit" dug in the South Winterbourne stream to allow testing of amphibious vehicles. The location of this can still be seen today as a crossing point for tractors from the gateway off the lay-by to the east of the village. 

All these preparations were for D-Day which started 6th June 1944