Sparkwell Naval Camp The Naval camp in Sparkwell , Plymouth , Devon was set up during the Second World War ( 1939 – 1945 ) in Tin Wood in the small parish of Sparkwell . Sparkwell is a small village just outside Plymouth , in the county of Devon , England . Set up . In 1942 a rest camp for Naval personnel was set up in Tin Wood , an area of woodland immediately south of the village of Sparkwell , beside the Sparkwell Golf Course . The village was dominated by the camp with their loudspeaker system could be heard echoing through the wood and the village day and night . The Naval camp was commanded by Lieutenant Whitworth and was primarily intended to provide a place of rest and recuperation for the survivors of ships that had been sunk by enemy action . When this rest was over , these men would be sent back to fight again on different ships . The Naval camp consisted of 20 Nissen - type huts for the soldiers ' living quarters , a NAAFI ( Navy , Army and Air Force Institute ) canteen which was also used as a cinema and sometimes a dance hall as well as a sick bay with a morgue . Impact on the community . The cinema was open to the Sparkwell villagers at no cost and it would provide a very welcome diversion for them . The increase of many young men into the community had an impact on the residents , especially the eligible young female population . Also , the takings behind the bar at the Treby Arms had a dramatic increase . New arrivals . In 1943 , American soldiers arrived . These men were billeted in tents on the lawns of Hemerdon House . During this year , Sparkwell became a hive of activiy after three years of relative inactivity . Hemerdon is a small village bordering Sparkwell on the Plympton side . There , the pub The Miners Arms is situated . Community development . The Sparkwell Branch ( a local organisation in Sparkwell ) started to organise various dances and socials at which the new local band called the Sparklets were eager to play at . The Sparklets consisted of four members - John " Jumper " Collins ( banjo ) , Harold Reed ( drums ) , Percy Bickam ( violin ) and Miss May Blathford ( piano ) . The American soldiers soon outnumbered the sailors at the Tin Wood ( Beechwood ) camp in attendance . The 1943 St . Valentine dance made a huge profit of £7 . 15s . 0d from entry fees of just 1s . 6d . The end . As the year of 1944 dawned , the tide of the war was beginning to turn in the favour of the Allies . Life in Sparkwell continued quite happily , intertwined with the lives of the British and foreign troops billeted in and around the parish . The dances , socials and cinema shows still proved popular . Rumours of the " 2nd Front " were being spread abroad . In late May early June , large numbers of American military vehicles moved into the parish . Many roads and lanes were soon full with a wide variety of war vehicles . Suddenly on the 5 – 6 June 1944 , the military presence disappeared . There were no more vehicles , no more troops , no loudspeaker announcements . It was D - Day ( 6 June 1944 ) . The demolition firm of L . J Stephenson came to remove the Nissen huts , leaving only their concrete bases . Life in Tin Wood today . Today in Tin Wood , the concrete bases of the Nissen huts can still be seen , although nearly all are now concealed in the dense overgrowth . The wood is used mainly by walkers and riders . Only the concrete bases remain of the secret Naval Base in Tin Wood . Evidence of the camp can still be seen as the stone and gravel paths are visible in some parts , but most of them are obscured .