The former Ministry of Labour Camp was put to use as accommodation for boys from HM Training ship 'Cornwall' which was essentially a reform school for boys aged eleven to fourteen and moored in the Thames at Purfleet.
These were subsequently replaced by the boys of St Gilbert's Approved School, Woodbridge.
Nearby, the Home Guard Auxilary Patrol Unit had a hidden base, whilst the "LumberJills" of the Women's Timber Corps could be found at work in the forest.