Some notes about Longleat during the Second World War, posted on the Facebook page for Longleat (8th May 2020), include:
The safari drive-through was home to an American military hospital (occupied from April 1944 – June 1945) which was built for 600 patients and staff.
Some of the hospital’s roads and buildings were repurposed as part of the safari when it opened in 1966.
Viscountess Daphne Weymouth, the wife of the future 6th Marquess of Bath, volunteered as a librarian at the hospital.
On VE Day, many of the patients and staff celebrated with residents in the nearest village on the estate (Horningsham) until the early hours of the morning!