were listed in Union Street, Plymouth, Devon and in India at Esplanade Road, Bombay and Chowringhee, Calcutta. There was also a furniture depository and strong room at Turnham Green and an auction room at Greencoat Place SW1. The business was hit hard during the Second World War with both its sites at Turnham Green and Portsmouth suffering serious bomb damage, while its Plymouth depot was completely destroyed. Trading difficulties were further accentuated after the war when India gained independence in 1947. The last colonial store closed in Bombay in 1952. With the closure of branches overseas, plans turned to the expansion of the domestic business. The purchase of the first of a number of provincial department stores was made in 1953 with the acquisition of Genge & Co of Dorchester. This was swiftly followed by the purchase of William Harvey of Guildford in the same year. In 1955, the company added J D Morant of Chichester. Further purchases included Thomas Clarkson of Wolverhampton in 1960, Thomas White & Co of Aldershot in 1961, Burgis & Colbourne of Leamington Spa in 1963 and Parsons & Hart of Andover in 1965. The Bromley stores of Harrison Gibson were added to the group in 1968. It was not only acquisitions that money was being spent on – a new store was built in Camberley in 1964 and branded under the William Harvey name, while the stores in Guildford, Chichester, Dorchester and Wolverhampton were given new extensions. Work on replacing the old Victoria Street store began in 1973. The new building was completed in 1977, designed by London architects Elsom Pack & Roberts. In 1973, Army and Navy Stores was purchased by the House of Fraser. The John Barker & Co stores in Kensington and Eastbourne were integrated with Army & Navy. The group was later extended with the addition of the Chiesmans stores, among others, to its portfolio. Branches Aldershot, formerly Thomas White. Andover, Parsons & Hart; acquired 1965; sold to F W Woolworth & Co. in 1967. Basildon, formerly Taylors of Basildon; purchased by House of Fraser in 1979; closed 1994. Bexleyheath, formerly Chiesmans Bromley, formerly Harrison Gibson; acquired 1968; closed 2004. Part of the site is currently occupied by TK Maxx. Camberley, formerly Harveys of Camberley; opened by Army & Navy Stores as a satellite store of William Harvey of Guildford. The store was renamed Army & Navy in 1974. Chichester,