Site of Second World War QL bombing decoy No. 702, 'Steeple', Maylandsea, Essex (EHER 20306)

Now destroyed. A Second World War bombing decoy site called 'Steeple' at Maylandsea. It was built as part of the Naval Coast decoys for Nore Command to deflect enemy bombing from a system of coastal loading points known as 'hards'. The decoys were constructed in April to May 1943 as part of Operation Fortitude South in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. They were equipped with the basic features of a 'QL' decoy, essentially the shelter and the fittings for the lights, while the electrical apparatus was to be installed nearer to D-Day. Steeple was one of four bombing decoy sites for Nore Command.

September 1999. World War Two Defences in Maldon survey: site visit and desktop assessment. Documented in contemporary records, 'Steeple' was a World War Two naval decoy of Nore Command. Dobinson, 1996, records that the site was a 'QL' type, a type which simulated the night-time lights of a civil or military site susceptible to an attack by a single or small group of enemy aircraft. A variety of lighting types were used to replicate marshalling yards, ship yards, factories, etc. <1> <2> When visited, it was noted that the contemporary Military Grid Reference of the site, 108/354222, is at the extreme North end of a promontory of open grassland overlooking Lawling Creek. Nothing of the site can be seen on an aerial photograph taken in May 1946 and no remains were found at the time of the site visit. Decoy sites were normally built to lure bombers away from a specific target but in this case it is difficult to see which site this decoy was meant to shadow. The only apparent clue is in its parentage, Nore Command, which indicates a naval site. <3> <4> An entry in a wartime report on the effectiveness of Britain’s decoy programme states that in 1944 four sites in Essex were set up to imitate the night-time lights of D-Day invasion hards. These included 'Site no. 26 Steeple, Blackwater River.' The Steeple site listed by Dobinson has a documentation source dated 20 February 1942 and although perhaps built for one purpose at that time may well have been used for another two years later. <5> One photo. <6> Note: It may have been installed to distract from the D-Day embarkation hards at Steeple (EHER 20299) and St Lawrence (EHER 20298). NRHE data transfer: A Second World War 'QL' bombing decoy site at Steeple (TL 909 037). It was built as part of the Naval Coast decoys for Nore Command to deflect enemy bombing from naval installations. It is referenced as being in use on 05-NOV-1942. Further 'QL' decoys for Nore Command were located at Kirton (No. 700, Suffolk), Long Reach (No. 701, Suffolk) and Lower Hope Point (No. 703, Kent). <1> Aerial photography shows that by 1981 the site had been given over to agricultural use and no features of the decoy survive. <7> The NGR concords with that given in <1>. The Naval Coast decoys were built to deflect enemy bombing from a system of concrete loading points known as 'hards'. The decoys were commissioned as part of Operation Fortitude South in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. They were 'QL' decoys, which were designed to simulate the sparse lighting and small cluster of buildings found at the landing craft 'hards'. The Naval Coast 'QL' decoys were constructed between April and May 1943 with the basic features of a 'QL', essentially the shelter and the fittings for the lights. The electrical equipment were to be fitted at a later date nearer to the invasion. This led the Naval Coast decoys to become known as Mobile 'QLs' (or 'MQLs'). However, by April 1944 it was decided to use the Kirton site as a deceptive decoy and it was equipped with dummy landing craft and decoy lighting to simulate troops assembling for a bogus mission. <8>