Site of possibly destroyed Second World War floodlight, North-West of Rettendon Church (EHER 20865)

Now destroyed. The site of a Second World War floodlight and generator building which can be seen in an aerial photograph from May 1946. The floodlight was probably constructed between 1936 and 1940 as part of an experiment to light up the night sky with a grid of large, fixed 'floodlights', as a defence against German bombers. The experiment, termed 'Silhouette', failed as the network of floodlights acted as a navigational aid for the enemy aircraft, and it was subsequently terminated in March 1940. An aerial photograph from 1960 shows the concrete bases of both the floodlight and the generator building, but the superstructures appear to have been removed. Both concrete bases had probably been demolished by 1970, but the site has not been visited and it is not known if the base of the floodlight still survives.

2005. World War Two Defences in Chelmsford survey: desktop research. An aerial photograph taken in May 1946 shows an experimental 'floodlight' standing in the corner of a field to the north-west of Rettendon Church. The steel superstructure can be clearly seen as extant at that time. The entrance can be made out in the south-east face and the separate generator building is a few yards away to the north-east. <1> In 1960, the concrete bases of both the floodlight and the generator building are there but the superstructure appears to have been removed. <2> In 1970 only the faint trace of the floodlight base can be seen beneath the growing trees. <3> On the ground in 2005, the area is now thick trees and undergrowth. The site has not been visited and it is not known if the base of the floodlight still survives. <4> During the late 1930s/early 1940s (probably 1936-1940), an experiment was conducted to light up the night sky with a grid of large, fixed 'floodlights', as a defence against German bombers. Each installation consisted of a steel enclosure, 50 feet across, in which the floodlight was mounted, surrounded by twelve large mirrors angled towards the sky. Information on the experiment is still scarce; an enquiry to the Imperial War Museum has been unsuccessful. Enquiries by Mr F. Plume at the Public Record Office (PRO) in 1992/1993 have resolved some of the questions. <5> <6> A map drawn by Mr Plume in 1999, from his earlier investigations, shows 50 sites in Essex, located in an area from Little Leighs in the North to Eastwick in the South. It is not known whether this was the complete grid (although one floodlight is known to have been sited at Dovercourt, EHER 10715) or whether the experiment overlapped to other counties. The experiment was not a success - it is said that the light reflecting from the clouds lit up the countryside as a perfect navigational aid for the bombers, and the work was terminated in March 1940. <7> <8> The project was termed 'Silhouette'. <9> See EHER 20565 for details of the only known remaining example of a Second World War floodlight from this experiment in Essex.