Site of Second World War ‘Diver’ Site No. N49, North of Deal Hall, Southminster (EHER 21316)

Now destroyed. The site of a Second World War heavy anti aircraft (Diver) Battery in the Diver Box at Deal Hall. It was armed with eight 3.7-inch Mark IIc guns on 13th August 1944.

November 2008. World War Two Defences in Maldon survey. A report, compiled in 1996 from wartime documentation, lists the ‘Diver’ anti-aircraft gun sites in East Essex in summer/autumn 1944. Site No. N49, on the Dengie at Military Grid Reference M458158, is recorded on 28 August 1944 as being equipped with eight 3.7 inch MK IIc guns. No manning is given. <1> An aerial photograph taken in May 1945 shows the area around Deal Hall very clearly. However, nothing significant can be made out in the indicated area, a field to the North of Deal Hall. The NGR in the record is the corresponding position to the Military Grid Reference. <2> During a site visit in 2008, it was noted that the area now appears totally clear of the wartime ‘Diver’ sites. <3> NRHE data transfer: no new information. NRHE summary description: Site of a Second World War heavy anti aircraft (Diver) Battery in the Diver Box at Deal Hall. It was armed with eight 3.7-inch Mark IIc guns on 13th August 1944. <1>