Second World War searchlight battery at Ashdon (EHER 81198)
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Summary
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Ashdon, thought to have been situated in the area of the Lamb Inn. It was manned by 33 Searchlight Regiment. The battery was operational from October 1941. It formed part of a network of searchlights named Area DN02, which along with another such area (DN01) formed a defensive belt in the Essex-Cambridgeshire-Suffolk borders area and on into Hertfordshire. Searchlight sites typically comprised a small ring-ditch to provide the crew with shelter during an air raid, a predictor emplacement for calculating the height and range of targets, a light anti-aircraft machine gun pit, a generator and hutted accommodation for the crew.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | TL 5760 4120 (point) NRHE location corroborates existing HER point. |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ASHDON, UTTLESFORD, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
NRHE data transfer:
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Ashdon, situated at NGR TL 576 412/ MGR (military grid reference) M 026600. It was manned by 33 Searchlight Regiment. The battery was operational from October 1941. It formed part of a network of searchlights named Area DN02, which along with another such area (DN01) formed a defensive belt in the Essex-Cambridgeshire-Suffolk borders area. <1>
The locational information provided in <1> places the site in the vicinity of the Lamb Inn, Ashdon. <2> <3>
Searchlight sites typically comprised a small ring-ditch to provide the crew with shelter during an air raid, a predictor emplacement for calculating the height and range of targets, a light anti-aircraft machine gun pit, a generator and hutted accommodation for the crew. <4>
Sources
- <1> SEX60904 Monograph: Dobinson, C. S.. 2000. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, AA/1: Searchlight Sites in WWII. p.27.
- <2> SEX75707 MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL: Oral information, correspondence (not archived), or staff comments. Record compiler's comment, Robin Page, 11-JUN-2009..
- <3> SEX76219 Map: Ordnance Survey. 2001. OS MasterMap 1:2500.
- <4> SEX76224 Monograph: Lowry, B.. 1995. 20th Century Defences in Britain: An Introductory Guide. p.63.
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1499060
- National Monuments Record: TL 54 SE 55