Site of Second World War searchlight battery at Cornish Hall End, Finchingfield (EHER 81633)
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Summary
Now demolished. The site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Cornish Hall End, Finchingfield. 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 6750 3660 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | FINCHINGFIELD, BRAINTREE, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
NRHE data transfer:
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Cornishall End, situated at NGR TL 675 366/ MGR (military grid reference) M 125553. 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 Ordnance Survey uses the spelling Cornish Hall End for this place name. <2>
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. <3>
Sources
- <1> SEX60904 Monograph: Dobinson, C. S.. 2000. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, AA/1: Searchlight Sites in WWII. p.28.
- <2> SEX60991 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1945-present. Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Post War National Grid (5th Epoch). 1:2500. 2008.
- <3> SEX76224 Monograph: Lowry, B.. 1995. 20th Century Defences in Britain: An Introductory Guide. p.63.
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1499242
- National Monuments Record: TL 63 NE 29