Possible site of Second World War searchlight battery at Henham (EHER 81823)
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Summary
The possible site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Henham, now destroyed. Locational information for this site derived from War Office files is confused and it may have been located closer to Pledgdon Hall some 1400 metres to the to the south-east. 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 Hertfordshire-Essex-Cambridgeshire-Suffolk borders area. 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 | Centred TL 5528 2795 (224m by 899m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HENHAM, UTTLESFORD, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
NRHE data transfer:
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery at Henham (Hedgdon Hall). 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 Hertfordshire-Essex-Cambridgeshire-Suffolk borders area. <1>
There are some issues with the locational information provided in <1>: there is no "Hedgdon Hall" marked on either modern or historic OS maps in the vicinity. There is however a "Pledgdon Hall" some 1400 metres to the to the south-east of the position suggested in <1>. <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> SEX60991 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1945-present. Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Post War National Grid (5th Epoch). 1:2500. 2008.
- <4> SEX76224 Monograph: Lowry, B.. 1995. 20th Century Defences in Britain: An Introductory Guide. p.63.
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1499001
- National Monuments Record: TL 52 NE 60