Site of Second World War searchlight battery, west of Orford House (EHER 81910)
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Summary
Now destroyed. The site of a Second World War searchlight battery thought to have been on land to the west of Orford House. 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 | TL 5100 2680 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | UGLEY, UTTLESFORD, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
NRHE data transfer:
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, the location is given as Orford House, TL 510 268; MGR (military grid reference) L 958457. 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>
The NGR given in <1> is not directly at Orford House itself but on land approximately 600 metres to the west of it. <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 comments, Robin Page, 10-JUN-2009..
- <3> SEX60991 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1945-present. Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Post War National Grid (5th Epoch). 1:2500. 2009.
- <4> SEX76224 Monograph: Lowry, B.. 1995. 20th Century Defences in Britain: An Introductory Guide. p.63.
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1498972
- National Monuments Record: TL 52 NW 53