Site of Second World War searchlight battery, near Wakeshall Farm (EHER 82623)
Please read our guidance about the use of Essex Historic Environment Record data.
Summary
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, thought to have been in the area of Wakeshall Farm, Belchamp St. Paul. 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 7750 4160 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BELCHAMP ST PAUL, BRAINTREE, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
NRHE data transfer:
The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, Belchamp St. Pauls (sic), situated at NGR TL 775416/ MGR (military grid reference) M225602. 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 correct parish name is Belchamp St. Paul. The locational information provided in source 1 would put the site in the area of Wakeshall Farm, to the north of Wakeshall Lane. <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>
2026 note: could be related to EHER 17945.
Sources
- <1> SEX60904 Monograph: Dobinson, C. S.. 2000. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, AA/1: Searchlight Sites in WWII. p.28.
- <2> SEX75707 MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL: Oral information, correspondence (not archived), or staff comments. Record compiler's comment, 12-JUN-2009..
- <3> SEX76219 Map: Ordnance Survey. 2001. OS MasterMap 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: 1499113
- National Monuments Record: TL 74 SE 90