Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery London Zw5 |
| Hob Uid: 903334 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
City of Westminster
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ2777080560 |
| Summary : Site of Second World War heavy anti-aircraft battery in Hyde Park identified from aerial photographs. It comprised four emplacements for 3.7" or 4.5" guns arranged on an arc, with a command post placed centrally behind them. Both the emplacements and the command post were protected by earthen revetments. Support buildings including a possible magazine, gun store and guardroom were present to the west. To the south was a gun-laying radar net, a Bofors emplacement was present to the east. No surface features were identified during field investigations carried out by RCHME field staff in 1993. |
More information : TQ 2777 8056: Second World War Anti-aircraft battery in Hyde Park.
Air photographs of 1941 indicate that an anti-aircraft battery was being constructed within a fenced enclosure towards the eastern side of Hyde Park (1a). On photographs of 1944 (1b) and 1945 (1c) the fenced area is extended to the south: the battery is clearly visible, comprising four emplacements for 3.7" or 4.5" guns arranged on an arc, with a command post placed centrally behind them. Both the emplacements and the command post were protected by earthen revetments. Support buildings: possibly a magazine, gun store and guardroom are visible to the west while to the south is the large octagonal outline of a gun-laying radar net (replaced by a mobile unit on the 1945 photographs) and a Bofors emplacement can be seen to the east at TQ 2783 8057.
See survey plans at 1:2500 scale with the archive.
Nothing remains of these features on the surface. (1)
The site was armed with two 3.7-inch mobile guns in January 1940, four 3.7-inch mobile guns with GL Mark IA radar in May 1940, and two 3.7-inch guns in 1942. It was manned by 261 Battery of the 84th Royal Artillery Regiment in January 1940, replaced by 263 Battery of the same regiment in May 1940, by 248 Battery of the 120th royal Artillery Regiment in 1942, and by 481 Battery of the 137th (Mixed) Royal Artillery Regiment in 1942-3. (2) |