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| HER Number: | MCO62373 |
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| Name: | PENDENNIS - World War Two miniature range |
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Summary
A long, prefabricated building comprising a Nissen hut and a wooden shed appears on aerial photographs of 1941 adjacent to the Field Train Shed. It is idenitified on Her Majesty's Office of Works plans of the 1950s as 'miniature range'.
Protected Status: None recorded
Other Statuses/Codes: none recorded
Monument Type(s):
- DEFENCE WORK (World War Two to Cold War - 1941 AD to 1957 AD)
Full description
A long, prefabricated building comprising a Nissen hut and a wooden shed appears on aerial photographs of 1941 adjacent to the Field Train Shed. It is idenitified on Her Majesty's Office of Works plans of the 1950s as 'miniature range'. The building was used to train gunners and Gun Group Commanders of the 6 and 12-pdr batteries to communicate, listen and act effectively.
The miniature range at Pendennis was fitted with No 14 miniature range equipment. Arrayed down the length of the hut were a series of stage set like seascapes from behind which painted hardboard enemy E-boats would appear Punch and Judy like, for the gun detatchments to lay a dummy breach with auto-sights on and to fire an imaginary salvo. Shell splashes, also painted on board, would pop up from behind the scenery controlled by other gunners hidden from view. The appearance of these splashes was the cue for the Gun Group Commander to instruct the gun layers on their next course of action. Any correlation between the direction in which the weapons were pointed and the actual location of the shell splashes was irrelevant. The miniature range was designed to test the efficiency of the orders being given by the Gun Group Commander and the reaction of the gun layers. The arrnagement at Pendennis was served by two Magslip terminals which presumably allowed for more realistic practice. A similar installation was built on the old 12-pdr battery above St Mawes Castle to train the 6-pdr Twin QF gun groups.
The miniature range was demolished after the army had departed Pendennis in 1957 (1).
<1> Linzey, R, 2000, Fortress Falmouth. An conservation plan for the historic defences of Falmouth Haven Vol II (2000), site K6 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO1563.
Sources / Further Reading
| [1] | SCO1563 - Cornwall Event Report: Linzey, R. 2000. Fortress Falmouth. An conservation plan for the historic defences of Falmouth Haven Vol II (2000). site K6. |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events
- ECO455 - Fortress Falmouth
Related records
| 18709 | Part of: PENDENNIS - Post Medieval fort (Monument) |
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