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Summary

A military training ground of Second World War date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches, pits and banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TRAINING AREA (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1412, RAF/106G/UK/1412 4102-03 13-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352504.

The possible slit trench is visible as an earthwork ditch and bank and the possible fox holes as earthwork pits.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FS, RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FS 2305-06 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356946.

The possible slit trench is visible as an earthwork ditch and bank and the possible fox holes visible as earthwork pits.

Royal Air Force, 1954, RAF/540/1437, RAF/540/1437 F21 004-05 07-OCT-1954 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356239.

The possible slit trench is visible as an earthwork ditch.

Royal Air Force, 1965, RAF/58/7106, RAF/58/7106 018-019 12-NOV-1965 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356245.

The former slit trench and fox holes are no longer visible and may have been completely levelled following landscaping works association with the expansion of Blackhill Quarry.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

A military training ground of Second World War date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches, pits and banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, to the northeast of Blackhill Reservoir. The site occupies an area of approximately 0.42 hectares of steep sloping ground on the northwestern side of Black Hill, towards the crest of the hill. It comprises a broadly Z-shaped earthwork ditch and outer bank of a probable slit trench which measures approximately 20m in length by 5m in width, as well as a number of small discrete earthwork pits of probable fox holes located on the downslope side of the slit trench and dispersed along the slope. Access tracks leading up to the site are also visible from the B3180. The earthworks are visible on aerial photographs of 1947, although by 1954 only faint traces of the slit trench are visible as an earthwork ditch. By 1965, the slit trench is no longer visible and may have been completely levelled following general landscaping works associated with the expansion of Blackhill Quarry.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR SY0285 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

Earthworks of pits and a ditch are visible.

Sims, R., 2020, East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV363914.

Earthworks of a Second World War training site are visible on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2016. The earthworks occupy an area of circa 8 hectares and comprise sub-circular pits, circa 3m diameter, of possible weapon pits and a zig-zag shaped ditch of a slit trench, circa 16m long.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV352504	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1412. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/1412 4102-03 13-APR-1946.
SDV356239	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1954. RAF/540/1437. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/540/1437 F21 004-05 07-OCT-1954.
SDV356245	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1965. RAF/58/7106. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/58/7106 018-019 12-NOV-1965.
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV356946	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FS. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FS 2305-06 13-APR-1947.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR SY0285 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016. [Mapped feature: #127216 ]
SDV363914	Interpretation: Sims, R.. 2020. East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment. Digital.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)
• EDV8340 - East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment

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