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Summary

A small tented encampment of Second World War date is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs of the 1940s, in Area 'D' of the US Army Assault Training Centre at Braunton Burrows

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and structural remains of World War II military training features for D-Day Landings on Braunton Burrows and nineteenth century reclaimed field system on Braunton Marsh NW of Horsey Island

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS43NE/251/2
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY CAMP (World War II - 1943 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1501, 3006 (Aerial Photograph). SDV337198.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1501, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 3005-3006 13-MAY-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349927.

Cropmarks of a small campsite are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1953, RAF/58/1136 (F21), NMR RAF/58/1136 (F21) 0036-0037 09-JUN-1953 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349929.

The cropmarks of the small campsite are not visible.

Horner, B., 1994, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV339725.

Block of tent-marks visible on 1946 aerial photograph.

Collings, A. G. + Manning, P. T. + Valentin, J., 2007, The North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Phase 1. Archaeological Survey. Summary Report, No. 1646 (Report - Assessment). SDV339712.

Block of marks indicative of tented encampment. Presumably associated with US training area.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011-2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

Fragmentary parchmarks indicate the area of a small Second World War military tented encampment immediately to the east of Braunton Burrows. The camp was probably part of one of the ‘tent cities’ which comprised the troop accommodation at the U.S. Army Assault Training Area from 1943 to 1944, probably an outlying part of the larger camp visible circa 270 metres to the south-east.
The camp appeared to have been organised around a standard block of tents. Each block appears to have comprised two rows of at least 7 square tents, each tent circa 5 metres square in size. The area of each tent block is visible as a pale rectangularparchmark, the former location of each tent usually visible as a darker square cropmark. Four such blocks can be readily identified on aerial photographs from patchy parchmarks and cropmarks centred on circa SS 46153741, with a less clearly defined fifth block visible at SS46243747.
In 1946 the cropmarks which outline the arrangement of the campsite are becoming diffuse, fragmentary and are often slighted by later tracks or paths. As such it has been possibly only to transcribe the most definable elements of the camp and it might originally have been larger in extent. The cropmarks are not visible by June 1953.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV337198	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1501. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 3006.
SDV339712	Report - Assessment: Collings, A. G. + Manning, P. T. + Valentin, J.. 2007. The North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Phase 1. Archaeological Survey. Summary Report. Exeter Archaeology Report. 06.22 (rev.1). A4 Stapled + Digital. No. 1646.
SDV339725	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1994.
SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011-2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV349927	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1501. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 3005-3006 13-MAY-1946.
SDV349929	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1953. RAF/58/1136 (F21). Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/58/1136 (F21) 0036-0037 09-JUN-1953.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project (Ref: ACD383/2/1)

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