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Summary

A royal marines training camp of Second World War origin is visible as a range of structures and earthwork pit and banked features on aerial photographs of 1941 onwards at Lympstone. The camp has continued in use as Lympstone Commando Centre, although has been almost completely rebuilt.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1413108
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX98NE/132

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY TRAINING SITE (World War II to XXI - 1939 AD to 2013 AD (Between))

Full description

1963, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121309.

Lympstone royal marines camp is recorded on a 1946 raf ap. Extent plotted on smr overlay. "barracks" recorded on os 6" (1963) map (horner).

LADD, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121310.

Lympstone camp originated as royal marines special reserve (exton) depot but was more commonly known as "exton camp". Built in 1939 for the training of recruits following the introduction of conscription. Became depot rm lympstone in 1941. Continued as a training camp after the war, most recently as the commando training centre. Almost completely rebuilt since wwii. There was a tented camp on the eastern side of the exmouth road from the depot. This opened in 1940 (ladd).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121311.

Des=horner, b. /(09/11/1995)/as above.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121312.

Ladd, j. D. /the royal marines/(198?)76, 368, 424/copy in pf.

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV121313.

Aph=raf/106g/uk/1412/3165/(13/04/1946)/smr 44/22.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121314.

Des=os 6" (1963).

Royal Air Force, 1941, RAF/GHQ/122, RAF/GHQ/122 V 09-10 18-MAY-1941 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352707.

Lympstone camp is visible as a range of structures and earthwork pit and banked features.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1412, RAF/106G/UK/1412 RP 3164-65 13-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352504.

Lympstone camp remains largely unaltered and is visible as a range of structures and earthwork pit and banked features.

Royal Air Force, 1952, RAF/540/689, RAF/540/689 V 5067-68 11-MAR-1952 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350201.

Lympstone camp remains largely unaltered and is visible as a range of structures and earthwork pit and banked features.

Royal Air Force, 1965, RAF/58/7109 F44, RAF/58/7109 F44 040-41 22-NOV-1965 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355377.

Lympstone camp remains largely unaltered, although a number of pitched-roof structures within the southwest corner have been removed and replaced with new accommodation blocks.

Royal Air Force, 1968, OS/68292, OS/68292 V 023-24 04-SEP-1968 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355378.

Much of the southern extent of the camp has been remodelled, characterised by the removal of the Second World War buildings and structures.

Ordnance Survey, 1979, OS/79083, OS/79083 V 034-35 28-AUG-1979 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355374.

The southern extent of the camp has been completely remodelled, with only the northern extent retaining its original fabric.

Pegg, F., 2010, Archaeological Monitoring of Groundworks Relating to the Exe Estuary Trail, from Exton to Home Farm and Nutwell to Lympstone Station, Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV347871.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Only the northern extent of the camp retains its original fabric and, as such, has not been mapped as part of this survey.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A royal marines training camp of Second World War origin is visible as a range of structures and earthwork pit and banked features on aerial photographs of 1941 onwards at Lympstone. The camp has continued in use as Lympstone Commando training Centre, although has been almost completely rebuilt. ‘Exton Camp’, as it was originally known, occupies an area of approximately 26 hectares of land located inbetween Exton to the north and Lympstone to the south. Aerial photographs of 1946 show the southern half of the camp to be dominated by a range of regimented pitched-roof accommodation huts, in addition to a range of larger structures of unknown function. These are interspersed with a number of sub-rectangular earthwork banks, measuring approximately 12m in length and representing probable air-raid shelters. To the southwest of the camp are two fan-shaped gun ranges visible as structures. These measure approximately 30m in length and comprise a main firing block at one end, with arced firing screen at the other extent. The southern of the two ranges appears visible as an earthwork cutting flanked by two outer earthwork banks. Other features present include two possible slit trenches visible as earthwork pits, a possible circular gun pit visible as an earthwork pit and bank and three circular tanks visible as two structures and a possible embanked structure. To the north, much of the site comprises an area of training ground, with a sewage works to the northwest and a range of pitched roof structures to the northeast. The site of Exton camp is dissected by a network of tracks and roadways. The camp remains largely unaltered on aerial photographs of 1952. By 1965, a small portion of the southwestern extent of the camp has been remodelled and by 1968, much of the southern half of the camp has been largely rebuilt. By 1979 the camp has been almost completely remodelled to its present form, with only a few structures within the northeast corner retaining their original fabric. These remaining structures are depicted on Ordnance Survey mapping of 2013 and, as such, have not been transcribed as part of this survey.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV121309	Migrated Record: 1963.
SDV121310	Migrated Record: LADD.
SDV121311	Migrated Record:
SDV121312	Migrated Record:
SDV121313	Aerial Photograph:
SDV121314	Migrated Record:
SDV346129	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2011. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital).
SDV347871	Report - Watching Brief: Pegg, F.. 2010. Archaeological Monitoring of Groundworks Relating to the Exe Estuary Trail, from Exton to Home Farm and Nutwell to Lympstone Station, Devon. Context One Archaeological Services HER Entry. Digital.
SDV350201	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1952. RAF/540/689. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/540/689 V 5067-68 11-MAR-1952.
SDV350786	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2013. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital.
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV352504	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1412. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/1412 RP 3164-65 13-APR-1946. [Mapped feature: #95074 ]
SDV352707	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1941. RAF/GHQ/122. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/GHQ/122 V 09-10 18-MAY-1941.
SDV355374	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1979. OS/79083. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/79083 V 034-35 28-AUG-1979.
SDV355377	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1965. RAF/58/7109 F44. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/58/7109 F44 040-41 22-NOV-1965.
SDV355378	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1968. OS/68292. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). OS/68292 V 023-24 04-SEP-1968.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV5330 - Archaeological Monitoring of Groundworks Relating to the Exe Estuary Trail

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