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Summary

A Second World War military camp, Dispersed Site 12 WAAF quarters, is visible as a number of structures on aerial photographs of 1944 and 1948, at Smeatharpe. The WAAF quarters is located in close proximity to a number of other similarly dispersed camps associated with Upottery airfield, situated approximately 1km to the southwest.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST21SW/22/4

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DISPERSED SITE (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

APH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV100983.

Site recorded on raf 1947 ap coverage. At least 28 small span nissen huts (aph).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV100984.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/1974/1303-4/(11/04/1947)/smr 22/79-80.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV100985.

Francis, p. /blackdown hills airfield survey/(1995).

United States Airforce, 1944, US/7PH/GP/LOC314, US/7PH/GP/LOC314 V 5019 22-APR-1944 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359865.

A number of structures are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1304-05 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

The camp is visible as a number of structures. Map object partly based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2491, RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3190-91 11-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359578.

The camp is visible as a number of structures. Map object partly based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1971, RAF/39/3800, RAF/39/3800 V 067-68 06-OCT-1971 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359525.

The structures have been largely demolished, leaving a number of concrete bases visible. Several structure, however, remain extant.

Ordnance Survey, 1989, OS/89276, OS/89276 V 270 14-JUN-1989 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357047.

The remaining structures appear to have been demolished.

Francis, P., 1995, Blackdown Hills Airfield Survey. Dunkeswell and Upottery., 127 (Report - Survey). SDV312951.

Upottery airfield dispersed site 11 (waaf quarters). Demolished structures recorded in appendix 4. Included barracks huts. No structures reported as standing (francis).

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST2010 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

Apart from the main access track, there is no obvious surviving evidence of the former camp.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A Second World War military camp, Dispersed Site 12 WAAF quarters, is visible as a number of structures on aerial photographs of 1944 and 1948, at Smeatharpe. The camp occupies the eastern edge of a single agricultural field, on the southwest side of Slough Lane and covers an area of approximately 1.87 hectares of land. The site is bound by possible fencing to the west and field boundaries to the east and south. It comprises a number of structures, largely consisting of nissen huts, which were likely mostly utilised for accommodation. The WAAF quarters is located in close proximity to a number of other similarly dispersed camps associated with Upottery airfield, situated approximately 1km to the southwest. The camps are interconnected by a series of trackways, some of which are still partly extant on modern digital mapping and via Slough Lane and the main Smeatharpe road. The camp appears fully constructed in 1944 and remains unaltered on aerial photographs of 1947, with several structures demolished by 1948. By 1971, the structures have been largely demolished, exposing a number of concrete platforms, although several structures are extant. These remaining structures have been demolished by 1989, with the only surviving evidence of the former camp being the main access track off Slough Lane which remains visible on digital images of 2014 and which is defined on the Ordnance Survey 2017 Mastermap.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

The access track is extant on this map.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV100983	Migrated Record: APH.
SDV100984	Aerial Photograph:
SDV100985	Migrated Record:
SDV312951	Report - Survey: Francis, P.. 1995. Blackdown Hills Airfield Survey. Dunkeswell and Upottery.. Blackdown Hills AONB. Digital + A4. 127. [Mapped feature: #95726 ]
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 1304-05 11-APR-1947.
SDV357047	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1989. OS/89276. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/89276 V 270 14-JUN-1989.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359479	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST2010 08-SEP-2014.
SDV359525	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1971. RAF/39/3800. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/39/3800 V 067-68 06-OCT-1971.
SDV359578	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2491. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3190-91 11-MAR-1948.
SDV359865	Aerial Photograph: United States Airforce. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC314. United States Airforce. Photograph (Paper). US/7PH/GP/LOC314 V 5019 22-APR-1944.
SDV359962	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2017. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4948 - Blackdown Hills Airfield Survey
• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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