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Summary

A Light Anti-Aircraft battery of Second World War date is visible as earthwork pit and banked features on aerial photographs of 1946 and 1947, to the northwest of Green Farm.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LIGHT ANTI AIRCRAFT BATTERY (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1412, RAF/106G/UK/1412 RP 3092-93 13-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352504.

The former Anti-Aircraft battery is visible as earthwork pit and banked features. Map object previously based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, RAF/CPE/UK/1995 RS 4305-06 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354842.

The former Anti-Aircraft battery is visible as earthwork banked features.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/58/369, RAF/58/369 V 5023-24 27-FEB-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355804.

The earthworks of the former anti-aircraft battery appear to have been completely levelled.

Meridian Airmaps Limited, 1969, MAL/69015, MAL/69015 V 111-12 05-MAR-1969 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355805.

A slight irregular shaped earthwork mound is visible at the site of the former Anti-Aircraft battery which may represent the remains of the backfilled earthwork features.

Devon County Council, 1994, County Council Restores Historic Horse Trough in Tavistock (Correspondence). SDV351154.

A geophysical survey was undertaken by Substrata as commissioned by AC Archaeology Ltd on behalf of clients in support of a forthcoming planning application.

Group 20, on the summit of Donkey Hill, coincides with the location of a WW2 light anti-aircraft battery which appears as a feint, circular, sunken earthwork feature on aerial photographs. Evidence on the ground appears to be confined to several fragments of nineteenth century brick (ibid: 11, 16, 17). Donkey Hill was formerly referred to as ‘Slagbury’ on the Littleham tithe apportionments and the ’slag’ element may refer to iron production or waste tipping. The ’bury’ element may refer to earthworks but none are recorded in the field (ibid: 11). The magnetic anomalies are probably related to remains of the anti-aircraft battery and may represent brickwork although this cannot be certain without further archaeological investigation. A short linear feature represented by group 21 lies adjacent to group 20 but the relationship between the two anomalies is unclear.

Dobinson, C. S., 1996, Anti-aircraft artillery, 1914-46, 784 (Monograph). SDV323690.

Light AA Battery at Site 3, Exmouth. Equipped with a single 40 millimetre Bofors gun on a MkII platform. No manning information recorded. Other details: AAI

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

A Light Anti-Aircraft battery of Second World War date is visible as earthwork pit and banked features on aerial photographs of 1946 and 1947, to the northwest of Green Farm. The former battery is located on the summit of a prominent, moderate sloping hill. It comprises a single ‘key-hole’ shaped earthwork pit approximately 6.5m in diameter and with an entranceway on its northwest side. A possible ammunition locker is also visible along its western edge. The earthwork pit is partly flanked on its eastern and western sides by two earthwork banks, although these have clearly been subject to some degree of levelling on aerial photographs of 1946. A well-trodden path is also visible leading from the main entranceway into the battery downhill towards the northwest, terminating at a former field boundary. An additional earthwork is also visible approximately 45m to the northeast of the main battery and which may represent part of an associated feature. This semi-circular earthwork bank caps the corner of two converging field boundaries and may represent the remains of a possible observation post or searchlight. The earthworks of the former Anti-Aircraft battery remain visible on aerial photographs of 1947, although appear to have been completely levelled by 1950. Aerial photographs of 1969, however, show a slight irregular shaped earthwork mound at this location which may represent the remains of the backfilled Anti-Aircraft battery, although this is not visible on aerial photographs after this date.

Rainbird, P., 2016, Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth (Report - Evaluation). SDV360008.

An archaeological trial trench evaluation was carried out by AC archaeology during June 2016 on
land at Plumb Park, Exmouth, Devon. The application area occupied approximately 15 hectares of agricultural land and was located on the eastern outskirts of Exmouth. It lay in an area, based on place names, of a possible earthwork and ironworking activity. Donkey Hill, within the application area, is the known site of a World War II light anti-aircraft battery. Archaeological features were present in two of the trenches, with these consisting of a pair of ditches and the brick-built foundation for the anti-aircraft battery. The ditches aligned with the existing field arrangement and were probably post-medieval in date. A small assemblage of Romano-British pottery, worked flint and a piece of iron slag were also recovered from soil layers.

Trench 2 contained the remains of two brick-built surfaces (203 and 204) and a possible brick footing (205). These features corresponded with the location of the targeted geophysical anomaly. Brick-built surface 203 comprised a stretcher-lain arrangement with an angle to southwest, with this probably representing the location of an adjacent corner. To the north of this was brick surface 204. This was roughly-lain and was made up of complete and broken bricks, with some lain frog-side up, and pieces of concrete block. Possible wall footing 205 was aligned north to south and was located to the east of the two surfaces. It comprised two parallel single courses of bricks with a patch of light yellow clay possible packing abutting its eastern side. The brick surfaces and possible wall footing were lain on a black bitumen-type material (207) that had been spread on the natural subsoil. A layer of demolition material comprised of bricks overlay the surfaces (202). From this deposit finds of copper-alloy gun cartridges, barbed wire, glass and fragments of iron sheeting were recovered.

These brick surfaces are consistent with the known historic use of this site as the location of a light anti-aircraft battery in World War II (Devon Historic Environment Record no. MDV71901). The brick surfaces were embedded on a surface of bitumenlike material and probably provided the hard standing for the gun. The reason for differently laid areas was not established, nor was the purpose of the concrete blocks. There had undoubtedly been disturbance post-abandonment with a demolition layer (202) containing displaced bricks and finds associated with the functioning of the site including the barbed wire and two copper-alloy cartridges. The cartridges were of 7mm diameter, a calibre which does not match typical British small arms of the period. Documentary evidence indicates that the battery was known as ‘Site 3, Exmouth’ and equipped with a single 40mm Bofors gun on a MKII platform (Dobinson 1996). These guns were towed into position and the wheels lifted and leg supports extended. The platform referred to was a levelling mechanism and part of the gun rather than a description of the hard standing. The full extent of the brick surfaces was not established, but the bitumen-like surface (207) extends southeast to a detached line of bricks (205) which may represent the outer edge in that direction; surface (203) may incorporate the southwest corner of the hard standing indicating that it extended for at least 6m (20ft).

The Devon HER indicates that the site is visible as a circular earthwork on aerial photographs of 1946 and 1947. No evidence for earthworks has survived which further indicates that site has been damaged post-abandonment. Such damage has presumably resulted in deliberate slighting to allow for the ploughing which has taken place on the site. The aerial photographs also show that the field incorporating Donkey Hill was formerly divided by hedgebanks and the emplacement was within a corner of one of these fields; these have also been removed (historic mapping shows that this occurred prior to 1970) leaving no evidence for their positions within either the trench evaluation or the geophysics survey. The position of the battery on Donkey Hill gave an excellent field of fire, particularly on the seaward side.

James, T., 26/10/2012, Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth, East Devon, 11 (Report - Assessment). SDV350713.

The light anti aircraft battery, was equipped with a single 40mm Bofors gun on a MKII platform.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV323690	Monograph: Dobinson, C. S.. 1996. Anti-aircraft artillery, 1914-46. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England. I.4. A4 Bound. 784. [Mapped feature: #99759 ]
SDV350713	Report - Assessment: James, T.. 26/10/2012. Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth, East Devon. AC Archaeology Report. ACD513/1/1. Digital. 11.
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
SDV351154	Correspondence: Devon County Council. 1994. County Council Restores Historic Horse Trough in Tavistock. Press Release. A4 Single Sheet + Digital.
SDV352504	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1412. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/1412 RP 3092-93 13-APR-1946.
SDV354842	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1995. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1995 RS 4305-06 13-APR-1947.
SDV355804	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/58/369. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/58/369 V 5023-24 27-FEB-1950.
SDV355805	Aerial Photograph: Meridian Airmaps Limited. 1969. MAL/69015. Meridian Airmaps Limited Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). MAL/69015 V 111-12 05-MAR-1969.
SDV360008	Report - Evaluation: Rainbird, P.. 2016. Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth. AC Archaeology. ACD1090/2/0. Digital.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds

• FDV6400 - BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)
• FDV6399 - METAL OBJECT (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV7188 - Evaluation, Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth (Ref: 13/0297/MOUT)
• EDV6732 - An Archaeological Gradiometer Survey on Land at Plumb Park, Exmouth

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