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Monument Types

• BATTLE HEADQUARTERS (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• Monitoring of work on Scheduled Monuments at Hunsdon Airfield, 2006

Protected Status

• Scheduled Ancient Monument 32450, pt 13
• Sensitivity Map: SMs, battle hq, pillboxes, cropnmarks hunsdon airf

Full description

The Battle Headquarters of Hunsdon Airfield <1>. An underground complex of rooms controlling the defence of the airfield is surmounted by a 9' square concrete pillbox projecting 4' above ground level - effectively an observation point. The roof is constructed of 2' thick concrete suspended just 2" above equally thick walls using angle iron as spacers. This gives a narrow 360 degree view. Access to the rooms and pillbox is via a square manhole and iron ladder leading down into the ground. See [6942] <2>.

The Battle Headquarters, a complex of subterranean rooms, partly surrounded by trenches, lies c.15m to the south of the airfield perimeter road. Mostly underground, the building is a Type 11008/41 design which replaced the more vulnerable above ground battle headquarters. The partly above ground observation tower is at its western end, and the three subterranean rooms comprise sleeping quarters, office, and toilet. The building has impressive defences. Brick-built trenches with integral shelters extend in a semi-circle around its eastern side, and lead to one entrance at the eastern end of the building. Another entrance, a narrow rectangular opening next to the observation tower, originally had a steel hatch. This gave access to the tower via an iron ladder. The tower itself has a narrow (c.5cm) viewing slit all the way round, formed by the iron spacers which support the concrete roof.
The subterranean part of the building is covered by a mound of earth. Access into the structure is via an iron ladder down into the bottom of the observation tower, or by a series of steps down into the trenches. Generally in good condition but for the iron spacers, which are rusting, and eventually will fail to support the roof. Schedule NGR TL 4252 1327 <3, 4>.
The subterranean parts of the building were found in 2006 to be flooded <5>.

After the Battle (Serial). SHT9063.

Hunsdon Local History & Preservation Society, 1999, Application to DCMS for preservation of the airfield structures on the Hunsdon World War II Airfield site (Unpublished document). SHT2966.

<1> Plan of Hunsdon Airfield dated June 1946 (Bibliographic reference). SHT8901.

<2> Fred Nash (HCC), site visit and photographs, 29.5.1992 (Unpublished document). SHT3718.

<3> EH Scheduling Proposal and correspondence, March 2002 (Unpublished document). SHT3142.

<4> Scheduled Monument description, 14.11.2002 (Scheduling record). SHT9990.

<5> Alison Hudson, 2006, Hunsdon Airfield, Hunsdon, Herts: archaeological monitoring report, RNO 2049 (Report). SHT2427.

Sources and further reading

Related records

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