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| HER Number: | MCO62540 |
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| Name: | ST MAWES - World War Two range |
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Summary
A long wooden single storey building with pitched roof appears in aerial photographs dated 21-24 April 1941 and plans of St Mawes Castle of a similar date, behind the redundant 12-pdr battery during the period of occupation by 173 Coast Battery Royal Artillery in World War Two. The building is called 'miniature range' on a plan dated February 1943 and 'training hut' on others. The structure collapsed in the 1980's after which time it was demolished by English Heritage.
Protected Status: None recorded
Other Statuses/Codes: none recorded
Monument Type(s):
Full description
A long wooden single storey building with pitched roof appears in aerial photographs dated 21-24 April 1941 and plans of St Mawes Castle of a similar date, behind the redundant 12-pdr battery during the period of occupation by 173 Coast Battery Royal Artillery in World War Two. The building is called 'miniature range' on a plan dated February 1943 and 'training hut' on others.
Arrayed down the length of the hut were a series of stage-set like seascapes from behind which, painted hardboard enemy E-boats would appear 'Punch and Judy' like, for the gun detachment to lay a dummy breach with auto-sights on and to fire an imaginary salvo. Shell splashes, also painted on board, would pop up from behind the scenery controlled by other gunners hidden from view.The appearance of these splashes was the cue for the gun group commander to instruct the gun layers on their next course of action. Any correlation between the direction in which the weapon pointed and the actual location of the shell splashes was irrelevant. The range was supplied with 100 volt AC/DC from the engine room for lighting the tableau. After the war the building was briefly used by the sea scouts and in plans of 1952 it is annotated 'Gym Building'.
The structure collapsed in the 1980's after which time it was demolished by English Heritage (1).
<1> Linzey, R, 2000, Fortress Falmouth. An conservation plan for the historic defences of Falmouth Haven Vol II (2000), site W29 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO1563.
Sources / Further Reading
| [1] | SCO1563 - Cornwall Event Report: Linzey, R. 2000. Fortress Falmouth. An conservation plan for the historic defences of Falmouth Haven Vol II (2000). site W29. |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events
- ECO455 - Fortress Falmouth
Related records
| 18708 | Part of: ST MAWES - C16 castle (Monument) |
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