Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne P
Site Name
Tunstall, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne P
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5505
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5505 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside
YEAR1
2003
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
11230
DAY1
30
DAY2
18
District
Sunderland
Easting
435510
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
LANDUSE
Woodland
Map Sheet
NZ34NE
MATERIAL
Concrete
MONTH1
12
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
548950
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Hetton-le-Hole
Description
Operational Base (underground structure intended for use by members of the British Resistance Organisation in the event of invasion). Built by the 184th Tunnelling Co. Royal Engineers. The OB was manned by the Hetton-le-Hole Auxiliary Unit Patrol. GHQ (General Headquarters) Auxiliary Units were specially trained secret units. Winston Churchill appointed Colonel Colin Gubbins to form the units in summer 1940. There were seven patrol members who all lived in Hetton-le-Hole. The Commanding Officer was Captain A.C. Burningham. Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire Group No. 3 consisted of five patrols - Birtley, Haswell, Hetton-le-Hole, Kibblesworth and Wheatley Hill. Auxilliers were recruited from the Home Guard. The men were trained on weekend courses at Coleshill House near Highworth, Wiltshire, in the arts of guerrilla warfare including assassination, unarmed combat, demolition and sabotage. They were trained in explosives - fire pots, time pencils, cordite, ordinary fuses. The unit was equipped with revolvers, rubber truncheons, sten guns, rifles, commando knives, blasting gelignite explosives, fire pots with time pencils, cordite wasp fuse cord, grenades and sticky bombs. Each Patrol was a self-contained cell, expected to be self-sufficient and operationally autonomous in the case of invasion, generally operating within a 15-mile radius. They were provided with a concealed underground Operational Base (OB), usually built by the Royal Engineers in a local woodland, with a camouflaged entrance and emergency escape tunnel; it is thought that 400 to 500 such Obs were constructed. All patrol members were issued with a cyanide capsule and were instructed to use it if wounded or captured to avoid compromising local residents. The Operational Base is a standard 'elephant' type shelter. Both ends of the Operational Base survive and two clay ventilation pipes on the main entrance wall. The bolt hole tunnel route to the stream is visible at the south end of the Operational Base. The entrance shaft would have been at the north end and a tunnel outline can be discerned. The entrance tunnel was 18 feet long north-south with a side tunnel to the east 6 feet long. Both were 3m wide. The main chamber was 20 feet x 12 feet. The bolt hole tunnel leading to the Rough Dene was 10 feet long by 3 feet wide.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Invasion Defence Site
SITEDESC
Operational Base (underground structure intended for use by members of the British Resistance Organisation in the event of invasion). Built by the 184th Tunnelling Co. Royal Engineers. The OB was manned by the Hetton-le-Hole Auxiliary Unit Patrol. GHQ (General Headquarters) Auxiliary Units were specially trained secret units. Winston Churchill appointed Colonel Colin Gubbins to form the units in summer 1940. There were seven patrol members who all lived in Hetton-le-Hole. The Commanding Officer was Captain A.C. Burningham. Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire Group No. 3 consisted of five patrols - Birtley, Haswell, Hetton-le-Hole, Kibblesworth and Wheatley Hill. Auxiliaries were recruited from the Home Guard. The men were trained on weekend courses at Coleshill House near Highworth, Wiltshire, in the arts of guerrilla warfare including assassination, unarmed combat, demolition and sabotage. They were trained in explosives - fire pots, time pencils, cordite, ordinary fuses. The unit was equipped with revolvers, rubber truncheons, sten guns, rifles, commando knives, blasting gelignite explosives, fire pots with time pencils, cordite wasp fuse cord, grenades and sticky bombs. Each Patrol was a self-contained cell, expected to be self-sufficient and operationally autonomous in the case of invasion, generally operating within a 15-mile radius. They were provided with a concealed underground Operational Base (OB), usually built by the Royal Engineers in a local woodland, with a camouflaged entrance and emergency escape tunnel; it is thought that 400 to 500 such Obs were constructed. All patrol members were issued with a cyanide capsule and were instructed to use it if wounded or captured to avoid compromising local residents. The Operational Base is a standard 'elephant' type shelter. Both ends of the Operational Base survive and two clay ventilation pipes on the main entrance wall. The bolt hole tunnel route to the stream is visible at the south end of the Operational Base. The entrance shaft would have been at the north end and a tunnel outline can be discerned. The entrance tunnel was 18 feet long north-south with a side tunnel to the east 6 feet long. Both were 3m wide. The main chamber was 20 feet x 12 feet. The bolt hole tunnel leading to the Rough Dene was 10 feet long by 3 feet wide.
Site Name
Rough Dene, Auxiliary Unit Operational Base
Site Type: Specific
Auxiliary Unit Operational Base
HER Number
5504
Form of Evidence
Ruined Building
Sources
Hetton-le-Hole Auxiliary Unit Patrol - a report by CART (Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team) County Information Officer Stephen Lewins, 2011, http://www.coleshillhouse.com/hetton-le-hole-auxiliary-unit-patrol.php; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units; David Lampe, 2007, The Last Ditch: Britain's Secret Resistance and the Nazi Invasion Plan; Bill Watson, 2011, Gone To Ground, Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team; Arthur Ward, 1997, Resisting the Nazi Invader; John Warwicker, 2002, With Britain in Mortal Danger: Britain's Most Secret Army of WWII; John Warwicker, 2008, Churchill's Underground Army: A History of the Auxiliary Units in World War II; Owen Sheers, 2008, Resistance
YEAR1
2003
YEAR2
2013
English, British
ADDITINF
y
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
DAY2
04
District
Newcastle
Easting
429270
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
LANDUSE
Recreational Usage
Map Sheet
NZ26NE
MONTH1
12
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NE 88
Northing
565230
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Walker
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne N
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne N. Manned by 269 Battery of the 632rd Royal Artillery regiment in June 1940, and by 179 Battery of the same Regiment in December 1940. The aircraft battery consisted of four gun emplacements with a magazine and command post. Located on playing fields at Walker (Waverdale Open Space). The earthworks have been levelled and buildings demolished. The layout is broadly typical of a heavy anti-aircraft battery. A rectangular semi-sunken concrete or brick structure to the north-west and protected by earthen banks is the command post. Arranged in a semi-circle around this are four hexagonal concrete gun emplacements with possibly a shelter immediately to the south-east of the command post.
Site Name
Walker, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne N
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5503
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5503 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside; English Heritage Hadrian's Wall WHS Mapping Project, 2008, 1429931; Aerial Photograph RAF 3G/TUD/UK/125 5038 04-APR-1946; C.S. Dobinson, 1996, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, volume 1. Anti-aircraft artillery: England's air defence gunsites, 1914-46, pages 480; PCA Ltd. 2010, New Walker Technology College Site - Archaeological Watching Brief; Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2009, Waverdale Avenue, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne - Archaeological Assessment
YEAR1
2003
YEAR2
2008
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
30
District
S Tyneside
Easting
436600
Grid ref figure
6
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ36SE
MONTH1
12
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
563900
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
20th Century 1901 to 2000
Place
Harton
Description
Site of Rocket Battery - 64 projectiles
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Rocket Battery - 64 projectiles
Site Name
Harton, Rocket Battery
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5502
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5502 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside
YEAR1
2003
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Claire MacRae
DAY1
29
DAY2
02
District
N Tyneside
Easting
432040
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ36NW
MONTH1
12
MONTH2
2
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 36 NW 289
Northing
567820
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Howdon
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne L
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne L. Armed with four 4.5 inch guns with GL Mark IA radar in 1942, and four 3.7 inch Mark IIC guns with GL Mark II and Mark IIIB radar in 1945. It had been manned by 176 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in 1940, and by 540 Battery of the 158th Royal Artillery Regiment in 1945. It was retained as a Nucleus Force Headquarters Battery in 1946. Included a command post and magazine. The radar station had a gun-laying mat of approximately 130m diameter. A square enclosure, thought to be formed by barbed wire lay to the south. This enclosure may form part of the aircraft obstructions identified on 1941 aerial photographs. All destroyed by modern building. A line of five building platforms can be seen on 1946 aerial photographs. These may be associated with the anti-aircraft battery. An evaluation and subsequent excavation in 2014 at Crummock Court revealed a standard central concrete gun emplacement but with the addition of eight radiating concrete arms - to alleviate risk of subsidence in mining areas. The second excavated feature was the concrete base of an ancillary structure (post 1941). This is the first documented excavation of an anti-aircraft site in the region. Further structures, such as the central command bunker, may survive beneath grassed areas surrounding Crummock Court.
Site Name
Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne L
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5501
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5501 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside; English Heritage Hadrian's Wall WHS Mapping Project, 2008, 1405632; Aerial Photograph RAF 3G/TUD/UK/125 5096 04-APR-1946; Northern Archaeological Associates, 2013, Sheltered housing accomodation, Crummock Court, Howdon, Wallsend, Archaeological Assessment; Northern Archaeological Associates, 2014, World War II HAA Gun-site, Crummock Court, Howdon, North Tyneside - Archaeological Evaluation
YEAR1
2003
YEAR2
2015
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
District
N Tyneside
Easting
429340
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ26NE
MONTH1
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NE 89
Northing
569190
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Longbenton
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne K
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne K. Had four mounted 4.5 inch guns with GL Mark IA radar in 1942, and was upgunned to six 3.7 inch Mark IIC guns with GL Mark II and Mark IIIB radar in 1945. It had been manned by 269 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in 1940. It was retained as an Off-Site Nucleus Force Battery in 1946. The anti-aircraft battery which lay to the east of Benton, consisted of six gun emplacements, with a command post and a magazine. A radar station lay immediately south of the command post, and ranges of associated buildings to the west. The earthworks have been levelled and the buildings demolished.
Site Name
Longbenton, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne K
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5500
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5500 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside
YEAR1
2003
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
DAY2
29
District
Newcastle
Easting
424700
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
LANDUSE
Recreational Usage
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
12
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NW 47
Northing
569100
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Gosforth
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne J
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne J. Had four gun emplacements mounted with 4.5 inch guns with GL Mark IA radar in 1942. Manned by 178 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in 1940. Included two magazines, a command post and a 130m diameter gun-laying mat for radar. The site has been levelled. Now in the grounds of Gosforth East Middle School and Gosforth Golf Course.
Site Name
Gosforth, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne J
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5499
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5499 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside; English Heritage Hadrian's Wall WHS Mapping Project, 2008, 1433708; Aerial Photograph RAF 3G/TUD/UK/94 5207 29-MAR-1946; C.S. Dobinson, 1996, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, volume 1. Anti-aircraft artillery: England's air defence gunsites, 1914-46, pages 480
YEAR1
2003
YEAR2
2008
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
District
Newcastle
Easting
418520
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ16NE
MONTH1
12
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566580
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Westerhope
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne H
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne H. It had four 3.7 inch static guns with GL Mark II radar in 1942. In 1945 it was armed with eight 3.7 inch Mark IIC guns with GL Mark II and Mark IIB radar, and was retained as an Off-Site Nucleus Force Battery in 1946. It had been manned by 177 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in 1940, and by 510 Battery of the 158th Royal Artillery Regiment in 1945. The area has been completely redeveloped.
Site Name
West Denton, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne H
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5498
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5498 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside
YEAR1
2003
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
District
Gateshead
Easting
420320
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 SW 293
Northing
560850
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Fellside
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne G
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne G. Armed with four 3.7 inch static guns with GL Mark I radar in 1942. Four 3.7 inch Mark VI guns with No. 3 Mark V radar in 1945. It was manned by 177 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in June 1940 and by 503 Battery of the 144th Royal Artillery Regiment in 1945. Retained as a Nucleus Force Headquarters Battery in 1946. Included two magazines and a command post. The gun laying mat of a radar station lay immediately north of the command post. All destroyed by building development.
Site Name
Fellside Road, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne G
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5497
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5497 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside
YEAR1
2003
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
29
District
Gateshead
Easting
423370
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 SW 300
Northing
560930
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Lobley Hill
Description
Site of heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne F
SITEASS
Heavy Anti Aircraft gunnery relied on large calibre guns intended to combat high flying aircraft. During WW2 this work was shared between five main types of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20 cwt gun, (the standard HAA waeapon during WW1 and used well into WW2) which could fire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a 5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shell up to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inch batteries were positioned on the coast and had a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role. Until late 1940 virtually all HAA sites were temporary, consisting of earthwork gun pits and tented accomodation. Guns were generally mobile. As war progressed, these were replaced by permanent structures and static guns. A typical HAA gun site consisted of a command post (rectangular concrete or brick semi-sunken structure, often protected by earth banks), this was usually located at the centre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gun pits. There would also be one or two shelters, one for gun maintenance (limber gunner's shelter) and the other for the gun detachment. Ammunition was stored in magazines. Instruments and spare parts were kept in the gun store. Domestic HAA sites also had Nissen and timber huts, workshops and garages and often a sewage treatment plant.A concrete service road led from main gate via the magazine around the command post, with offshoots to each gun pit. In plan this gave the site a "four leaf clover" shape {"20th Century Defences in Britain, An Introductory Guide, Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, 1995, pp 48-59}.
Site Type: Broad
Anti Aircraft Defence Site
SITEDESC
Heavy anti aircraft battery - Tyne F. Included a command post, gun emplacements and two magazines. It had four 4.5 inch guns in 1942. Manned by 296 Battery of the 66th Royal Artillery Regiment in May 1940, and by 176 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in December 1940.
Site Name
Lobley Hill, Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Tyne F
Site Type: Specific
Anti Aircraft Battery
HER Number
5496
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Sources
<< HER 5496 >> Alan Rudd, 1986, List of 20th century defence sites on Tyneside