twentieth century defence sites of tyne and wear

NEWCASTLE GATESHEAD NORTH TYNESIDE SOUTH TYNESIDE SUNDERLAND

An Illustrated Guide

ARCHAEOLOGY of the

TWENTIETH CENTURYDEFENCE SITES of

TYNE and WEAR

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A GUIDE TO THE ARCHAEOLOGY OFTHE TWENTIETH CENTURY

DEFENCE SITES OF TYNE AND WEAR

by

R Whaley, J Morrison and D Heslop

Newcastle City CouncilTyne & Wear Specialist Conservation Team

2008

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PREFACE

By Alan Rudd

Over the centuries the North of England attracted a wide variety of defensive structures tocounter threats from both near neighbours and Europe. This led to the development andbuilding of a large number of defensive structures varying from the Roman Wall to themedieval castles for which Northumberland is renowned, up to the twentieth centuryfortifications of pillboxes and nuclear bunkers. These structures cover a wide variety of typesand design, reflecting the military engineering techniques of the time.

The period covered in this book is from 1900 to 2000, the Twentieth century, a period ofrapidly changing military threats and hardware. We have seen in the period the advent of theplane and the tank and the wane of the military threat from close quarters, to the developmentof the nuclear bomb and the long-range Cruise missile.

In Tyne and Wear a large number of Military structures have been built in this period, thesestructures began with the redevelopment of the coastal batteries on the Tyne at the start ofthe century. The batteries built at both Tynemouth and South Shields were at the time “stateof the art” with all new guns and emplacements. The next building period came with the onsetof the First World War, when some new structures were build though little remains today. Thegreatest period of building came with the total war period of the Second World War andreflected the advent of air power and the threat of invasion. There are a number of structuresfrom this time still in existence throughout the County. With regard to the post-War period,though some building were built, these were more transient in nature and have in the mostpart been removed and redeveloped.

This book will hopefully provide an overview of what is left to see and give an appreciation oftheir place in history along with an indication of the importance of individual structures withinthe military tactics of the time.

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CONTENTS

Introduction 4The Gazetteer 6

Section 1 From 1900 to the end of the First World War 7Coastal defence 8Anti-Zeppelin defences 13Rifle ranges and practice trenches 16

Section 2 Inter-War Period 18

Section 3 The Second World War 19Coastal batteries 20Anti-aircraft defences 24Military airfields 28Pickett-Hamilton forts 30Radar system 30Anti-aircraft batteries 31Rocket batteries 36Searchlight batteries 36Royal Observer Corps posts 38Barrage balloons 40Bombing decoys 41Inland defences 43Pillboxes 43Spigot mortar emplacement 50Anti-tank blocks 51Anti-tank ditches 51Glider obstructions 51Road blocks 52Civil defence 53Bomb craters 62Infrastructure 62

Section 4 The Cold War 65

Bibliography 70

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Introduction

Introduction

There is perhaps no time in history, eitherrecent or from the distant past, thatcontinues to generate as much popularinterest as the time that spans the two globalwars of the first half of the twentieth century.As these events are made remote by thepassage of time, it is possible to see themonuments of that era as only the latest in along sequence of defences that stretch backto the distant past. The twentieth centuryfortifications on the British coast are locatedon the same cliff tops and promontories asthe Roman “Saxon shore” forts and signalstations, and at the mouth of the Tyne wecan trace in detail how the nature ofdefensive instillations evolved through eightcenturies of naval warfare. In the MiddleAges, the stone fortress of Tynemouth Castleformed a strong-point which controlled the

Tynemouth Castle

lower Tyne and access to its hinterland butby the sixteenth century, the need toestablish suitable positions for cannon sawthe replacement of the stone tower bycarefully designed artillery forts, first atSpanish Battery and then closer to the riverat North Shields. The seventeenth centuryfort here, Clifford’s Fort, was converted froma 40 gun artillery position to a mine-layingbase in the late nineteenth century. Thesesites were all adapted for use in the twoworld wars, but supplemented with otherinstallations to meet the changing characterof the threat.

The Second World War saw the fulldevelopment of a process, begun in the1914-18 War, that saw the civilian populationand economy totally immersed in the conflict,

Introduction

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both as a target for offensive action and asthe means of defeating the enemy by “out-producing” them. The remotest ruralcommunities were brought into the fight onthe Home Front, working with the Land Armyto prevent the U-boat blockade from bringingthe country to the verge of starvation, oracting as safe havens for children evacuatedfrom the urban centres.

The industrial conurbations of Tyneside andWearside were of such strategic importancethat they were among the most heavilydefended parts of the country, as can beseen from the density of known sites plottedon Maps 2, 3 & 4. The importance of thecoal-exporting ports led to the extensivemining of coastal waters, and the beaches ofNorthumberland and Durham were defendedby anti-invasion obstacles to prevent theiruse as landing sites. Anti-aircraft defenceswere concentrated around the ports, whichwere particularly vulnerable to air attack bothby day and night (Map 3).

After the war, the beaches were quicklycleared and the military installationsdismantled, but many of the less dramaticfeatures were left in place in order to tacklethe more urgent priorities of rebuildinghouses and converting industry back frommilitary to civilian production. Once aubiquitous feature of the landscape,defences that were hastily throw-up duringthese years have been steadily removed bythe remorseless pace of development and

Kenton Bunker

Trow Point

less than 5% of the original buildings andinstallations survive today. If we are to savethese sites for posterity, we must take stepsto preserve them now.

Many sites, like anti-aircraft batteries and pill-boxes, were erected on the edges of thebuilt-up areas, on marginal land and scrub,and have survived through neglect and theeconomic decline of traditional industries.Increasingly, however, the need to utiliseevery available hectare of land to meet therising demand for new housing and toprovide industry with modern factoryaccommodation, has seen the re-development of marginal swathes where thefew remaining sites are located. Theproblems of finding new uses for thesebuildings are exacerbated by the nature ofthe structures themselves. Many of the

apparently substantial monuments of thisperiod were hastily constructed with cheapmaterials and with little thought for long-termmaintenance. Not meant to last, they werepoorly integrated into existing services andcommunications. Even the larger buildings,like the regional headquarters and controlcentres, were of basic construction, andlacked the features that make the structuresreadily adaptable for other use. It is too easyto see military sites as little more thaneyesores on the edges of wasteland, targetsfor graffiti and places that attract anti-socialbehaviour. In some cases, the best solution

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Introduction

we can hope for in the short-to-medium termis preservation by “benign neglect” – in thecase of bunkers and pillboxes, burial ofentrances and blockage of openings, toprevent their becoming nuisances to localcommunities. A few have been givenstatutory protection, like the recently listedKenton Bunker (Gazetteer No. 23) but toooften it is the last remaining example that isdesignated, as much for its rarity value as itsintrinsic importance. In the long term,however, we would hope that the types ofsite describe in this guide can becomeintegrated into the new landscapes thatdevelop from regenerated marginalscrubland and derelict industrial complexes,and valued as monuments that are worthconserving in their own right, madeaccessible to the public and interpreted inthe same way as other relics from pastconflicts.

The Gazetteer

The following pages briefly describe some ofthe more notable types of wartime site. Eachsite type is followed by a gazetteer ofexamples in Tyne and Wear. The gazetteerdoes not claim to be exhaustive – these aremerely the most important sites we knowabout. There will have been many, manymore and our archaeological and historicaldatabase, the Tyne and Wear HistoricEnvironment Record (HER), is beingcontinually enhanced, mostly by members ofthe public who have personal experience thatis far more extensive than the writtensources. The aim of the gazetteer is toillustrate the richness and variety of ourwartime heritage and to demonstrate thedegree of survival of such structures in Tyneand Wear. We are grateful to those membersof the public who answered our request inthe media for information on sites we mayhave missed.

Some of the sites listed below no longersurvive. Most of the sites lie on private land

and public access is not allowed. Wherepublic access is known to be possible this isnoted under the text with a grid reference.The number in brackets refers to the HistoricEnvironment Record, which is accessible onthe Web at http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/sitelines. This will provide a map of theindividual site and may contain more detailthan the gazetteer.

We have not included war memorials in thispublication as these have already beenincluded in “A Guide to the PublicMonuments & Sculpture of Tyne and Wear”,by I. Ayris, P. Jubb, S. Palmer and P.Usherwood, 1995. We have not includedaircraft crash sites, partly because theprecise location of these sites is often difficultto determine and also due to the emotivenature of these sites and the need to respectthe wishes of any living relatives of the pilot.The 1986 Protection of Military Remains Actmakes it an offence to disturb the remains ofany aircraft within the UK or its territorialwaters without a licence from the Ministry ofDefence. The potential historic andarchaeological importance of aircraft wrecksites has been recognised by EnglishHeritage’s Monument Protection Programme.

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Section 1 From 1900 to the end of WWI

FROM 1900 TO THE END OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Figure 1

By the time of the First World War, existingcoastal batteries on the east coast, most ofwhich had been built during the nineteenthcentury against the perceived threat ofFrance, had been adapted or new batteriescreated to take the new breech-loading guns.At the outbreak of hostilities, it was theAdmiralty that was responsible foroverseeing the home shore defences, as theArmy was overstretched providing men andequipment in France, Belgium and the

Middle East. Because of the concentration ofstrategic factories and installations (in Tyneand Wear for example, twelve armamentsfactories) the North-East coast was one ofthe most heavily defended areas in thecountry; the perceived threat was initiallyagainst bombardment or invasion from thesea, but by 1916, when the Army took overcommand of the home defence, the aerialthreat from Zeppelins and, in southernBritain, heavy bombers, was the most

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pressing concern, fuelled by panic amongthe civilian population, who were underattack from the enemy for the first time. In1916 a network of searchlights wasestablished 25 miles inland from Sussex toNorthumberland.

Coastal Defence (Fig 1)

A complex of batteries protected Britain’scoastal and riverside industries - the navalbases, ports and harbours, shipyards andmunitions factories - from attack fromdreadnoughts and battle cruisers at sea.Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool were allseverely attacked in 1914, demonstrating theneed for coastal batteries (English Heritage2000). Although never used in anger, theirpresence deterred attack, and as late asAugust 1916, Admiral Scheer, commander ofthe German High Sea Fleet, was planning aco-ordinated attack on Sunderland, but wasprevented by the intervention of a RoyalNavy submarine, which alerted the Admiraltyto the threat (Sockett 1993/4).

1 Tynemouth Castle (HER 135)

The commanding headland that TynemouthCastle stands on has had an almostcontinuous history of fortification stretchingback at least until the thirteenth century, andpossibly back into prehistory. Since 1584,artillery has been mounted there to defendthe Tyne against naval attack. In 1902, a newbattery was built with two 6 inch guns, aswell as two 12pdr Quick Firing guns. In 1904a 9.2 inch gun was emplaced, which had arange of nearly 27km. However, in 1905 theOwen Committee report into Britain’s coastaldefences was published, claiming that theports on the Tyne and the Wear were only atrisk from low level attacks, andrecommending that most of the gunsdefending the region should be removed. In1913 Admiralty thinking changed again, andthe 9.2 inch gun at Tynemouth wasreinstated by the time that war was declared,

and was used throughout World War One.After the armistice in 1918, the castlecontinued to be armed (Clarke and Rudd,1988 and Foster 2004).

Scheduled Ancient MonumentEnglish Heritage GuardianshipPublic access with entrance feeNZ 374 693

2 Tynemouth, Spanish Battery(HER 136)

The site of the Spanish Battery, a headland300m south of Tynemouth Castle, was firstfortified in 1545 to protect Henry VIII’s fleetas it assembled in the Tyne before invadingScotland. The name is said to derive fromthe Spanish mercenaries who were the firstto be garrisoned there. In 1902, the batterywas modernised and equipped with a single6 inch mark VII breech loading gun and two6pdr Quick Firing (QF) guns, which wereintended to be upgraded to 12pdrs. By 1905,a second 6 inch gun had been mounted.However, in 1905 the Owen Committee

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Photograph by Tim Gates copyright reserved

report concluded that Newcastle andSunderland were unlikely to face any attackother than from light, unarmoured vessels.Therefore, all guns were removed from theTyne and Wear area, except for four 6 inchweapons: two at Tynemouth Castle, and twoat the Spanish Battery (Craster 1907, NorthShields Local Studies Library 1939, Clarkeand Rudd 1988 and 1989, Jobey 1967 andFoster 2004).

Public AccessNZ 373 690

3 Tynemouth, No. 47A PercyGardens, Command Post(HER 4617)

During World War One, No. 47A PercyGardens in Tynemouth was in the ownershipof the War Office, and was used as acommand centre for the coastal defences,with an observation and range-finding postbuilt into the roof of the house to control theTyne guns. Around 1916 or after, a six storeytower was constructed, attached to the backof the house, and designed to act as acommand centre for the two ‘Tyne Turrets’[see entry on Kitchener Battery - Gaz. No.7].Even though both turrets had beendismantled in 1925, the tower and housewere retained until World War Two. Duringthe September 1938 Munich Crisis, when itappeared that war with Germany was

imminent, one of the first actions taken toprepare the Tyne for invasion was to installthe fortress commander and staff officer attheir offices in 47A Percy Gardens. The siteis now a private residence (Hogg 1984 andDoE listed building description 8/107).

Listed grade 2

4 Tynemouth Castle, SearchlightEmplacement (HER 1572)

To allow the guns at Spanish Battery andTynemouth Castle to fire at night, asearchlight was emplaced on the south sideof Tynemouth Castle, near to the quarry, andjust by the path that leads along to the pier. Itwas manned and maintained by the TyneElectrical Engineers, who were based atClifford’s Fort, and was in use throughout

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World War One. By World War Two it hadbeen replaced by a new searchlight nearer toTynemouth pier. There had been a similaremplacement at the Spanish Battery, whichhas now been demolished. This site is thebest surviving searchlight emplacement onTyneside, and remains in good condition. It isa low, concrete building with a large apertureat the front (now sealed up), out of which thesearchlight would have shone. Although it isslightly overgrown, it is easily visible, andmuch of the original form survives(information provided by Alan Rudd, 1995).


5 North Shields, Clifford’s Fort(HER 150)

Clifford’s Fort was an artillery fort built in1672 to a design by the Swedish EngineerMartin Beckman, to guard the Tyne fromnaval attack during the Second Dutch War. In1882, it was decided to turn the fort into afacility for the deployment of underwater

explosives to destroy enemy vesselsapproaching the Tyne. These “submarinemines” were laid in minefields near toClifford’s Fort, and would be controlled anddetonated from the shore by means of anelectrical cable. From 1888 volunteer RoyalEngineer submarine miners (9 officers and180 other ranks) had their Headquartershere. Most of the older buildings at the fortwere demolished, and new facilities wereinstalled, such as a narrow gauge railwaytrack used to transport mines to the adjacentpier. The fort was armed with two 6 pdr QuickFiring guns and two machine guns. Theconcrete positions, including the circle of themounting rings, can be seen cutting throughthe seventeenth century sandstone ramparts.

From 1905 to 1907 the fort’s mining role wasgradually phased out, and in 1907 the unitmanning the fort was renamed the TyneDivision (volunteer) Electrical Engineers. TheElectrical Engineers’ role included manningthe searchlight sites around the mouth of theTyne, allowing the Tyne batteries to fire atnight. At some point before 1914 the 6pdrguns were removed. When war came in

Artillery emplacements at Clifford’s Fort

1914 the Navy and the Tyne ElectricalEngineers collaborated to re-establish theminefield as quickly as possible. The fort wasthe principal recruiting centre in NorthShields. In November 1914, the RoyalMarines added two new 12pdr QF guns tothe outside of the fort, and from 1915onwards a detachment of the newly formedRoyal Marine Submarine Miners were basedthere.

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After the war, the fort was thought to be toosmall and inaccessible for use by theTerritorial Army, and so in 1928 a new drillhall was acquired in Tynemouth, near therailway station and Clifford’s Fort was sold tothe Tynemouth Corporation, so that the FishQuay could be expanded (Clarke and Rudd1988 and 1989, North East Civic Trust 2001,Foster 2004, Northern CountiesArchaeological Services 2003, 2004 and2005 and Northern ArchaeologicalAssociates 2005).

Listed grade 2* and a Scheduled AncientMonumentPublic AccessNZ 363 685

6 South Shields, Frenchman’sPoint Battery (HER 869)

Frenchman’s Point Battery was planned in1882, and finished in March 1905. It wasdesigned as a counterpart to the battery atTynemouth Castle. It had two 6 inch guns,and one 9.2 inch. The shells were raised ona hydraulic lift. There was a caretaker’shouse, stores and a camping ground. Justmonths after opening, it was downgraded topractice only, to have some of its gunsreinstated again by 1911. In 1913, realisingthe importance of the arms production andshipbuilding trade on the Tyne (which at thistime accounted for 30% of naval productionin Britain) the Admiralty rearmedFrenchman’s Point Battery accordingly. Hutswere built for the permanent soldiers. Thelarge galvanised steel fence with prongs

around the top could deflect bullets.Frenchman’s Point Battery servedthroughout World War One. Four years afterhostilities ended, in July 1922, the site wasdismantled and cleared, being redevelopedas a holiday camp (Clarke and Rudd 1989and Foster 2004).Between the Groyne and the South Pier atSouth Shields is a ramp, constructed of largetimbers bolted together with iron. Accordingto local tradition, this was used as a ramp forflying boats (HER 6811), and was used to aidthem out of the sea and onto a parking areabelow the Lawe top, although at what date isuncertain (Arbeia Society 2004).


7 Marsden, Kitchener Battery(HER 4616)

By 1916, the Tyne and Wear area had manyguns adequate for defence against shipsnear to the shore, including 6 inch and 4.7inch Quick Firing weapons. However, only

Possible flying boat ramp

Frenchman’s Point. Copyright Colin Anderson

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in 1898) were very antiquated, and, almostas soon as the battery opened, it wassuggested that a single 9.2 inch gun shouldbe mounted instead, which wouldconsiderably outperform the existing turret.However, this never happened, and by 1925the War Office was trying to get permissionto close the battery entirely due to its “lowefficiency” and “doubtful value”. In 1926 theturret was scrapped by a local shipbreaker’syard (Clarke and Rudd 1989, Hogg 1984,Sockett 1993/4 and Foster 2004).

8 Sunderland, Roker Battery(HER 86)

Roker Battery in Sunderland seems to haveoriginated in the eighteenth century, whenfour guns were stationed there. Thearmaments were occasionally upgraded,although until World War One it still relied onantiquated muzzle loading guns. ByDecember 1902, all the guns had beenremoved, leaving no artillery pieces at any ofthe batteries around Sunderland, a conditionthat remained even after war had beendeclared. The Roker Battery was built in itspresent position (adjacent to the site of theold gun emplacements) in February 1916,when two 4.7 inch naval guns werepositioned in simple earth emplacements.Two searchlights were added to help thebattery defend against torpedo boats tryingto approach the port at night. Roker batterywas abandoned in 1922 (Clarke and Rudd1988).

the 9.2 inch gun at Tynemouth Castle hadenough range to prevent enemy shipsbombarding the coastline from a long wayout to sea. Therefore the North East reliedheavily on the Navy for coastal defence. In1916, the Admiralty informed the War Officethat it could no longer spare enough ships topatrol the North East coast, and insteadoffered to dismount two gun turrets from theageing warship HMS Illustrious. Theseturrets were handed over to the army for usein coastal defence, with one mounted northof the Tyne at Hartley, and the other south ofit, at Marsden. This southern turret becameknown as the ‘Kitchener Battery’. Fort Housewas the command post for the Hartley turret,and a new command building (HER 1835)was hastily built on Lizard Lane, but hassince been quarried away (informationprovided by Alan Rudd). The guns at thesetwo ‘Tyne Turrets’ had approximately 22kmrange, making them a good choice forcounter bombardment, although they wouldrequire entirely new and very extensiveemplacements to mount them. Massivereinforced concrete installations were builtunderground to contain the magazines,control rooms, and barracks necessary forthe huge turrets. Although work began on thebatteries during the war, they were not evenclose to being finished by the time of theArmistice in November 1918. By 1920, theinstallation had already cost £113,000, tentimes the cost of a normal battery. In 1921,Kitchener Battery was finally completed.However, by now the 12 inch guns (first used

Site of Roker Battery. Copyright Colin Anderson

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“The main armament consisted of four 80pounder Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) Guns”- old 68 pounder smooth bore gunsconverted by the insertion of rifled liners.Because of the expansion of the port andconstruction of new piers, the battery wassoon obsolete, and was retained only fortraining until perhaps the beginning of thetwentieth century. Nothing was listed for it onthe armaments return of 1913 - but the

Anti-Zeppelin Defences(Fig 1)

The possibility of attack by airship - firstpopularly mooted in H.G. Wells’ 1909 novel“The War in the Air” - was a serious factor inmilitary planning from 1912, spurred on by awave of nocturnal “Zeppelin sightings” insouthern England, as tension betweenBritain and Germany rose before the war.Advances in aviation technology resulted inthe layout of anti-aircraft guns in Spring1914, but the most effective weapon tocombat the menace was the rapidlydeveloping fighter aeroplane. Royal Naval AirService detachments of 36 Squadron wereestablished at Whitley Bay and Hylton Moor(later RAF Usworth - see No. 26 below). Thefirst attack on the North-East coast wasaimed at Tynemouth on the night of April14/15, 1915 , but the crew of Zeppelin L9mistook the Wansbeck for the Tyne and thebombs fell on Blyth. Whitley Bay, Jarrow,Wallsend and South Shields were attackedon the night of 8/9 August 1916.

One of the principal problem facing thedefenders was locating the raiders in time tomount an effective interception, especially asthe planes available were only slightly fasterthan the airships and had a poorer rate ofclimb. Experiments involving parabolic soundmirrors for air defence were begun in Britainby a Professor Mather in the summer of1915, in response to the Zeppelin raidswhich had begun to target British citiesearlier that year. Such mirrors reflected andamplified the noise of an aircraft’s engines,so that a listener, situated in a trench shelter

9 Sunderland, Abb’s Battery(HER 2706)

The site of Abb’s Battery is shown on theFirst Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858on the coast at the north end of RokerRocks. Not to be confused with RokerBattery, which is 142m to the south, Abb’sBattery was manned during World War Onewith two 4.7 inch QF IV guns (Clarke andRudd 1988).

10 Sunderland, Wave BasinBattery (HER 84)

The general anxiety about the defences ofthe UK led to the River Wear Commissionersgiving the War Office in 1860 a site for theerection of a battery on the south side of theRiver Wear, next to the Wave Basin. Theprecise date of construction is unknown, butthe battery was certainly finished by 1882. Itwas “entirely constructed of masonry andconsisted of a mole projecting into the river,surmounted by four gun emplacements”.

battery had two 6 inch gun emplacements inthe twentieth century. Wave Basin Batterylies on private land within the Port ofSunderland (Clarke and Rudd 1988 and DoElisted building description 920-1/9/215).

Listed grade 2

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in front of the mirror, could raise the alarm.These experiments eventually led to anumber of mirrors being constructed by theend of World War One, almost exclusivelysited either on the South coast, or around theNorth East and Yorkshire (English Heritage,2000). Once detected, the response was co-ordinated from the base of the Assistant AirDefence Commander, whose office was at 9Osbourne Terrace, Jesmond. Instructions tothe airfields were issued, and the few anti-aircraft guns available would be readiedshould the raider come within range.Warnings were passed to street wardenswho would advise lights to be turned off, andwarn civilians to gather their belongings andultimately guide them into the air raidshelters.

By September 1916, the Royal Flying Corp,having taken over the night-fighting role fromthe Navy, was able to deploy explosivebullets against the raiders, and the tideturned in favour of the defenders, as theairships began to sustain unacceptablelosses. From May 1917, the German airattacks were targeted on London, usingGotha heavy bombers.

11 Fulwell, Acoustical Mirror(HER 4992)

This is a “Coastal Watcher” type, 2km awayfrom the sea. This type of mirror would havebeen able to detect a Zeppelin about 15-20miles away, giving about 15 minutes warning

for defences to be made ready. The mirror isset at a slight angle to point upwards. Themirror itself consists of a 15ft concave shapecut into a flat concrete wall, which has twosmaller walls jutting out from it to stabilise thestructure, and to exclude any noises whichcould interfere with the mirror’s operation.Research aimed at improving acousticdetection continued throughout the 1920sand 1930s. The Fulwell mirror is thought tohave gone out of use in 1936 (Sockett 1990,Dobinson 2000, Lowry 1996 and EnglishHeritage Scheduled Ancient Monument entry34835).

Listed grade 2 and a Scheduled AncientMonumentPublic AccessNZ 389 596

12 Brunton, World War OneRanging Station (HER 5029)

There were originally three First World Warranging sites in Tyne and Wear - this one,another in Kenton, plus a third at anunknown site. They were used to triangulatethe altitude and range of Zeppelin aircraft. Atthis site there is a low circular concrete basewhich would have housed the rangingequipment. Originally there would have beena compass direction dial and a telephonepoint, but these have now gone (informationprovided by Mr Fairburn, 2002 andTimescape Archaeological Surveys 2000).

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13 Armstrong’s Elswick Works(HER 4315)

The industrialist William Armstrong startedmanufacturing hydraulic equipment at afactory in Elswick in 1847. The site expandedhugely, and by the 1880s had begunproducing armaments and shipping, makingit the only factory in the world at the time thatcould construct and arm a warshipindependently. By the beginning of the 20thcentury, the works extended more than amile along the north bank of the Tyne. Thefactory was still of crucial importance inWorld War One, and so became the site ofone of the very first anti-aircraft (AA)emplacements in Britain. In April 1914, fourmonths before war was declared, ElswickWorks are listed as being defended by twoBoer War era 1 pdr guns on travelling

carriage mounts, operated by the army.These were the only two AA guns in theregion, at a time when there were just 17 inthe whole country. They appear to have beenstill in position in May 1915, by which timethere were another two guns in the Tyneregion, this time 6 pdrs. However, the gunsdo not appear on a list of Tyne and Tees AAgun sites from June 1917, and hadpresumably been removed.

Twentieth century arches at Elswick Works

14 Cullercoats, Brown’s Point,Radio Telegraph Station (HER5519)

This site started as a civilian telegraphstation in 1906-07, owned by theAmalgamated Radio Telegraph Company,one of Lord Armstrong’s many businessinterests. Originally it consisted of a timbershed with nearby radio masts. Its ownershipchanged twice before the start of World WarOne in 1914, when the Admiralty took overthe running of the station, which they used tointercept German radio traffic. Another brickbuilding was constructed in 1916 to replacethe original wooden hut, and is still visibletoday. In the 1920s, the station grew and soa new brick building was added in 1926 toaccommodate the increases in personnel.The buildings were the subject ofarchaeological recording before recentconversion to residential use (Mabbitt 2002).

One of the two remaining buildings is listedgrade 2.

Reproduced with permission from Tyne & WearMuseums Archaeology Department

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Rifle Ranges and PracticeTrenches (Fig 1)

Rifle ranges became a common feature ofthe nineteenth century landscape as thenumerous units of the Territorial Armyrequired facilities to develop and hone themarksmanship which became a trademark ofthe British infantry. Many were constructedon common or marginal land on the edge ofbuilt-up areas. The two listed below wereFirst World War additions. Rifle ranges wereoften constructed with two sets of targets inparallel, as seen for example at Whitburn,Sunderland, perhaps for the purpose ofrunning inter-company shootingcompetitions. Unit rivalry was believed to beone of the best means of spurring on thetroops to achieve high performance.

The First World War was characterised bytrench warfare. The Germans first dug trenchlines to protect themselves from enemygunfire, and the Allies soon followed suit.The trench lines soon spread from the NorthSea to Switzerland, protected by lines ofbarbed wire. Allied front line trenches wereabout 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide. Theywere dug in a zigzag pattern to prevent theenemy from shooting straight down the line.A “fire step” formed of sandbags was cut intothe side of the trench to allow sentries to seeover the side of the trench. Communicationstrenches linked the front line to the reservetrenches. Through these, men, equipmentand casualties could be moved. Between theAllies and German trenches was No-Man’sLand which was normally around 250 yardswide (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/launch_vr_trench.shml)

In Tyne and Wear there were severalexamples of practice trenches which displaythe characteristic zigzag pattern. Only thoseat Cleadon Hills are still visible on theground, in the right light.

15 Hylton, entrenchments (HER5481)

A prehistoric adze was found during theexcavation of entrenchments on the brow ofthe hill above Hylton Castle during WorldWar One (Preston 1929 and Miket 1984).

16 Brunton, World War OnePractice trenches (HER 5030)

There were also practice trenches in thesefields, now ploughed away (informationprovided by Mr Fairburn 2002).

17 Whitburn Rifle Ranges andPractice Trenches (HER 2587)

At Whitburn there are five ranges, one 40yards long for side arms, and four for rifles(one of 600 yards, and three of 500 yards).

Radio mast at Cullercoats. Reproduced withpermission from Newcastle City Library Acc.46360

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The facility is still in use by the Ministry ofDefence. The ranges are possibly associatedwith a group of buildings on Mill Lane, whichmay be barrack blocks. The ranges overliesections of medieval ridge and furrowearthworks, remnants of the common fieldsassociated with Whitburn medieval village.World War One practice trenches can beseen on aerial photos to the south of themain ranges, laid out in the standard ‘zigzag’trench pattern.

18 Kibblesworth Common, RifleRange (HER 5295)

Showing clearly on the 3rd edition OrdnanceSurvey map from 1921, which shows firingpoints set out 200, 500 and 600 yards awayfrom the targets, the range dates from thepre-war period; World War One regulationsstrictly limited the lengths of firing ranges to500 yards. The range was probably set upand used by the Beamish Rifle Volunteers,who were absorbed into the Durham LightInfantry in 1910. The range and itsassociated structures are in a reasonablestate of preservation. A large brick lined pit,from which targets could be raised andlowered, exists in the heavily wooded area.In the western side of the pit baulks of woodare probably the remains of a targetframework. Behind the pit is a largeearthwork or ‘stop bank’, designed to preventmissed shots from causing damage, in whicha .303 bullet was recently found. Also in thewooded area is a small, windowless brickand concrete building with a steel door,probably used as an ammunition hut for therifle range (Harbottle 1992).


19 Brunton, World War One horsetraining area (HER 5031)

This was the site of a horse training andmarshalling area for horses before they wereposted to the front in France (informationprovided by Mr Fairburn 2002).

Whitburn Rifle Ranges. Photograph by Tim Gates copyright reserved

18

Section 2 Inter-War Period

Inter-War period

For fifteen years following the Armistice, thenation pursued a policy of minimumexpenditure on the armed forces – whatresources were available were focussed oncolonial requirements and defence againstan expected French threat. Hitler’s rise topower and the collapse of the Genevadisarmament talks in 1933 forced the Britishgovernment to undertake rearmament andre-align to counter a threat from across theNorth Sea rather than the Channel.

During the Munich Crisis of September 1938,leaders from many of the major Europeanpowers met in Munich to discuss Hitler’sattempts to gain control of the CzechSudetenland. Although eventually a decisionwas reached which managed to avert war (atleast until one year later when Hitler invadedPoland), it seemed at the time that a major

Red Barns. Reproduced with permission from Archaeological Services Durham University

conflict was both inevitable and imminent.The crisis led to acceleration in defensivepreparations, including the construction ofanti-aircraft batteries, like the one at RedBarns, South Tyneside (No 33. below), andthe hasty refurbishment of the coastaldefences. The major technical developmentwas the invention of Radar as an earlywarning system. By the mid 1930s, moveswere underway to integrate airfields, radarstations, anti-aircraft and searchlightbatteries, bombing decoys and barrageballoons into a coherent defensive system.The civilian population was mobilised on theeve of war to construct air raid shelters forcivil defence, in the event that bomberspenetrated the defensive screen (EnglishHeritage 2000).

19

Section 3 The Second World War

THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Figure 2

After the defeat of the British ExpeditionaryForce in France in the summer of 1940, thecountry braced itself for an expected attack.In the sixteen weeks from May 1940, newcoastal batteries were built using naval gunsfrom the scrapped warships of the FirstWorld War and existing positions wereheavily fortified with anti-tank obstacles. Anti-invasion defences were built to counter theexpected German invasion. This was the“coastal crust” of beach defences set up

under General Ironside, Commander in Chiefof Home Forces and later by Ironside’ssuccessor General Brooke. Obstructions andditches were put in place to hinder thelanding and take-off of troop-carrying aircraft,and to protect airfields and factories fromattack. Divisional stop-lines of pillboxes,road-blocks, trenches and pits were built todelay a German advance from the coast.From 1941 new anti-tank weapons such asspigot mortars were introduced ( English

20


Heritage 2000). Approximately 28,000pillboxes were constructed, of which fewerthan 6,000 still survive. Hundreds of miles ofanti-tank ditches and obstacles were set upacross Britain.

Coastal Batteries (Fig 2)

1 Tynemouth Castle (HER 135)

The castle was used throughout World WarTwo, with the defensive array virtuallyunchanged since 1914. The most notablealteration was the addition of a 4 inch navalgun in 1940, which was mainly intended as apractice weapon, used to train gun crews forarmed merchant vessels. In 1943, thedemand for regular army gunners overseasmeant that the Home Guard took over theoperation of the 9.2 inch gun for the rest ofthe war. It was not until November 1956 thatthe guns at the Castle were finally cut up andscrapped. Many standing remains from themodern military occupation of the site canstill be seen. The gun emplacementsthemselves have been recently restored, andare in good condition. A 6 inch gun can beseen in position in one of the emplacements.

Although it is not one of the original weaponsfrom this battery itself, it is a genuine 1944gun (although it has had later additions andrestoration). The magazines associated withthe batteries are also in a good state ofpreservation.

Scheduled Ancient MonumentEnglish Heritage GuardianshipPublic access with entrance feeNZ 374 693

2 Tynemouth, Spanish Battery(HER 136)

The two guns were retained as the mainarmament at the Spanish Battery throughboth World Wars. The battery was stooddown from active duty and placed in careand maintenance in 1943, before the gunswere finally removed and the batterydismantled in 1954. However, the remains ofthe gun emplacements are still clearly visibleboth on aerial photographs and on theground just south of the car park as largesemi-circular concrete structures, now beingused as foundations for park benches(Clarke and Rudd 1988 and 1989 and Foster2004).



21


These emplacements were disguised as seafront buildings. During World War Two, theland to the east of Clifford’s Fort was thefocus of military activity. Here the road andthe “moat” were enclosed with barbed wireand knife rests, and covered with barracks,air-raid shelters, welfare facilities and othertemporary buildings. A battery of two covered12-pounder quick firing guns, facing out tothe river entrance, was completed inNovember 1940 to provide defence againstmotor torpedo boats, and a Blacker Bombardposition (also known as a Spigot Mortar) andballoon barrage were also installed. One ironpiquet from the 1939-45 wire entanglement

surrounding the coastal battery survivesamong the boulders of the foreshore. On10th April 1941 a German bomber droppedfour high explosive bombs on the NorthGroyne and lifeboat house. The intendedtarget may have been the 12-pounderbattery: the first and only time that Clifford’sFort was subjected to enemy action(Northern Counties Archaeological Services2005). By 1942 the garrison housed 2officers and 54 men, but one year later thebattery’s operational role ceased, and in Mayof 1944 it was dismantled and the gunsstored at Tynemouth Castle. After the war, asingle gun was emplaced there for Anti-MotorTorpedo Boat (AMTB) defence. Many of thesubmarine mining buildings and gunemplacements have been demolished.

Large sections of walls and gun embrasuresfrom previous stages of occupation of the fortcan be seen, although some are masked bymodern fish processing units. Recently, theearliest artillery positions, bricked up in the1880s, have been reopened andconsolidated for display (Clarke and Rudd1988 and 1989, North East Civic Trust 2001,Foster 2004, Northern CountiesArchaeological Services 2003, 2004 and2005, Northern Archaeological Associates2005).

Listed grade 2* and a Scheduled AncientMonumentPublic AccessNZ 363 685

6 South Shields, Frenchman’sPoint Battery (HER 869)

One year after World War Two began, theoriginal battery location was requisitioned,and two 6 inch naval guns were mounted inthe old emplacements, manned by the 348thCoast Battery of the Royal Artillery.Temporary huts were built to support the site,and were camouflaged to look like existingsea front buildings. In March 1941, theseguns were again removed and taken to Park

Turning circle for a gun mount

Artillery emplacements

5 North Shields, Clifford’s Fort(HER 150)

There was brief usage of the Fort in WorldWar Two, when it became an emergencycoast battery, with two 12pdr guns andsearchlights emplaced in the same positionas the World War One guns had been.

22


Battery. Frenchman’s Point was re-equippedwith three long-range 7.5 inch guns takenfrom HMS Effingham, giving it a gun layoutwhich was not seen anywhere else in thecountry. However, technical difficultiesmeant that the battery was not operationaluntil early 1943. After this, it was only in usefor five months before the weapons weresold off in July 1943. The site is now in badcondition, although the aprons for the CoastArtillery Searchlight (CASL) to the north ofthe battery still remain. The site of these ison the headland known as Trow Point, and is

General Alan-Brooke inspects Roker Battery1940 – courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,London H5791

by hydraulics. However, this prototypeproved far too slow for effective use, and nomore were ever commissioned. A replica ofthe disappearing gun still stands on TrowPoint today, 10 metres away from the CASL(Clarke and Rudd 1989 and Foster 2004).

Trow Point – public accessNZ 383 666

8 Sunderland, Roker Battery(HER 86)

This remained unarmed until September1939, when a group from the Royal MarineSpecial Gun Mounting Party arrived atSunderland, and emplaced two 6 inch guns,along with two searchlights. Of all the WorldWar One buildings, only the magazine andthe Battery Observation Post (BOP) werereused, the latter refurbished in August 1940.To camouflage the true position of thebattery, it is reported that the BOP wasdisguised as a pub! As part of the dual roleanti-aircraft/coastal defence programme of1942 (see entry on Park Battery) it wassuggested that Roker should be equippedwith 5.25 inch dual role guns, althoughnothing ever came of this. In 1944, thebattery was placed in care and maintenance,before finally being decommissioned in 1951(Clarke and Rudd 1988 and 1989 and Foster2004).

Searchlight at Trow Point

Replica disappearing gun

visible as two circular concrete bases withmetal mounting points attached. These arevery close to another item of interest, the siteof an 1887 experiment into a ‘disappearinggun’: a gun which could be lowered into a pitwhile being loaded, giving protection to thecrew, before being raised into firing position

23


Water tower at Fort House. Reproduced withpermission from Colin Anderson

7 Marsden, Kitchener Battery(HER 4616)

The battery site saw some use in World WarTwo, when the underground complex wasrefurbished and used as an ammunitionstore. However, despite a proposal to addthree 9.2 inch radar guided guns there,Kitchener Battery would never again be usedto mount weapons. A command tower for the

Kitchener Battery and its sister site at Hartleywas built behind 47 Percy Gardens inTynemouth (see entry on 47a PercyGardens). Sadly, Kitchener battery has nowbeen entirely quarried away, although a fewscattered remains can be seen at its identicalsister site, Roberts Battery inNorthumberland. Near to Roberts Batterystands Fort House, which is listed grade 2,where the gun crews were billeted. Fort

House contained all the domestic facilitiesneeded by the gun crews, including showersand dormitories. It was defended by anoutside wall, and is also equipped with a rareexample of a World War One pillbox in thecorner of the compound (Clarke and Rudd1989, Foster 2004, Hogg 1984, Sockett1993/4).

20 South Shields, Park Battery(HER 966)

Unlike most of the coastal defence sites inTyne and Wear, this position, near NorthMarine Park in South Shields, had neverbeen used to mount guns before World WarTwo. Construction work began in May 1940,when a group of Royal Marines arrived toman the site, bringing two 6 inch guns withthem. In March 1941 the Marines wereposted abroad and so control of the site wastaken over by the 348 Coast Battery, whoreplaced Park Battery’s weapons with adifferent model of 6 inch gun brought fromthe battery at Frenchman’s Point. In January1943, the 6 inch guns were removedaltogether, leaving only a solitary searchlightstill operating in the Park. Meanwhile, anational plan drawn up in 1942 proposedthat, in order to economise on armsproduction, separate batteries for anti-aircraftand coastal defence should be replaced by anumber of dual role 5.25 inch gun sites

Roberts Battery. Reproduced with permissionfrom Colin Anderson

24


Anti-Aircraft defences(Fig 2)

Command Centres

The reorganisation of Britain’s air defencesbetween 1937 and 1940 was known as the‘Dowding System’ (after Sir Hugh Dowding,the chief of Fighter Command). This was thefirst truly integrated air defence system,which used information from radar stations,the Royal Observer Corps and other sourcesto control the response from anti-aircraftbatteries and sector airfields. The countrywas divided into four control groups, eachwith an operations room supported by a filterroom to prevent operations rooms beingswamped by information. Filter roomsreceived reports on enemy raids andreconciled any conflicting details beforepassing them on to the operations room,from where the defences would becontrolled. When the Dowding systembegan, every radar report in the country wassent to a central filter room at HQ Fightercommand in Stanmore. The reports werethen passed down to the relevant GroupOperations Room. In the case of 13 Group inNorthern England and Scotland, this wasKenton Bar bunker. However, by the end ofthe Battle of Britain, the filter room atStanmore was so overloaded withinformation that it was decided in December1940 to create separate filter rooms for eachof the Group Operations Rooms (Lowry1996).

22 Jesmond, Royal GrammarSchool, Regional War Room

The Regional War Room of the RegionalCommissioner was located at the RoyalGrammar School. Staff and pupils had beenevacuated to Penrith (Ripley and Pears1994-2000, D1858). The location of the firstbombs to fall in a district was alwaysreported to Region, who then reported to

which could be used against either ships oraircraft. Three 5.25 inch guns wereaccordingly mounted at South Shields in July1943, but by December of the same year ithad been decided to abandon the dual roleplan altogether. By this point, Park Batterywas the only site in the country to have beenfully converted, making it a unique site in thehistory of Britain’s Second World Wardefences. The battery remained in use forsome time after the peace of 1945, althoughin 1951 its dual role ceased, and control wasgiven over entirely to Anti-Aircraft Command.Five years later, the guns and theirmountings were removed, and the site wasreturned to the South Shields Corporation.Landscaping of the area means that nothingremains of the battery above ground.However, the layout of the site andemplacements can occasionally be seenfrom the air as parch marks in the grass(Clarke and Rudd 1988 and 1989 and Foster2004).


21 Barron’s Battery (HER 85)

To improve the defence of the Wear, anemergency battery was added at the mouthof the river in August 1940. Two 12 pounderQuick Firing guns were emplaced, one onthe north pier, the other on the south.Searchlights were added later in the sameyear. This dispersed set-up made commandof the battery very difficult, as a detourthrough Sunderland was necessary to getfrom one gun to the other. The battery waspraised in a 1941 inspection report, althoughthe emplacements lacked a command postor overhead covers (most batteries hadthese during World War Two due to theincreased threat of aerial attack). The sitewas placed in care and maintenance in April1944 before being completely abandoned bythe end of the year (Clarke and Rudd 1988and 1989).

25


Fighter Command. The important status ofthe school explains why it was provided withsubstantial air raid shelters (see No. 70,below) .

23 Kenton Bar, RAF 13 GroupHeadquarters (HER 5035)

In 1939, work was started on anunderground operations room at Kenton Barfor 13 Group, which covered the areabetween the Humber and the ShetlandIslands. It came into use on March 13 1940.The Operations Room contained a huge mapshowing the whole area covered by 13Group, allowing the positions of all theenemy and friendly aircraft squadrons in thenorth to be plotted accurately. Around theedges of this room was the viewing gallery,from which staff such as the Anti- AircraftLiaison Officer and the Commanding Officerhimself could monitor the progress of thebattle on the map table below them, and actaccordingly.

On the afternoon of August 15 1940, theKenton bunker had to coordinate theresponse to a massive daylight Luftwaffeattack, in which around 140 aircraft based inNorway simultaneously attacked airfields inthe north of England, including RAF Usworthnear Sunderland. Faulty German intelligencehad predicted that the north’s defences hadbeen depleted, with many aircraft redeployedfurther south. This was not the case,

however, and the Kenton Bar operationsroom directed Spitfires from RAF Acklingtonin Northumberland to intercept the mainformation over the Farne Islands. TheGerman aircraft split up, with one groupheading for Tyneside, and the other movingfurther south. Fighting continued assquadrons were called up from RAF Usworthand RAF Catterick, and less than two hourslater it became clear that the British forceshad won a convincing victory. Seven enemyfighters and eight Heinkel 111 bombers wereshot down by 13 Group, while official sourcesclaim that there was “no damage of militaryimportance” to the defending forces. Thiswas clearly a very successful day for theforces controlled from Kenton Bar, and it ledto a complete change in German tactics: alarge daylight raid was never attemptedagain in the north.

Kenton Bar remained the headquarters forair defences north of the Humber for the nextthree years, although its responsibilities werereduced when 14 Group was created inOctober 1940 to control Scotland. In 1943,the air defence network was againreorganised, and, on July 15, 13 Group wasdisbanded, and Kenton Bar (by now knownas RAF Blakelaw) was downgraded to aSector Operations Room under the control of12 Group.

The western entrance to the undergroundcommand centre is a single storey concreteand brick built structure, and the eastern

Viewing gallery

Western entrance

26


entrance, a small brick and concrete buildingwith a steel door and shuttered windows.There are also a variety of ventilation shaftsaround the site, as well as several largeconcrete pyramids arranged in groups, whichwould have been used to support radiomasts. Nearby was (demolished 2004 butrecorded beforehand) a single storey brickgenerator building, with a thick blast wall(Kenton Local History Society 1989, Hunter1995 and 2002 and Mabbitt 2003 and 2004).

Kenton Bunker is listed grade 2.

24 Blakelaw, Filter Room(HER 5034)

In 1940 a new underground filter room wasbuilt at the site of the Blakelaw Quarry. Thiswas smaller than the bunker at Kenton Bar,but was built to a similar pattern. After 13Group was disbanded, the filter room waspassed on to 321 Squadron, part of 22Group. In 1952, the bunker was bought bythe council, who fitted it out to act as the CivilDefence Control Centre Headquarters. Itcontinued in this capacity until at least 1968,when central funding for Civil Defence wasended. From 1980 until around 1996, thebunker was used as a training centre for

local Sea Cadets, known as the TS Nelson,at which time many of the internal featureswere changed and updated.

The Bunker itself is still in good condition,although it has undergone some alterations.The surface of the site is covered withconcrete, surrounded by a small brick wall.There were two entrances to the bunkerabove ground, as well as various otherstructures, such as ventilation shafts andpiping. Inside, the bunker is built on twoMast bases

Blast walls of generator house

27


levels and is in good structural condition,although most of the fittings, such as theelectricity system, probably date from its useas a Civil Defence installation, and later as atraining base for the Sea Cadets. Manyoriginal features have been removedaltogether, such as the filtration plant and theanti-gas units.

In a response to anti-social behaviour on thesite, the bunker is being buried to ensure itspreservation for future generations and thesite converted into a garden. It wasarchaeologically recorded beforehand(Parker 2004 and Mabbitt 2003 and 2004).

25 Gosforth, Melton Park,Command Post (HER 5571)

Low Gosforth House. Reproduced withpermission of Northumberland County ArchivesService NRO 2294/79


This anti-aircraft gun operations room wasbased in Low Gosforth House in MeltonPark, which was rebuilt after a fire in 1878.As the house was never designed withmilitary use in mind, it would have been avery vulnerable target in the event of asurprise commando raid. To prepare for itsnew role, the house was equipped with twopillboxes. Low Gosforth House wasdemolished in the early 1970s (informationprovided by Alan Rudd).

14 Cullercoats, Brown’s Point,Radio Telegraph Station (HER5519)

The station remained in use as acommunications station into World War Two,when the staff were recruited into the HomeGuard. Eyewitness reports claim that thebuildings suffered from some bomb damagewhen a German parachute mine landed onsome nearby rocks. After the war, the stationcontinued in its communications role, andwas used as part of the Coast Radio Stationservice until 1999. The site remains in goodcondition, and the basic structure of bothbuildings is little changed, although theirfittings have been removed. The site is nowconverted to residential use (Mabbitt 2002).

One of the two remaining buildings is listedgrade 2.

Radio mast bases

28


Military Airfields

At the end of the First World War there wereabout 300 airfields in the UK; by 1945 thefigure had risen to over 6,000. Only twosignificant bases were located in our area,both of which found roles in post-war civilianaviation.

26 RAF Usworth (HER 1824)

Aircraft were first flown from the West TownMoor or Hylton site that would later becomeRAF Usworth in October 1916, when it was astation for one of the flights in No. 36Squadron, who were located here inresponse to the recent Zeppelin raids on thearea. For most of the 1920s, the airfield wasleft largely unused, although the fabric of thebase was added to when the construction ofa large ‘Lamella’ hanger began in 1929,based on a German design. This wouldappear to have been in preparation for thereactivation of the base in March 1930 as ahome for the new day bomber squadron, No.607 (County of Durham), part of the RoyalAuxiliary Air Force. However, no personnel oraircraft from the squadron actually arriveduntil September 1932. In 1937, the regular103 (B) Squadron moved in, although theyrelocated south to Abingdon in September1939.

At the start of World War Two, Usworth wasredesignated as a Sector Fighter Stationunder the Dowding System [see entry onKenton Bar Bunker], and, as part of 13Group, was placed under the control of thenew Group Operations Room at the KentonBar bunker. In 13 Group’s most famousaction, the defeat of a massive Luftwaffe raidon the north of England on August 15, 1940,Usworth played an important role. FlawedGerman intelligence had mistakenlyidentified Usworth as a major fighter base,and designated it as one of the primarytargets for the raid. A massive, co-ordinatedresponse managed to repel the raid with very

little loss, and 607 Squadron (based atUsworth at the time) shot down four GermanHeinkel aircraft while defending their homebase. This attack saw the end of large scaleaerial fighting over the North East, and fromthen on Usworth was used mostly as atraining base. From around 1943 onwards,flying from Usworth seems to have dwindledto almost nothing, partly due to theestablishment of a number of barrageballoon sites nearby, which made any flying,and especially the training of inexperiencedpilots, very hazardous. After the war, theairfield began to be used more, and in 1962was bought from the RAF by SunderlandCorporation, becoming Sunderland Airport,catering mainly for light aircraft.

The construction of the A19 and the massiveNissan car plant development that began in1986 has destroyed much of the originalairfield. Originally, it had three different typesof hangar, two runways, and eight dispersalpoints. These dispersals would each houseaircraft, scattering them around the airfield,and making them less susceptible to airattack. Aircraft pens at some of the dispersalpoints show up on aerial photos taken in1956, and seem to be of a classic design, in

Pickett Hamilton fort

29


which earth was piled up in the shape of aletter E, giving two bays that would eachharbour one fighter, affording them someprotection against a bomb blast. The sitealso had substantial defences againstground attack, and was guarded by threePickett Hamilton forts (see below), severalother pillboxes, at least one Bren gunemplacement, and a Battle HQ - anunderground bunker with a concreteobservation cupola attached, from where theairfield’s ground based defences would becontrolled. Almost all of the airfield and itsancillary buildings have now been destroyedby recent developments, and the 1929Lamella hanger was removed recently,leaving only two blast mounds and a PickettHamilton fort still intact. The North EastAircraft Museum is now housed at the site(Smith 1983 and history by D. Charles onhttp://www.neam.co.uk/usworth2.html, Ripleyand Pears 1994-2006).

Public Access to Sunderland AircraftMuseumNZ 340 590

27 RAF Woolsington (NewcastleAirport) (HER 4928)

The establishment of an airfield in Newcastlewas first proposed in 1929, prompted by theAir Ministry. After various sites wereconsidered, including the Town Moor, workstarted in 1934 near Woolsington, and theairfield was opened in July 1935. Although itwas primarily for civilian use, there was somemilitary involvement before the war: both theRAF Volunteer reserve and the Civil AirGuard (who in times of emergency would beused to ferry goods and aircraft) used theairfield. When war broke out in 1939, the AirMinistry took over the entire running of thesite, renaming it RAF Woolsington, andestablished it as a satellite station of RAFAcklington and Ouston. Many support andtraining units were based at Woolsingtonthrough its history. In July 1940, 83

Maintenance Unit was set up, and taskedwith salvaging crashed aircraft throughoutthe north of England, once even removingthe wreckage of a “Flying Fortress” bomberfrom the slopes of Skiddaw, one of thehighest of the Lakeland fells. Also stationedat Woolsington were No. 281 Squadron, whohelped with Air-Sea rescue, and somemembers of Training Unit 62, which trainedradar operators for night fighters. There werealso some fighting squadrons who operatedfrom Woolsington. From 1939-1940, No. 72Squadron were based in Acklington, but keptsome detachments at Newcastle to mountnight patrols. One 72 Squadron Spitfire,flying from Woolsington, managed to shootdown a German Junker aircraft, one of thefew times that a Spitfire claimed a victory atnight. A World War Two era RAF Bellmanhanger built on the site can still be seentoday, although due to the airport’s securityarrangements it is not possible to get closeto it (Smith 1983, Sleight 1993 and Ripleyand Pears 1994-2006).

30


Pickett Hamilton Forts

These forts were a type of pillbox unique toairfields, and were often placed down thevery centre of the runway. The designinvolved a short concrete cylinder with firingholes or ‘embrasures’ in the side. Thiscylinder could be raised or lowered by apneumatic jack so that in normal conditionsthe pillbox roof would lie completely flushwith the ground, allowing easy take off andlanding for aircraft. Should the airfield beattacked, the jack would raise up the pillboxby 2 ft in just fifteen seconds, allowing a twoman crew to man the post, and fire out of theembrasures. The fort itself would also act asa physical obstruction, preventing any enemyaircraft from landing on the runway (Lowry1996, 124). The design for these pillboxeswas first registered in June 1940, and by theend of the year three had been installed atUsworth, although shortages of pneumatic

jacks meant that they were not yetoperational. RAF Woolsington, nowNewcastle Airport, was also equipped withthree of these forts. One can still be seen atthe former site of RAF Usworth, resited fromthe runway, standing on a grass verge justinside the gates of the North East AircraftMuseum (Lowry 1996).

Public Access to Sunderland AircraftMuseumNZ 340 590

Radar system (Fig 2)

The development of the radar system from1935 onwards gradually rendered acousticmirrors obsolete (see entry on Fulwellacoustical mirror). At the start of World WarTwo, radar detection had been providedsolely by the network of stations codenamed“Chain Home”, which had begundevelopment in 1935. Although Chain Homecould detect objects at high altitudeseffectively, it performed poorly against lowflying aircraft. Therefore a new systemknown as “Chain Home Low” began to beinstalled from October 1939 onwards, givingimproved low level cover. Another low levelradar system, Coastal Defence/Chain HomeLow, began trials in late 1940, initiallydeveloped by the army as anti-shippingradar, intended to give early warning of anapproaching invasion fleet. It was lateragreed that, instead of being solely operatedby the army, the Coastal Defence/ChainHome Low system would link up with theRAF’s existing Chain Home Low system togive integrated low level coverage, reducingthe need for new radar stations to be built.Between July 1942 and the end of 1943, allof the army Coastal Defence/Chain HomeLow stations were handed over to RAFcontrol (Lowry 1996, 36).

28 Marsden, Radar Station(HER 5523 and 5887)

Some time before February 1942, a CoastalDefence/Chain Home Low set wasestablished at Marsden, and codenamedstation M-39. Later that year, the low coverradar chain was again remodelled, after thedevelopment of ‘centimetric radar’, a type ofradar that used a much shorter wavelengththan previous types. This radar gave evenbetter results at low level than standardChain Home Low sets, and became knownas Chain Home Extra Low. Stations whichoperated it were designated as K-Stations.Station M-39 at Marsden was allocated a Mk5 Coastal Defence radar, one of the earliest

Pickett Hamilton fort, Usworth

31


Chain Home Extra Low sets, in July of 1942,and this came into use by the end of theyear. The equipment would have taken theform of a parabolic aerial receiver mountedon the roof of a building. This particular typeof equipment was a static design, unlikesome other radar sets which were able to bedismounted and transported easily. Sometime between January 1943 and January1944, the Coastal Defence/Chain Home Lowstation at Marsden was shut down. Thenearby Chain Home Extra Low may haveremained open until the overhaul of the radarsystem in 1947, when it was decided that allChain Home Low and Extra Low sitesoutside of the ‘defended area’ (principally thesouth east coast of England) should bedismantled (Lowry 1996 and Dobinson2000).

29 Dinnington, GroundControlled Interception Station(HER 5888)

Codenamed station 14G, this was used forguiding night fighters onto attackingbombers. The earliest stations were “mobile”- they had equipment on wheeled caravansand temporary wooden hutting.“Intermediate” stations had aerial arraysmounted above and below a metal gantry,with separate operations huts. “Final”stations built from 1942 onwards had a brickoperations block, known as a “Happidrome”,with a single rotating aerial array, with theequipment housed in a well underneath(Lowry 1996 and Dobinson 2000). TheDinnington GCI Station was in operation byApril 1941.

Anti-aircraft batteries(Fig 3)

Light anti-aircraft batteries used smaller,faster-firing weapons, such as standardmachine guns like the Lewis and Bren guns,to target low flying aircraft.

30 Usworth, Bren Gun site (HER5402)

This was a light anti-aircraft battery,positioned to defend the approach to theairfield.

31 Earsdon, weapons pit andpillbox (HER 5366)

A weapons pit was typically a position cutinto the ground for the protection of artilleryor machine gun, with an adjacent pillbox.

Heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) batteries typicallyused large calibre ordinance, suitable fortargeting high flying aircraft. Until late 1940virtually all HAA sites were temporary,consisting of earthwork gun pits and tentedaccommodation. Guns were generallymobile. By the middle of the war, static HAAbatteries were constructed on an industrialscale, with extensive supporting infra-structure. They utilised a number of differenttypes of weapon, ranging from a 3 inch 20cwt gun (the standard HAA weapon duringWW1 and used well into WW2), which couldfire a shell to a height of 23,500 ft, up to a5.25 inch Mk 2 gun, which could fire a shellup to 43,000 ft. Some of the first 5.25 inchbatteries were positioned on the coast andhad a dual coastal defence/anti-aircraft role.A typical HAA gun site consisted of acommand post (rectangular concrete or bricksemi-sunken structure often protected byearth banks), and was usually located at thecentre of a 39.6m radius semi-circle of gunpits. There would also be one or twoshelters, one for gun maintenance (limbergunner’s shelter) and the other for the gundetachment. Ammunition was stored inmagazines. Instruments and spare partswere kept in the gun store. Domestic HAAsites also had Nissen and timber huts,workshops and garages and often a sewagetreatment plant. A concrete service road ledfrom the main gate via the magazine aroundthe command post, with offshoots to eachgun pit. In plan this gave the site a “four leafclover” shape (Lowry 1996, 48-59).

32


Anti-aircraft batteries were concentratedaround the “Vulnerable Points” that attractedenemy attack, but were sited away fromheavily built-up areas to give a good field ofview, and to be clear of urban smog whichoften accumulated above the coal-firedhouses of Tyneside (Fig 2). They operated inclose collaboration with the searchlight units,which were spread across the countryside,so as not to reveal the presence of the townsand industrial centres which were hidden bythe black-out; searchlights were visible formany tens of miles.

Figure 3

Brian Pears’ “When Bombs Fell on RowlandsGill” records that on 1 May 1942 the FellsideRoad battery could be heard firing at enemyaircraft with a “Big Bertha” gun. Terrifyinglythe “ground shook and windows rattled fourmiles away when her 50lb shell thunderedinto the night sky” (Ripley and Pears, diaryreference N971). On the same day theHillheads Road battery was also in action,firing on enemy raiders “silhouetted againstthe moon. Shrapnel from the bursting AAshells pattered down, damaging the roofs inNorman Terrace, Rowlands Gill” (Ripley andPears 1994-2006, N971).

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32 Whitburn, Lizard Lane, HeavyAnti-Aircraft Battery Tyne S(HER1795)

This Heavy Anti-Aircraft site was establishedsome time during World War Two. It wasarmed with four 3.7 inch static guns, whichwere the standard HAA weapon of the time,and remained in use until the late 1950s.Such weapons could fire to a maximumheight of 32,000ft, and were designed toshoot down high flying bombers. The sitealso had two Bofors guns (quick firingweapons, used against faster aircraft flying

below 5,000 feet), and two rocket batteries(see below). The Home Guard operated thisbattery from 1941 until the end of the war in1945. It still exists on private land(information provided by Alan Rudd, RogerJ.C. Thomas and Timescape ArchaeologicalSurveys 1999) .

Reproduced with permission from ArchaeologicalServices Durham University

33 Fellgate, Red Barns Farm,Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery(HER 1796)

An important site, one of the few “MunichCrisis” batteries to survive, it was designated“Tyne D”. Sir Thomas Inskip’s 1937

34


The armaments at Red Barns Farm changedand developed throughout the war. It wasoriginally equipped with four 3.7 inch guns. In1942 these were replaced with 4.5 inch guns,although these were changed back to 3.7inch after a brief period. At its largest, in1944, the site had four 3.7 inch guns, two

Reproduced with permission from Archaeological Services Durham University

defensive plan located an anti-aircraft (AA)site here, along with a total of 64 AA guns toprotect the coast between the Tyne and theTees. However, by the time of generalmobilisation on the 24th August 1939, therewere only nine anti-aircraft guns defendingthe Tyne, four of which were at Red BarnsFarm.

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35 Cleadon, Heavy Anti-AircraftBattery (HER 4912)

This site, designated as Tyne O, is shown onthe 1:10,560 scale OS map of 1951 althoughnot in detail, perhaps for security reasons. Itis also shown on the 1:10,000 scale OS mapof 1968. Aerial photographs held by theNational Monuments Record, Swindon showthat it was derelict by 1956, with somedemolition of buildings on the westernportion of the complex having taken place.By 1965 most buildings in the western parthad been removed, although those on theeastern side remained. Roger JC Thomas ofEnglish Heritage interprets the site as aheavy anti-aircraft battery that was mannedby territorial units of the Royal Artillery. Thebattery operated between February 1940 andJanuary 1946. It was a “fixed site” whichincluded anti-aircraft guns, a gun-layingradar, machine gun posts around the site, amagazine, canteen, guardroom, pillbox, gunstore, barracks and a Bofors gun pit. All werewithin a barbed wire perimeter. The site wasdowngraded in the early 1950s to anunmanned unit ready for rapid response. Thesite was finally stood down in 1956 and wasprobably returned to the landowner by theearly 1960s. The site is now occupied bySunderland Association Football Club’straining academy (information provided byRPS Consultants 2000, Roger J.C. Thomasand Dobinson 2001).

Other HAA batteriesBlakelaw Tyne Y (HER 5513)Carley Hill Tyne U (HER 5509)Castletown Tyne W (HER 5511)Fellside Road Tyne G (HER 5497)Gosforth Tyne J (HER 5499)Grindon Tyne R (HER 5507)Heworth Tyne E (HER 5495)Harton Tyne C (HER 5494)Howdon Tyne L (HER 5501)Lobley Hill Tyne F (HER 5496)Longbenton Tyne K (HER 5500)

40mm Bofors quick firing guns, and asearchlight. There were also a number ofancillary buildings supporting the site, suchas a command post, two magazines, a gunstore, a canteen, shower block, garage and amotor transport workshop. This site wasdecommissioned at the end of the war.

Most batteries built before 1939 are ofsignificantly higher quality than thoseconstructed under the pressures of wartime.This held true for Red Barns, which untilrecently had survived much better than manyother battery sites. Also, as it was not reusedor upgraded after the war, Red Barnsshowed excellent survival of its original form.Until very recently, Red Barns Farm wasregarded one of the very best preservedHeavy Anti-Aircraft batteries in the country,and probably the best surviving pre-warexample. However, recent site preparationworks in advance of mineral extraction havemeant that many of the buildings have beendemolished (information provided by AlanRudd and Roger J.C. Thomas of EnglishHeritage, and Dobinson 2001, ArchaeologicalServices University of Durham 2002).

34 Tynemouth, Broadway, HeavyAnti-Aircraft Battery (HER1919)

The Broadway is the site of a former 4.5 inchheavy anti-aircraft battery (designated TyneA), which once had four concrete gunpositions with ready-use ammunitions stores.A command post, with predictor (spottingtelescope and computer to predict the target)was situated at the rear and close by to theright was a GL2 radar installation which wasoriginally surrounded by an octagonal fencedenclosure. This site appears on old aerialphotographs, but is now destroyed and hasbeen built over (Dobinson 2001 andStevenson 1998).

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Ryhope Tyne Q (HER 5506)South Shields, Horsley Hill Tyne B (HER5493)Southwick Tyne V (HER 5510)Tunstall Tyne P (HER 5505)Tynemouth Tyne A and Z (HER 5514)Walker Tyne N (HER 5503)Westerhope Tyne H (HER 5498)Whitley Bay Tyne T (HER 5508)

Rocket Batteries (Fig 3)

34 Tynemouth, The Broadway,Rocket Battery (HER 5492)

Rocket batteries, or Z batteries, wereintroduced in 1940 as an addition to the anti-aircraft defence array. They consisted ofsimple launchers and projectiles, whichmade them easy to use, but gave a very lowlevel of accuracy. Their effectiveness reliedon firing very large numbers of explosives atan enemy in the hope that one would hit. Atthe site in Tynemouth there were 64 separatelaunchers, each operated by a two mancrew. An individual launcher would have hadtwo barrels, with one rocket in each. Siteswould usually have some form of supportbuildings, such as Nissen huts and troopshelters, but they were often notably lessdeveloped than conventional Light andHeavy Anti-Aircraft sites. There were somebuildings unique to ZAA sites, such as TroopControl Posts. These gave cover to thecommander of each troop of launchers as hecontrolled the firing of his men. There was nouniversal design for these posts, which couldbe wooden huts, sandbaggedemplacements, Nissen huts or trenches(Lowry 1996, 61). It is unclear what form theytook at Tynemouth, but there would havebeen four in total, with each one responsiblefor 16 launchers.

There were also Rocket Batteries at Harton(HER 5502) and Seaburn (HER 5512), eachwith 64 projectiles (information provided byAlan Rudd).

Searchlight Batteries(Fig 3)

Searchlights in the Tyneside area weremanned by men of the Royal Artilleryattached to the Northumberland Fusiliers,under the control of fighter command. Whenthe Royal Artillery were posted on the southcoast in advance of the D-Day invasion, the225th Anti Aircraft Artillery (SearchlightBatallion) USA took over. Their headquarterswas at Debdon Gardens in Newcastle (HER5559). Many of the searchlight sites wereused as low security POW camps after theAmerican troops left, accommodating theprisoners who were working on local farms.The use of searchlights as anti-aircraftdefences began in World War One anddespite the introduction of Radar technologybefore World War Two, searchlights were stillvery necessary, used to guide anti- aircraftfire and to direct interceptors at night, as wellas forcing enemy bombers to fly higher,reducing bombing accuracy. They could alsobe used to help friendly fighters back tobase. Most searchlight sites consisted of acircular earthwork, usually 10m in diameterfor a 90cm light. There would have been anumber of ancillary huts on site, such asdomestic buildings and generators (Lowry1996, 63 and http://www.skylighters.org).

36 Heaton, Debdon Gardens, DrillHall (HER 5559)

This was the headquarters for ‘A’ battery ofthe 225th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (SearchlightBattalion) USA, an American unit who werebased in the North East in early 1944. Theyleft the North East four days before D-Day,and landed on Juno Beach as part of theNormandy invasion. After the war, the drillhall became home to the Tyne ElectricalEngineers (TA), one of the first TerritorialArmy searchlight units to be formed, and it isstill used as a TA centre today. The mainbuilding survives, heavily modified andmodernised, but still recognisable from its

37


wartime days. The other buildings on the sitehave mostly been demolished, although theoriginal garage block is still in use. Just nextto the main gate a solitary searchlight standsas a monument to the history of the base.http://www.skylighters.org

37 Ryton, Searchlight Battery(HER 5530)

On this site, the accommodation hut stillstands. In Spring 1944 this site, along withmost others in the area, was manned by theAmerican 225th Anti-Aircraft Artillery(Searchlight Battalion), (information providedby Alan Rudd and http://www.skylighters.org).

Debdon Gardens Drill Hall

Other Searchlight batteriesBenwell TT141 (HER 5529)Biddick TT233 (HER 5533)Billy Mill TT134 (HER 5527)Birtley (HER 5563)Brenkley TT125 (HER 5561)Cleadon TT216 (HER 5541)Cullercoats, Smuggler’s Cave TT132 (HER5558)Easington Lane TT223 (HER 5566)Fellside TT245 (HER 5535)Gosforth TT136 (HER 5528)Harton TT211 (HER 5537)Heaton, Armstrong Park TT135 (HER 5562)Hebburn TT217 (HER 5542)High Spen (Bone Hill) TT244 (HER 5564)

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Holystone (HER 5524)Houghton-le-Spring TT224 (HER 5567)Marsden Hall (HER 5565)Palmersville TT131 (HER 5525)Ravensworth TT246 (HER 5536)Ryhope TT226 (HER 5568)Ryton TT142 (HER 5530)Seaburn TT215 (HER 5540)Seaton Burn TT124 (HER 5560)South Shields, Frenchman’s Bay TT213(HER 5538)Springwell TT231 (HER 5532)Tynemouth Pier (HER 1572)Tynemouth, Sharpness Point TT133 (HER5526)Usworth TT237 (HER 5534)Whitburn TT214 (HER 5539)Woolsington TT146 (HER 5531

Royal Observer CorpsPosts (Fig 4)

Originally formed in 1925 to report and plotenemy aircraft, the first observers wereinitially enrolled as special constables.Observer Corps (OC) posts were usuallyvery simple in design, often consisting ofnothing more than a dug-out reinforced withsandbags. A simple wheel was used to plotthe bearings of an enemy aircraft. By 1938there was a network of observation postsspaced about ten miles apart, with up to fourposts in a cluster, linked by telephone to theirdistrict centre. The simple wheel device wasreplaced by a “Post Instrument”, an opticaldevice which would give the bearing, gridposition and approximate height of anaircraft. Although improvements in Radartechnology meant that aircraft could beplotted without having to rely on humanobservers, the OC was still an essential partof the air defence network, and fedinformation directly into the filter rooms aspart of the Dowding System. OC posts wereespecially important given that, before theadvent of the Ground Controlled Interceptionradar stations (which were placed inland), allChain Home radar sites [see entry onMarsden Radar Station] were placed facingout to sea, to give early warning of raids. TheOC was therefore the only effective way ofplotting aircraft overland. In April 1941 it wasgranted the official title of “Royal ObserverCorps”. In September 1941 women wereaccepted as observers. In October 1942ROC posts were equipped with an electricprojector which could fire a flare to warn of alow flying enemy aircraft. By 1944 they wereequipped with radar. The ROC disbanded inMay 1945. There had been some 32,000observers and over 1,000 observation posts(Lowry 1996, Ripley and Pears 1994-2006).

Searchlight at Debdon Gardens

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Figure 4

38 Washington/Hastings Hill,Royal Observer Corps Post(HER 5881)

This post, designated No. 2 of E Cluster, waspart of 30 Group, based in County Durham. Itcame into use in December 1936 nearWashington, but was moved further north inor before April 1943. It remained in thisposition for the rest of the War. In or beforeDecember 1949, this post moved further

south to Hastings Hill (Dobinson 2000, Lowry1996, Wood 1992 and http://subbrit.org.uk).

Other ROC postsBirtley (HER 5878)Kenton (HER 7070)Springwell (HER 5879)Sunderland (HER 5882)Tynemouth (HER 5885)Washington (HER 5880, 5883 and 5884)Whitley Bay (HER 5886)

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Barrage Balloons (Fig 4)

These were first used in World War One andthroughout World War Two. They forcedenemy aircraft to fly high, so they did notbecome entangled in the balloon’s tetheringcable, thus providing an easier target forfighters and anti-aircrafts gunners andreducing the accuracy of bombing.Unfortunately some of our own aircraftoccasionally collided with balloon cables.There were also frequent reports of balloonsworking loose and causing damage tobuildings. For instance, Ripley and Pearsrecord that on 14 October 1941, St. George’sChurch in Cullercoats was damaged by adrifting balloon (diary reference D773) andon 16 October 1942 a barrage balloon in CityRoad, Newcastle caught fire. Barrageballoons were either positioned around theperimeter of large vulnerable points or were“field sited” - moored over a circular area.They were an RAF responsibility. Equipmentwas usually mobile and based on lorries.When inflated they measured 66 feet longand needed 20,000 cubic feet of hydrogen tofill them. Today the main evidence of their

Benton Barrage Balloon Station

location on the ground will be a ring ofcylindrical concrete tethering blocks.Regional Balloon Centres, which acted asheadquarters for the balloon units andstorage depots had two unique buildings - aballoon shed or balloon hangar, where theballoons could be test inflated, and theballoon storage shed with gantries over eachof its four doors. The Benton BalloonBarrage Station (HER 5673) was responsiblefor collecting the remains of destroyedballoons and their cable. This building wasphotographed in 1992, surrounded by timberhuts, not long before it was demolished.There was a complex of pillboxes in this area(HER 5433, 5434 and 5436), which wouldhave offered protection for the site (Lowry1996, 63 and Ripley and Pears 1994-2006)

39 South Shields, NorthForeshore, Barrage Balloon(HER 5546)

A German mine-laying Heinkel bomber hit abarrage balloon cable on the NorthForeshore in February 1941, crashing intoBeach Road in South Shields, killing all of

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the crew. Twenty minutes after the crash anunexploded mine among the wreckagedetonated, with a blast was so large that itwas heard in central Newcastle, and theresultant flames were used by other enemybombers as a target, resulting in extensivebomb-damage on neighbouring BroderickStreet. (Ripley and Pears 1994-2006)

Beach Road, South Shields. Reproduced withpermission from South Shields Central LibraryNo.5.07

Other barrage balloon sitesByker, St Michael’s RoadDenton, Western AvenueDunstonElswick/Rye HillHowdon (HER 5549 and 5550)Jarrow (HER 5549)Jesmond, Oakland RoadNewcastle, City Road and Leazes ParkNorth Shields (HER 5544, 5545, 5548, 5551-5554)Ouseburn TipPelawSouth Shields (HER 5546, 5555 and 5556)Sunderland (HER 5557)Tynemouth (HER 5543 and 5547)Westerhope – The Balloon Public Houserecalls its presence

Bombing decoys (Fig 4)

In World War One, there had been someattempts to confuse enemy bombers byestablishing dummy airfields in France. In

October 1939 a similar idea was begun, buton a much larger scale, involving numerousairfield decoys all over Britain, equipped withfake aircraft and buildings. By the end of thewar, a number of different types of decoyexisted, such as the so-called “Q sites” whichused an array of lights to make themselveslook like airfields operating at night. The nextgeneration of decoys exploited standardGerman night time bombing procedures. TheLuftwaffe’s strategy for bombing missionsinvolved sending a first wave of path-finderaircraft to mark out the targets withincendiary bombs. A second wave wouldfollow up, and use the fires as their targets,dropping high explosives on them. Tomislead this second wave of bombers,decoys code-named “QF sites” began to bedeveloped from June 1940. These decoysites were built in unoccupied areas, wherefires would be lit in the hope that the secondwave of bombers would mistake these fortheir real targets. QF decoys were followed inlate 1940 by the more sophisticated SF(Special Fire) sites, which used differenttypes of fire and special effects to give amore realistic impression from the air thatbuildings were ablaze – such as woodenbaskets and metal braziers full of burningcoal or impressive pyrotechnics. To give theimpression of a blaze at an industrial site, a“boiling oil fire” would be used, which wouldmix water and vaporised oil. SF arrays werelit by electrical ignition from a control shelter.

QL sites used lights and other tricks tosimulate an industrial or urban area. Forexample, signal lights would be placed inrows to imitate a railway line, and trays of soilwith red electric lights above would be usedto duplicate the glow of an industrial furnace.As Britain observed an almost total blackoutduring the air war, it would be obvious thatany fully lit complex was a decoy. Therefore,specially designed lights were used at QLsites, designed to look like a factory whichhad been blacked out, but badly. Light boxeswere designed that would allow a small crackof light to shine through, giving theimpression from the air of a blacked out

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building with one door left ajar, while othermodels would imitate a partially blacked outskylight. Although shipyards and otherindustrial sites worked around the clock tosupply the war effort, when an air raidwarning was issued the lights at realfactories would be entirely switched off. Thedummy lights at QL sites would then be lit,and would stay on just long enough for theenemy bombers to spot them, beforethemselves being turned off, to make theeffect more realistic.

The construction of SF sites (often referredto as ‘Starfish’ sites) began nationally inDecember 1940, allocated to industrial citieslike Newcastle, whose entire Starfish systemwas in place by the end of January 1941,making it the fifteenth city to be equippedwith SF sites. They remained in place untilFebruary 1944. Throughout the war, decoysnationally managed to attract a total of 674enemy attacks, while the Air HistoricalBranch calculated that 2221 tonnes ofbombs were diverted away from their realtargets by decoys. Although these figuresmay not be entirely accurate, it is clear thatthe decoy system was indeed successful indrawing raids away from cities, shipyards,and factories. How many lives were savedas a result will never be known (Lowry 1996,64, Dobinson 2000).

40 Scaffold Hill Bombing DecoySF15a (HER 1827)

It would appear that the Starfish site atScaffold Hill was sufficiently realistic from theair to convince enemy air crews, for it wasbombed at least once during World War Two(information from Alan Rudd and Dobinson2000).

41 Whickham Bombing DecoyQF/QL12d (HER 5518)

The bombing decoy in Whickham seems tohave had a dual role as both a QF and QLsite. On private land (information provided byAlan Rudd, Lowry 1996 and Dobinson 2000).

42 Whitburn, Wellands FarmBombing Decoy (HER 5515)

This was a Starfish site, like that at ScaffoldHill, and was designated SF15e. However, itseems to have had some extra pieces ofequipment, such as dummy lighting andindustrial paraphernalia more commonlyseen at QL sites (such as the one atWhickham). Fred Pippet, an RAF officer fromTyneside, had responsibility for all of thedecoys between Scarborough and Berwickon the east coast, and between Workingtonand Dumfries on the west. He kept detailednotes about all the sites under his command,and recorded that this Starfish had fake“dock lighting, factory lighting and glow fromlocomotives”. To make the site look moreauthentic from the air, they added “sparks,fire and smoke - the lot”. The crew room fromwhich the decoys were controlled is of aclassic design for Starfish control shelters: arectangular brick area for the crew, and twolarge concrete blast walls protecting the door.These designs often had soil piled up aroundthem for protection and camouflage.Whether this was the case here is uncertain;there is no trace of an earth mound now.Wellands Farm was bombed on Tuesday 8April 1941 (Owen 1990, Ripley and Pears1994-2006, N583). On private land.

Other bombing decoy sitesKibblesworth QL12b and SF15b (HER 5517)Ryhope QL12f and SF15d (HER 5934) – adecoy for Sunderland DocksSilksworth QL12g (HER 5520) – a decoy forSilksworth Coke Ovens and marshalling yard

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Springwell QL12b (HER 5516) – a decoy forthe north bank of the Tyne and naval yardsWest Boldon QL12i and SF15c (HER 5522)– decoy for Tyneside DocksWest Herrington QL12h (HER 5521) – adecoy for Sunderland Forge

Inland defences or“defence in depth”

Strategic points such as road junctions andbridges were protected by anti-tankobstacles and ditches, pillboxes, weaponspits and trenches. Open spaces wereprotected from the landing or taking off oftroop-carrying aircraft by trenches or posts.Heavily defended Stop Lines were created todelay or stop the enemy. In the north the firstStop Line followed the River Coquet, thesecond the River Wansbeck, the third theTyne and the fourth the Derwent. In theevent of an invasion many bridges on theTyne would be blown up or mined andapproach roads would be cratered. Thebattle headquarters would be BeaufrontCastle in Northumberland. (English Heritage2000).

Pillboxes (Fig 5)

Pillboxes are sometimes referred to asdefence posts, blockhouses or police posts.Concrete pillboxes were first used by theRussians in the Russo-Japanese War. Theidea was copied by the Germans in WorldWar One and later by the British. Somepillboxes were sited to defend coastalbatteries, airfields, radar stations andfactories, others were part of stop lines. Morethan 18,000 were built during 1940. Therewere a dozen standard pillbox designs, but infact many more designs were used. TheDefence of Britain Handbook describes themas “a basic squat, heavily constructedbuilding, usually flat-roofed, no more than1.98m high and quadrilateral, polygonal orcircular in plan. There were one or twoentrances, sometimes protected by a porch

or wall. They all have a series of horizontalslits (firing loops, loopholes or embrasures)to provide interlocking fields of fire over theanticipated direction of attack”. Mostpillboxes were designed for rifles or lightmachine guns. More heavily armedexamples had Vickers machine guns, anti-tank guns or Hotchkiss guns. Pillbox wallsare almost always of concrete, sometimeswith brick shuttering or stone facing (Lowry1996, 79-82). The threat of an invasion waslessened in 1941 when Hitler invaded theSoviet Union. No more pillboxes were builtafter February 1942.

43 St Mary’s Island, Pillbox(HER 1791)

This is a concrete pillbox on the south-western side of the island, which can beseen to the left of the causeway whilewalking towards the lighthouse. It is 2.3mhigh, making it taller than the majority ofpillboxes, which rarely stood at more than2m. As the pillbox is built very close upagainst the rocks that the lighthouse standson, making the rear inaccessible, it has anumber of unusual design features. Whereasmost pillboxes have embrasures all the wayaround, this example has just three, allfacing away from the centre of the island.Also, the entrance is to the front. Overall,despite some vandalism on the inside, thepillbox is in good condition.

Visible from causewayNZ 352 754

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44 West Allotment, Pillbox(HER 1788)

This pillbox is of a regular hexagonal shape,with a large gun embrasure on each sideexcept for the one containing the door, whichhas a smaller loophole. This is a classicexample of a Type 22 pillbox, one of themost common types. Inside is a Y-shapedbrick ‘anti-ricochet wall’, designed to stoprebounding bullets inside the pillbox fromcausing harm to its occupants. Earth has

Figure 5

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46 Preston, Loopholed Wall(HER 4650)

This is in the middle of Preston Village inNorth Tyneside and is constructed of

concrete and clay bricks. It is built into thecorner of a garden wall in a raised position.Some of the outer wall has been demolished,but a large portion is still visible. The largesquare firing holes are also still present.

47 North Shields ferry landing

Many factories and major civilianinstallations, like docks, gas works andrailway depots, devised their own defensivepositions, in conjunction with the military,which were later taken over by regular units(Osborne 2004, 85). This armoured firingposition seems to fall into that category. It islocated next to the ferry landing, andalthough now very exposed, would havebeen camouflaged to blend into the busydock-side landscape.

48 High Level Bridge, LoopholedWall (HER 5349)

Just above Queen’s Lane can be seen a slotcut high up into the stone of the High LevelBridge. This loophole would give cover to agunner on the bridge, who could fire on anyenemy using Queen’s Lane to move up anddown from Newcastle Quayside.

Visible from Queen’s LaneNZ 250 637

been piled up around the front, almost to thelevel of the embrasures, which would helpcamouflage the pillbox and give it greaterprotection against enemy fire.


45 Holywell Grange Farm Pillbox(HER 5220)

In a field near to the farm at Holywell Grangestands a hexagonal concrete pillbox. It isseemingly of a standard design, and can beseen from a public footpath, although itcannot be accessed directly by members ofthe public.

Preston Village pillbox

Holywell Grange

North Shields

46


Reproduced with permission from ColinAnderson

50 Dunston, Pillbox (HER 1832)

This large, rectangular pillbox lies at theintersection of the road and railway line tothe east of the MetroCentre. The basicstructure is concrete, although brick partition

walls subdivide the pillbox into two roomsand a narrow corridor behind. Each roomhas a concrete gun platform, and a largeembrasure measuring 1.1 x 0.3m. It ispossible to get very close to the site byfollowing the short footpath that begins nearto the railway bridge, although the pillboxitself is fenced off for safety reasons.

Partial Public AccessNZ 222 624

51 Whickham, Washingwell Lane,Loopholed Wall (HER 5662)

During World War Two, Whickham wasapparently identified as a possible site for anairborne invasion of the North East. As partof the defences, an existing stone wall wasconverted to defensive use by providing itwith embrasures, giving cover to gunnerspositioned on the other side. The wall is stilleasy to see, being right next to a publicbridleway.


49 Fenham Barracks, LoopholedWall (HER 1797)

A high stone wall surrounds the FenhamBarrack complex, which housed 2,100fusiliers during the war, and is still in use as amilitary installation today. Into one corner ofthe wall is cut a large loophole from wheredefenders could fire, although it has nowbeen bricked up. The firing hole is in aperfect vantage point, looking down thelength of Barrack Road towards the citycentre.Public AccessNZ 238 649

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54 Whitburn Bents Road, GunEmplacement (HER 1785)

This large emplacement stands near theroad, in a commanding position overlookingWhitburn Sands, making it a perfect placefrom which to repel any enemy attempting toland on the beach. Since the war, this

vantage point has been reused as a viewingplatform. A 6pdr gun, taken from a FirstWorld War tank, was emplaced here in thelate summer or early autumn of 1940. It wasmanned by soldiers recently returned fromDunkirk, who had been reorganised into theLocal Defence Regiment.


55 Whitburn, Pillbox (HER 1793)

This fine example is built into a garden wall.Private land.

52 Cleadon, Pillbox (HER 1786)

This is a small pillbox, built into a hedge row.It is in the middle of a private field, so it is notpossible to get close enough to examine it. Itcan be seen from the road, although itsshape is largely disguised by the hedges andfence that surround it.

53 Cleadon Hills, Pillboxes(HER 4652)

Two pillboxes of seemingly identical designcan be seen built into the side of the CleadonHills, within a few hundred metres of eachother. Each has two gun embrasures and isconstructed out of bricks and concrete. Theyare both in sound structural condition.Although overgrown, and comparativelydifficult to spot, they are just metres awayfrom a public footpath, and easily accessed.

Public AccessNZ 392 628 Bents Road Gun Emplacement

Whitburn pillbox

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57 Stony Gate Pillbox (HER 1781)

This is another lozenge shaped pillbox,seemingly part of the same stop line as theNew Herrington site. This one is 700m away


56 New Herrington, Pillbox(HER 1780)

This pillbox is of a ‘lozenge shape’ design,characterised by an hexagonal plan with longfront and back walls, and shorter sides.Here, the front wall is 3.8m long, with twopairs of side walls each 2.2m long. There areten embrasures or gun holes of various sizesarranged around the six sides, and insidethere is a thick concrete blast wall,presumably of similar function to the anti-ricochet wall in the West Allotment pillbox.

to the south, and, although it is in the middleof a ploughed field and thereforeinaccessible, it can be easily seen from thenearby public footpath.

Stony Gate

58 Middle Haining, Pillbox(HER 4640)

The pillbox here is now used as part of atransmitter aerial array. The original form iseasy to make out, despite the many modernalterations. It is of the same lozenge patternas the pillbox at New Herrington, built toalmost exactly the same dimensions, and isprobably part of the same stop-line.

Middle Haining

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Trow Rock

Other pillboxesBenton (HER 5372 and 5434)Birtley (HER 5373, 5374, 5384)Blaydon (HER 5380, 5381)Boldon (HER 5380)Carley Hill (HER 4662)Cleadon (HER 5371)Cox Green (HER 5365)Cullercoats (HER 4670, 5360, 5359)Dunston (HER 1832, 5418, 5347)Earsdon (HER 5343, 5344)East Denton (HER 5382, 5403)East Holywell (HER 5220)Fatfield (HER 5387)Fulwell (HER 4661)Harton (HER 6835)Hendon (HER 5375, 5431)Heworth (HER 5437)High Level Bridge (HER 5349)Howdon (HER 5432)Jesmond (HER 1954 and 5421)Kenton (HER 5378, 5377, 5376)Longbenton (HER 5433, 5435, 5436)Marden (HER 1844)Marsden (HER 5337 - 5339, 5357, 4653)

Trow Point

Monkwearmouth (HER 4664)Newburn (HER 1850, 1851, 5440)Newcastle Airport (HER 5379)Nuns Moor (HER 1852, 5889, 5890)North Hylton (HER 5386)Offerton (HER 1847, 5439)Pennywell (HER 5423, 5438)Preston (HER 1789, 1846, 5367)Roker (HER 1853, 1855, 5334)Ryhope (HER 5363, 5369)Scotswood (HER 1848, 1849)

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Trow Rock

Seaburn (HER 1834, 1854, 1856, 1857,4667, 5364)Souter Point (HER 5350)South Bents (HER 5354)South Hylton (HER 5422)South Shields (HER 5383, 5362, 1845,1843)Southwick (HER 4665, 4666)Springwell (HER 5397)Sunderland (HER 1783, 5426, 5335, 5413 -5417)Team Valley (HER 1778)Trow Point (HER 1792)Trow Rock (HER 5356)Tunstall (HER 5370, 5424)Tynemouth (HER 4671)Usworth (HER 5400, 5399, 5401, 5404 -5406)

Walker (HER 1787)Wallsend (HER 5336, 5341, 5340, 5342,1830)Warden Law (HER 1782)Washington (HER 5388, 5398, 5392 - 5396,5348)West Boldon (HER 5425, 1784)West Denton (HER 5368)West Herrington (HER 1779)Whitburn (HER 5355, 1794, 1833, 4668,5351 - 5353, 5427)Whitley Bay (HER 5345, 1790, 1831, 4669,5346, 5358)Wickerwack (HER 4663)Woolsington (HER 4924, 5430)

Spigot MortarEmplacements

29mm Spigot Mortars, also known as“Blacker Bombards”, only started to beintroduced into defensive planning in thesummer of 1941. Before this time, anti-invasion measures had been based aroundstatic lines of pillboxes. Even as early as1941 many had questioned the utility of suchinflexible defences. In February 1942 HomeForces declared that recent experience‘points most strongly to the fact that thepillbox is not a suitable type of fortification foreither coastal or nodal point defence’. Thenew defensive arrangement focused muchmore on earthworks and more flexibledefences than on conventional fortifications.The Spigot Mortar fitted into this systemperfectly. These mortars were very simpledevices, and were issued to the Home Guardto use against enemy vehicles. They wereset up in 4ft deep dug-outs, with a ‘pedestalmounting’ - a large concrete pillar with a steelpin in the top, to which the mortar could beattached. Each mortar would be issued withfour kits for making emplacements, meaningthat four alternate positions could beprovided for each weapon, giving much moreflexibility of deployment than under previousdefence arrangements. These mortars weregiven priority in coastal regions, but werealso often placed near bridges and roadjunctions, and wherever an ambush would bemost effective. Only two Spigot Mortar sitesare known in Tyne and Wear, one in WhitleyBay (HER 5419) and another in Earsdon(HER 5420), but there would have beenmany more than this originally. 5790 mortarswere issued to Northern Command (whichcontrolled the east side of England betweenthe Wash and the Scottish borders) and, aseach would have been provided with kits forfour emplacements, there would have been atheoretical maximum of 23160 mortar sites inNorthern Command alone (Lowry 1996 88-91 and Ripley and Pears 1994-2006)

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Anti-tank blocks (Fig 5)

The most common anti-tank blocks wereconcrete cubes, with sides of either 3 feet 6inches or 5 feet. Other designs included“coffins”, pyramidal “pimples” and cylinders.They were designed to stop the progress ofa tank, often in conjunction with pillboxes,traps, or other defences, so that thestationary tank was in the field of fire of anti-tank weapons. Should that tank attempt tomount the obstacle, it would expose theunarmoured underside of the chassis (Lowry1996, 85-7).

59 Tynemouth, Priory Haven,Anti-Tank Block (HER 4654)

Priory Haven is a sheltered, sandy bay, lyingbetween the guns of Spanish Battery andTynemouth Castle, making it a primestrategic target for any seaborne invasion ofthe North East. To defend against thisperceived threat, a single line of anti-tankblocks was constructed across the Haven in1940 or ’41. The anti-tank blocks have nowbeen destroyed, but can be made out on aslightly blurred 1941 RAF aerial photograph,seen as a line of black cubes stretchingacross the bay (Defence of Britain ProjectS0007105).

Anti tank ditches

Built to a range of standard specifications, inprofile they were either V-shaped, square-sided or asymmetrical. They were designedto trap the tank and had steep un-climbablevertical faces. Standard dimensions were laiddown – for example the V-shaped variantwas 5.49m wide and 3.35m deep. Almost allof these ephemeral features have beenbackfilled, but they may show on aerialphotographs (Lowry 1996, 87), quite possiblybeing mistaken for prehistoric features ifencountered on archaeological sites lackingdatable finds!

Glider obstructions (Fig 5)

It was assumed that in the event of aninvasion there would be landings byparachute, gliders or sea-planes. Thusobstructions were put in place on sitesdeemed suitable for landing. The process ofprotecting Britain against aircraft landingbegan in May 1940, when various differenttypes of obstructions, including wrecked carsfrom scrapyards and old ploughs, wereplaced in open fields near to vulnerablepoints, such as ports and airfields. It washoped that this would prevent airborne forceslanding right next to strategically importantareas. However, the obstructions were notintended to completely destroy any aircraftthat attempted to land: this would requiresuch a huge expenditure of manpower that itwould be totally impractical. Instead, theemphasis was placed on constructingobstacles that would discourage planes fromlanding in the first place, or, if they did try to,would prevent them from ever taking offagain. It was thought unlikely that theGermans had a sufficiently large force ofsingle-use gliders to carry a whole army toBritain, meaning that they would have to relyon motorised transport aircraft makingrepeated journeys. If obstructions couldprevent these planes from taking off againafter they had landed, it would greatly restrictthe number of troops that could be deployedas part of an airborne invasion. Aircrafttrench and mound obstructions were typically3 feet deep trenches with a mound of spoileither side. The aircraft would topple or pivoton the mounds, and fell into the trenches.(Lowry 1996 and Ripley and Pears 1994-2006)

58 Ryton Willows, GliderObstructions (HER 1904)

During World War Two, two parallel rows ofearthworks were dug running north- south ina field in Ryton Willows, designed to preventenemy aircraft from using it as a landing

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ground. Each row contains a number of pits,with spoil heaped next to them as an extraobstruction. The standard plan for trenchlayouts was for them to be constructed in agrid layout of 150 yard squares, with pits atleast 2 feet 6 inches deep and preferably 4feet wide. The obstructions at Ryton Willowsdo not follow this system, as they are notarranged in a grid, but instead are formedinto two lines, 191m apart. A gridarrangement was probably not used in thiscase as the field was too narrow for aircraftto land in a north-south direction, makinganother row of obstructions unnecessary.The obstructions are very readily accessiblefrom the public footpath which leads throughthe Ryton Willows Nature Reserve, and canbe seen well preserved both on the groundand in aerial photographs.


60 Souter, Anti-aircraftobstructions

Here there was a complex of concrete posts,1 feet ½ inch wide, to prevent gliders landingelite troops on the cliff top.


Road Blocks (Fig 5)

Again, these were part of a plan which wouldbe put in place in the event of an invasion.Road blocks comprised of concrete cylindersor blocks, sometimes entwined with barbedwire and filled with explosives. Some weremoveable – for example vertical bars setbetween concrete blocks. Some roads weremined. In the event of an invasion othermeasures may have included cuttingelectricity, disabling locomotives, dockswould be blocked up and fuel storesdestroyed. The Shields ferry landings wouldbe destroyed and ammunition dumps blownup (the store at Lemington had railway tracksinto the river so the ammunition could bedisposed of if necessary). There were smallammunition stores at Manors RailwayStation, Royal Grammar School, JesmondCemetery and the Co-op on Newgate Street.The Tyne was to be blocked by sinking twosteamers across the harbour area. TheAlbert Edward Dock at North Shields was tobe blocked. Explosives were hidden in theRising Sun Pit at Wallsend. Thankfully noneof these measures were needed. (Ripley andPears 1994-2006)

62 Gosforth, Grandstand Road,roadblock (HER 5809)

Next to the Town Moor there is a long seriesof concrete blocks, jutting out of the grassverge on the western side of GrandstandRoad. During World War Two, these wereused as vehicle obstructions, part of a ‘stopline’ designed to defend Newcastle from thenorth. The stop line was reinforced by twopillboxes, in keeping with standardprocedures of the time, which demandedthat, wherever possible, obstacles should bedefended by gun positions, and preferablyreinforced with traps, such as mines andflame traps. This would mean that enemyvehicles and troops could be attacked whilecrossing obstacles, and therefore while attheir most vulnerable. Over 60 concrete

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blocks can still be seen by the side of theGrandstand Road, although many are almosttotally buried. Most are of a regular size, withsides approximately 2 by 4 feet. Thepillboxes no longer remain, but can be seenon aerial photographs from 1946 (RCHME1995, 39).


Other roadblock sitesBilly Mill (HER 4659)Byker (HER 5802 and 5803)Carley Hill (HER 5778)Chowdene (HER 5831)Cullercoats (HER 4655, 5817)Dunston (HER 5808)Earsdon (HER 5826)Fawdon (HER 5788)Felling Shore (HER 5835)Felling (HER 5836, 5837)Fenham (HER 5773)

Fulwell (HER 5810, 5811, 5814)Gateshead (HER 5807, 5806)Gosforth (HER 5789, 5790, 5791)Harlow Green (HER 5830)Heaton (HER 5799, 5795, 5800, 5801)Heworth (HER 5833)Howdon (HER 4658, 4660)Jesmond (HER 5798, 5796)Kenton (HER 5786)Kingston Park (HER 5787)Longbenton (HER 5785, 5784, 5783)Low Fell (5839, 5840)Low Southwick (HER 5777)Monkseaton (HER 5824)Monkwearmouth (HER 5775, 5776)North Shields (HER 5825, 5821)Pelaw (HER 5834)Percy Main (HER 5818, 5819)Preston (HER 5816)Roker (HER 5774, 5812, 5813)Ryhope (HER 5779)Scotswood (HER 5772)Sheriff Hill (HER 5838, 5804)South Gosforth (HER 5794, 5792, 5793)South Shields (HER 4651)Streetgate (HER 5828)Sunderland (HER 5781, 5780, 5782, 5797)Teams (HER 5827)Tynemouth (HER 5815, 4656, 4657, 5855)Usworth (HER 5851)West Boldon (HER 5850)Whickham (HER 5845, 5843, 5841, 5829,5842, 5844)Whitburn (HER 5849, 5848, 5847)Whitley Bay (HER 5822, 5823)Windy Nook (HER 5832)Wrekenton (HER 5805)

Civil Defence (Air RaidPrecautions or ARP)

ARP centres received reports from RAFFighter Command and the emergencyservices. Measures put in place for civiliandefence included air raid shelters,emergency water supply, gasdecontamination centres, first-aid partydepots, ambulance stations, fire stations andwarden’s posts. Newcastle’s ARP were

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controlled from Jesmond Dene House (seebelow). Three main police stations, includingPilgrim Street, formed the sub-control, andthen there was a complex of ARP premises,which included garages, schools, churchhalls etc. There were eight First Aid Posts,including Central School at Pendower andthe public baths at Wharrier Street. Localhospitals provided casualty reception bedswhere needed. Decontamination centresincluded Condercum Road and WelbeckRoad. Twenty three sirens were locatedacross the city. Emergency water supplieswere provided in the form of dams or steeltanks (for example a dam at the CremonaToffee Works on Benton Road and a steeltank at Carliol Square). Local schoolsprimarily provided emergency canteenfacilities – such as Church High School andMuscott Grove School. Schools and churchhalls provided emergency rest and feedingfacilities. Members of the ARP distributedgas masks to civilians. In Gateshead theARP control centre was South Dene Tower atSaltwell Park. Roy Ripley and Brian Pears’website has full lists of ARP sites inNewcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland.Their diary accounts demonstrate how thesystem worked. For instance on 27 January1941 Walker Naval Yard was bombed.Workmen working on a jetty were injuredwhen two high explosive bombs weredropped, creating a crater 25 feet indiameter. There were also injuries frombroken glass to those working in theanglesmiths shop. Thirty one people weretreated by the yard’s First Aid party, but twohad to be sent to the Royal Victoria Infirmary,twelve to Walker Hospital and two to theWharrier Street First Aid post (Ripley andPears 1994-2006).

This aspect of the Home Front has leftalmost no trace on the landscape today. Thebuildings requisitioned as ARP centresreverted to previous use and the manythousands of Wardens and SpecialConstables resumed their civilianoccupations. Occasionally, the painted letters“EWS” can be seen, denoting an Emergency

Water Supply, as at the Claremont Roadentrance to Exhibition Park, where theboating lake was to be used in the event of aloss through bomb damage of the mainssupply. At Panama Gardens, Whitley Bay,there is a memorial to a local primary schoolteacher, Doris Ewbank, killed driving anambulance during an air raid in 1941.

Panama Gardens, Whitley Bay

Memorial to Doris Ewbank

63 Jesmond Dene House, ARPand Home GuardHeadquarters (HER 1953)

In 1940, Jesmond Dene House was used asthe Headquarters for the 80 men of No. 2Company of the 12th BatallionNorthumberland Home Guard, wherevolunteers would be trained in the tacticsthey would use in the event of an invasion.However, the house soon proved unsuitablefor training, and so the Home Guard HQ was

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Near the tunnel entrances is a small, square,brick hut with a heavy concrete roof,described as a pillbox by the OrdnanceSurvey. Although it does not have as many‘embrasures’ or firing holes as a normalpillbox, there is one hole on the eastern sidewhich has now been bricked up. It is possiblybetter described as a warden’s post. Also

transferred to Heaton Secondary School.The house had another wartime role, as theheadquarters and control room for the AirRaid Precautions (ARP) network inNewcastle. It would have been here that thepolice, RAF Fighter Command, and ARPwardens’ posts would send reports aboutbomb damage during a raid.

Attached to the house is a series of tunnels,with one entrance inside the main building,and three others at the bottom of a cliff to thenorth in Jesmond Dene. Each tunnelentrance is marked by either one or twodecorated stone pillars, all of identicaldesign. The tunnels, exits and marker postsseem to have been constructed at the sametime as the house, in the early 19th century,presumably as cold stores or cellars orservant’s entrances. However, the interior ofthe tunnels have a distinctly 20th centuryappearance, being reinforced with concrete.It is no surprise that while the house was inuse during the War, the Home Guard ormore likely the ARP made use of the tunnels,which were ideal as air raid shelters andcontrol rooms.

nearby is a concrete structure, almost totallyburied, with a slit in the front, possibly a firingwindow. It is thought that this may have beena sentry box or similar. Both structures werepositioned to defend the tunnel entrances.Jesmond Dene House is listed grade 2 andhas been converted into a hotel (Browne1946, Nolan 2004).

Public Access to pillbox (but not tunnels) inJesmond DeneNZ 254 672

64 Houghton-le-Spring, RoughDene, Home Guard Bunker(HER 5504)

The concrete remains of a bunker survive,half-buried, in the wooded dene. Localresidents recall the Home Guard volunteerspractising manoeuvres here.

Air Raid Shelters

There were a number of different types –trench shelters, which were merely a trenchrevetted with sandbags, steel plating, timber,brick or stone; covered trench shelters whichwere trench shelters which had been linedand roofed with concrete, steel or timber;surface shelters (e.g. Anderson shelters)which were brick or concrete with a concreteroof; semi-sunken shelters; basementshelters and underground shelters (Lowry1996, 67-73).

Tunnels under Jesmond Dene House

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Anderson Shelters(HER 5569 and 5458)

After the Munich Crisis of 1938, it becameclear that, although military preparationswere well advanced, air raid precautionswere falling a long way behind. Sir JohnAnderson, the Lord Privy Seal, was givenresponsibility for the Home Office Air RaidPrecautions Department, which had beenformed in 1935. Dr David A. Anderson of thisDepartment designed a new Air Raid shelter,issued free to less well off families, whichfirst became available from February 1939.These ‘Anderson Shelters’ were initiallydesigned for indoor use, but were laterrecommended to be sited in gardens.Although they could be built on the surface,the shelter could be substantially improvedby half burying it, and piling the resultantspoil onto the roof, giving an extra layer ofprotection. Anderson shelters were originallydesigned to house 4 people, although 6could use one if absolutely necessary. Theywere 6 feet 6 inches long and 6 feet high,and made of corrugated steel, with a simpledesign so that two people could constructone with no training. By the outbreak of warin 1939, 1.5 million Andersons had beenbuilt, and by September of the following year,there was space for nearly 13 million peoplein shelters provided by the Government.Although Andersons offered protectionagainst blasts, falling debris, and shrapnel,they were not bombproof, and could notwithstand a direct hit (Ripley and Pears1994-2006).


Morrison shelters

Families with no Anderson Shelter were oftenprovided with a Morrison shelter which wasinstalled inside the house on the groundfloor. A Morrison shelter was built like a steeltable, 6 feet 6 inches long, 4 feet wide andabout 3 feet 6 inches high, with removablewire mesh sides. Ripley and Pears recordthat in October 1942 a Morrison shelter in ahouse in Monkseaton was buried when a1000 kg bomb was dropped. Remarkably theoccupant was uninjured (Ripley and Pears1994-2006, N1135).

Communal and publicshelters

Communal and public shelters were built inthe streets or on waste ground, generallyabout 30 feet long by six feet high and sixfeet wide. They could accommodate up to 50people. They sometimes had toilet facilities.In Gateshead there were public shelters inBlaydon, Winlaton, High Spen, RowlandsGill, Chopwell and Blackhall Mill (Ripley andPears 1994-2006).

65 Wallsend, Park Road

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Two air raid shelters have beenarchaeologically recorded to the rear of No.205 Park Road. They were built of brick withreinforced concrete roofs. The shelters wouldhave been able to accommodate about 100people. Facilities were minimal, but includedElsan type chemical toilets. Stencils of “MEN”and “WOMEN” still survived. Alongside theshelters was a former ARP Post. Built in thesame materials as the shelters, the ARPPost was different in plan. It was accessedvia a low concrete ramp and unlike theshelters it had windows (Simon 2005).

66 Wilkinson’s Shelter, NorthShields (HER 7675)

There was a large shelter under Wilkinson’slemonade factory. It could hold up to 210people and was frequently used by familiesliving in nearby streets. The shelter had threerooms, one of which was a smoking room,and each was equipped with bunk beds.Critically the ceiling was not reinforced andso at 11.12pm on Saturday May 3rd 1941,when a single bomb directly hit the shelter,105 people were killed, 41 of whom werechildren. However, Ellen Lee, the ARPwarden for the shelter bravely rescued 32people from the explosion, despite havingbeen badly burnt herself. It was the worstbombing incident in this part of the countryduring World War Two.www.gatesheadgrid.org/westallswar

67 Newcastle, Victoria Tunnel(HER 4091)

This tunnel, built in 1839-1842, was originallydesigned to allow coal to be carried from theSpital Tongues colliery to the banks of theTyne. Although it fell out of use in the 1860s,the tunnel was reused in World War Two asan air raid shelter, whitewashed, fitted outwith blast walls, lighting, benches and bunks.Seven extra entrances were constructed,allowing the 9000-person capacity to be filledquickly in the event of a raid. The wholeconstruction cost £37,000. The tunnel is stillin good condition, although most of the

Blast walls in Victoria Tunnel

Remains of wartime seating

fittings have been removed (sections ofseating survive and visitors can see wherethe bunk beds and toilets were located), andall but one of the entrances have beenbricked up. Some graffiti dating from the1940s can be seen throughout the tunnel.Members of the public are able to visit thetunnel by special arrangement and duringcertain restricted periods such as HeritageOpen Days (Ripley and Pears 1994-2006,Ayris and Linsley 1995, Rowe 1971, Tyne

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and Wear Industrial Monuments Trust andMike Greatbatch, pers. comm.).

Listed grade 2Please contact the Ouseburn BusinessDevelopment Centre 0191 2755601

68 Ouseburn Culvert (HER 5046)

As the Ouseburn leaves Jesmond Vale itdisappears underground and re-emergesbelow Byker Bridge. Within an underground

chamber it passes under Newington Road,Warwick Street and beneath the CityStadium. The culvert is 2,150 feet (third of amile) long. It was built in two stages in theearly years of the twentieth century. Beforeits construction, the Ouseburn cut a deepravine through this part of the town, makingaccess from the town to eastern suburbsdifficult. The valley was more than 100 feetdeep and steep sided. Therefore the streamwas enveloped inside a ferro-concreteconduit and the valley was then infilled(mostly with industrial waste) so graduallyground level rose, creating new land forhousing and roads. In fact the land wasnever built upon because by the time thevalley had been totally infilled (it wasestimated that it would take ten years to fillthe valley but tipping was still taking place inthe 1940s), laws had changed and it was nolonger permitted to build on land fill sites.The “City Stadium” was created here instead.The culvert was built in an elliptical shape,30 feet wide by 20 feet high. The walls areonly 8 inches thick at the top of the arch,because ferro-concrete is so strong. Building

Jesmond Vale terminus of culvert

Wartime graffiti

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work started in 1907 and was completed in1911. It cost £23,000 to build. Workers brokeinto a lagoon of gravel which had to bescraped out and filled with concrete beforethe construction of the culvert could becontinued. While the culvert was underconstruction the burn was diverted intomillraces. When the culvert was finished theburn was diverted back through it. It wasused as air raid shelter in WW2. It could seatup to 3000 people and had its own sick bay.A copy of the Council’s Air Raid Precautionplan, including information on the use of theculvert and the Victoria Tunnel, survives inTyne and Wear Archives. In the 1970s thewartime entrance to the culvert was boardedover to create an outdoor riding arena. Todaythe culvert still carries the Ouseburn and partof the sewer system (Ayris and Linsley 1995and Ouseburn Heritage magazine).

69 Newcastle, The Side(HER 7679)

A two-storey air raid shelter wasarchaeologically recorded in 1998. Theexterior walls were stone and brick built, witha concrete render on the roadside elevation.The floor and roof were of reinforcedconcrete. The shelter was supplied with alouvred ventilator (Bill Hopper Design 1997and Northern Counties ArchaeologicalServices 1998).

70 Newcastle, Melbourne Street,Manors Tramway GeneratingStation (HER 1911)

The Tramways Offices and Power Stationwere designed by Benjamin Simpson and

constructed between 1901 and 1904. A well-preserved Second World War air-raid shelterof brick with steel blast doors and internalhatches survives in the basement. The depotwas recorded before being converted intothe City Church (Northern CountiesArchaeological Services 2001). There aresimilar shelters in the Bruce Store at theMuseum of Antiquities, University ofNewcastle upon Tyne.

71 Newcastle, Charlotte Square(HER 7071)

A watching brief during the restoration ofCharlotte Square revealed the partiallydemolished remains of a Second World Warair raid shelter. It was typical of the CoveredTrench Shelter design of 1939 - constructedof prefabricated concrete panels which linkedtogether at the base, sides and roof, to forma concrete oblong box. It was accessed by aflight of steps from the surface (Garrett2004).


72 Newcastle, Gallowgate(HER 6436)

In 1939 two narrow blocks of air-raid shelterswere built against the eastern side of the busdepot and in the narrow space between thebuildings and the town wall, presumablytaking advantage of the blast protectionoffered by the medieval masonry. Theshelters had 12 inch thick reinforcedconcrete walls and roof and external blast

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73 Jesmond, Royal GrammarSchool

Three air raid shelters were recorded beforedemolition at the Royal Grammar School.Each was built as a brick rectangular block,with a reinforced concrete floor slab and roof.There were only two openings in each longwall originally, although windows had sincebeen added. The shelters had inner andouter blast walls. Short dog-leg passages ledinto the shelters. The original steel blastdoors had long since been removed, thedoors had been widened, and the roofscovered with bitumen felt. A brightly paintedconcrete figure of a lion had been placed ona plinth on the roof of one shelter. TheJesmond shelters probably had little in theway of internal fittings, probably no water orsanitation, and possibly no electricity. Theywould have offered little protection from evenan indirect hit. They must therefore beviewed as temporary refuges for Civil

Reproduced with permission from NorthernArchaeological Associates

Defence staff during air-raid alerts, offeringpsychological security rather than physicalsafety (Northern Counties ArchaeologicalServices 2001).

Reproduced with permission from Northern Counties Archaeological Services

doors (Northern Counties ArchaeologicalServices 1999 and Pyper 2001).

74 Benwell, Pendower School(HER 7678)

The school acted as ARP premises. Therewas a First Aid Post at the central school,and a dam provided an emergency watersupply. The former open air school was usedas an emergency rest and feeding centre,able to provide breakfast and tea and hotmid-day meals. It is therefore little surprisethat the schools were equipped with air raidshelters. A plan of April 1940, deposited withthe Northumberland Record Office byMauchlen and Weightman of Saville Row,Newcastle, shows sixteen proposed shelters,of two types, with 9 inch thick walls and 6inch thick reinforced concrete roof. Eachshelter could accommodate 45 children.

Reproduced with permission from NorthernCounties Archaeological Services

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Type B shelter could be converted into acycle shed. A similar plan shows eightproposed shelters at Heaton School, whichcould accommodate 60 children (Ripley andPears 1994-2006, Mauchlen and WeightmanApril 1940, Pendower Elementary andCentral Schools, Newcastle – Proposed AirRaid Shelters for 720 children, NRO 4720/B/256, Northumberland Record Office).

75 Byker, St Lawrence Ropery(HER 7075)

A covered trench shelter was recordedduring an archaeological evaluation at St.Lawrence Ropery (HER 5142). The shelterwas 13.6m in length, 1.60m in width and 2min height. It was built of pre-fabricatedconcrete panels, which self-linked together atthe base, sides and roof, to form arectangular concrete structure. It wasaccessed by an entrance at its north-westernend, which linked to the interior of the roperybuilding or to the footpath (Mabbitt 2004).


76 Throckley Middle School, AirRaid Shelter (HER 5478)

This World War Two air raid shelter was builtto the north east of the late-nineteenthcentury school. Originally, there would havebeen a series of similar shelters on thenorthern edge of the school yard, but all theothers have now been demolished. Theshelter was a simple rectangular shape, withbrick walls and a heavy concrete roof. Theshelter is approximately 2.6m high, 6m long,and 3.5m wide, and is very similar in designto the communal brick and concrete surfaceshelters first authorised in August 1939,although public shelters were larger, beingdesigned to hold 50 people. Like Andersonshelters, these brick and concreteconstructions were not designed to withstanda direct hit from a bomb, since protectingthem this heavily would have beenprohibitively expensive. Instead, they wereintended to offer protection against thesecondary effects of bombs falling nearby,such as falling rubble and shrapnel. Althoughsuch shelters undoubtedly saved many lives,there were occasional tragedies caused bythe lack of total bomb protection: when theLodge Terrace shelter in Sunderland (of asimilar brick and concrete construction to theone in Throckley) received a direct hit from a250kg bomb, it collapsed, killing twelve andinjuring ten more. The Throckley examplehas been converted into an electricitysubstation (Telford 2003).

Reproduced with permission from Pre-ConstructArchaeology

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78 Sunderland, Galley Gill shelter(HER 7680)

This shelter was partially hit when theFarringdon Row/Ayres Quay Road area wasbombed on 3rd March 1941. Thankfully theshelter was unoccupied (Ripley and Pears1994-2006, N548).

Bomb Craters

Rare examples of surviving bomb craters arenow the sole reminder of air raid attacksduring the Battle of Britain. There is a craterin a field at Hag Hill between the A694 andthe Derwent Walk. This bomb was droppedat 3.30am Double Summer Time, on Friday1st May 1942. There were some 40 fatalitiesin the region that night and widespreaddamage. The crater is visible from the road.There are three craters in Chopwell Woodsat NZ 129 572 and NZ 130 572. Thesebombs fell at 11.36pm BST on Sunday 12th

October 1941. As there were no raids on theNorth-East that night, it is assumed that theywere dumped by a plane returning from araid elsewhere. The craters provide a unique


Reproduced with permission from Brian Pears

77 Sunderland, Durham Road,Children’s Centre, Air RaidShelter (HER 5292)

There is a surviving semi subterranean airraid shelter in grounds of the Children’sCentre on Durham Road. It is half built intoan earthen bank.

wildlife habitat and the woods are protectedby law as a Site of Nature ConservationImportance (SNCI). Information kindlyprovided by Brian Pears.

Infrastructure

A sound infrastructure is the basis ofsuccessful defence. During the War therewere various levels of command, from theCabinet War Rooms in Whitehall to localpolice stations doubling-up as ARP centres.Munitions and aircraft factories wereextended. Supply depots were created andhundreds of camps were built - barracks forsoldiers and secure camps for prisoners ofwar (English Heritage 2000).

79 Killingworth Anti-AircraftSupply Depot (HER 1828)

This was an anti-aircraft and barrage balloondepot, one of two to serve the Tyne andWear area, both of which survive. This oneserved Tyneside. The depot is inside acompound still owned by the Ministry ofDefence, meaning that access to it isimpossible. Near to the depot is a large areaof flat, concrete slabs, possibly of wartimeorigin, which appear to have been used as amarshalling yard for the buildings in thecompound.

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80 Dinnington, Foxcover Woods,World War Two Camp(HER 4852)

A wartime camp used to be present in thesewoods. Today only the air raid sheltersremain. The woods can only be reached by aprivate road, preventing public access to thesite. The close proximity of the camp toNewcastle Airport (known during the war asRAF Woolsington) possibly implies someassociation.

81 Newcastle, Nuns Moor Park,Prisoner of War (POW) Camp(HER 5891)

A World War Two prisoner of war camp usedto occupy the eastern half of Nuns MoorPark, situated on the green to the north ofStudley Terrace. It can be seen on aerialphotographs from 1944, and was used tohouse Italian prisoners who were deemed to

Killingworth Supply Depot. Reproduced with permission from Colin Anderson

require a very low level of security. Prisonerswere let out to do menial work in the town,such as road sweeping. The camp appearsto have been defended by trenches to thewest, which can be clearly seen on 1947aerial photographs. These were constructedin a zigzag pattern, which was the standardconstruction method throughout both WorldWars. The camp was demolished in 1959. Tothe south of the camp there are a series ofrectangular earthworks, each 16 x 10m, andup to 30cm deep. These could be anothertype of ditch, or could possibly be a platformfor Nissen huts or similar temporarybuildings. They can be seen underconstruction in 1946 aerial photos (RCHME1995).

82 Newcastle, Nuns Moor Park,Nissen hut platforms(HER 5892)

At the southern edge of the POW camp(HER 5891) are four rectangular earthwork

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85 West Boldon, Downhill Quarry,POW Camp (HER 5852)

In West Boldon was the site of a SecondWorld War prisoner of war camp, althoughthe precise location has not been identified.Nothing is visible on immediate post-waraerial photographs. Each POW camp wasallocated an official number during WorldWar Two within a prescribed numericalsequence, ranging from Camp 1 (GrizedaleHall, Ambleside) to Camp 1026 (RaynesPark, Wimbledon). The West Boldon campwas Camp 605. Not all of the sites were truePrisoner of War camps, many were hostelssituated some distance away from the parentsite or base camp. It is not known whatcategory West Boldon Camp was. During theearly part of the war there was no standarddesign of camp, but following the success ofthe 8th Army’s North African Campaignagainst the Italian Army, during which asubstantial number of prisoners were taken,many prisoners were eventually brought toBritain and held in purpose built ‘standard’camps, many of which were built by theprisoners themselves (Thomas 2003).

86 High Spen, POW Camp(HER 7682)

This camp was situated on Rogues Lanebetween the drift mine and sewage site. Itwas known as “Squatter’s Camp”. No tracesurvives (information provided by Mr. PSmith).

features, consisting of a series of conjoinedditches that form rectangles, measuring 16mx 10m up to 0.30m deep. The upcast of theditch was used to create four raisedplatforms. The earthworks can be seen onthe 1946 aerial photograph in process ofconstruction, five in one row and four inanother parallel row. They may have beenanother type of trench, or the footings fortemporary buildings such as Nissen huts(RCHME 1995).

83 Newcastle, Castle Leazes,Nissen hut platforms(HER 5893)

A series of seven raised platforms dugparallel to one another along their long axis.They measure 20m x 7.7m with the ditchessurrounding them measuring 1.8m wide and0.3m deep. Two are subdivided along theirlong axis and have no ditch surrounding theirshorter ends. There are another five raisedplatforms at NZ 2329 6484 (RCHME 1995).

84 East Boldon Anti- AircraftSupply Depot (HER 1829)

This is the sister site of the anti-aircraft depotin Killingworth, and supplied Sunderland.Ruined buildings are still in-situ, but this is aprivate site so access is not possible.

East Boldon Supply Depot

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Section 4 The Cold War

THE COLD WAR

Figure 6

This period of confrontation between theUnited States and the Soviet Union, whichlasted from 1946 to 1989, riddled thelandscape with yet more structures built ofearth, steel and concrete. The Cold War wasmarked by the use of new technology andcomplex machines. Radar stations (from1950 “Rotor” radar stations helped operatethe Air Defence Scheme) and anti-aircraftbatteries were re-equipped. The Civil

Defence Corps and Home Guard were re-established. New early warning systemsincluded the “golfballs” at Fylingdales on theNorth York moors. The Royal ObserverCorps now had underground monitoringposts. New weapon developments includedrockets and nuclear arms. By 1958 the jetbombers of the V-force were in operation,carrying the first British atomic bomb “BlueDanube”. The first British guided weapons

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included the surface-to-air missile“Bloodhound” and the air-to-air missile“Firestreak”. This was the era of MutallyAssured Destruction – the threat of a Sovietattack on the west was to be deterred by thethreat of nuclear retaliation. By the 1970snew structures which could withstandnuclear, chemical or biological attack wererequired because Western policy nowagreed that any Soviet threat would be metin kind. The best known structures of thisperiod are the cruise missile shelters atGreenham Common, which are nowprotected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument(Cocroft 2003, 40-42).

23 Kenton Bunker (HER 5035)

The bunker remained in use into the ColdWar, when it was designated as a RegionalWar Room. This meant that, in the event of amajor conventional or even nuclear attack,the bunker would be used as a base fromwhich to control civil defence in the region,and would maintain communicationsbetween regional and national government.However, the increasing proliferation ofatomic weapons by the mid 1950s changed official thinking about future conflicts. It now

seemed that, in the event of nuclear war withthe Soviet Union, central government coulddisintegrate altogether. Therefore, a newcommand structure was created, centredaround autonomous Regional Seats ofGovernment, which would exercise completecontrol over their regions in the event of amajor attack. Many Regional War Roomswere upgraded to become Seats ofGovernment, but seemingly not Kenton Bar,as it appears to have been too small toaccommodate all the extra staff necessary.However, the Regional War Rooms were notfinally disbanded until 1968, and manyartefacts have been found in the bunkerdating from the late 1960s, includingbatteries dated as being serviced in 1968.This implies that Kenton Bar remained in usein some role even after Regional Seats ofGovernment were established, although theexact date of closure of the bunker is unclear(Mabbitt 2003 and 2004).

Battery room

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32 Lizard Farm, Heavy Anti-Aircraft Site (HER 1795)


Lizard Farm was one of the very few anti-aircraft sites in the region to be retained intothe Cold War, designed to defend againstSoviet jets, and was controlled by thecommand post at Melton Park in Gosforth.When Britain’s air defences werereorganised in 1950 under the Igloo systemthere was a proposal to mount advancedradar guided guns at this site, althoughnothing seems to have come of this. The sitewas eventually abandoned in or around

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From 1962 it has been in use asNorthumberland County Record Office. Thebuilding is a vast strong-room, partially sunkinto the ground and walled, roofed andfloored in reinforced concrete. The large

1954. Many of the original gunemplacements are still in good condition, andcan be seen both on the ground and onaerial photos (information provided by RogerJC Thomas).

87 Gosforth, Melton Park,Command Post (HER 5571)

A bomb-proof concrete structure was built in1951 to replace the operations room in LowGosforth House (which was demolished inthe early 1970s). Melton Park was still thecommand centre for Lizard Farm Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery well into the 1950s, whichwas the only anti-aircraft site in the area tobe kept in operation during the Cold War.

central room, where the operations table waslocated, was once surrounded by a viewinggallery, later used as an exhibitions space bythe Record Office (Northumberland CountyCouncil 1969 and Cocroft 2003).

Royal Observer CorpsPosts

In 1947 the Royal Observer Corps wasreformed with a nuclear reporting role. Theseposts were intended to be manned duringtimes of tension, to monitor the location andpower of nuclear detonations and theprogress of radioactive fallout, so that thepopulation could be warned, and CivilDefence measures effectively managed.They operated in clusters of three postslinked by telephone and radio cables,meaning that readings could be triangulatedindependently from the peace-timetelephone system. The posts were mannedby observers. A bunk-bed and basic toiletfacilities were provided. Food had to beprepared in the post. No air filtration systemwas installed. Half of the ROC posts,including Kenton, were abandoned after the1968 defence cuts. Some however remainedin use until 1991 when the ROC was finallydisbanded (Lowry 1996, 127, Osborne 2004,191-2).

35 Washington/Hastings Hill,Royal Observer Corps Post(HER 5881)

After the war, the ROC remained inexistence, and in 1950 Operation Rotor waslaunched, a large-scale overhaul of Britain’sair defence control and reporting. AlthoughRotor primarily concerned itself with theradar network, it also reorganised the ROC.In or before December 1952, the post movedback to its original position in Washington,but returned to Hastings Hill some time after1952, when it was equipped with an Orlitpost. These were concrete observationposts, with an open topped observation area,

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attached to a roofed room for the crew.Some posts were raised up on stilts, but inthis case it was built at ground level. It wasequipped with the standard ROC PostInstrument. The Washington/Hastings HillROC post moved into an undergroundbunker some time in or before June 1959. Itis last mentioned in records in 1968, when itwas still operating, and in the same location(at Hastings Hill). It is hard to say with anycertainty when the post finally closed, but it isthought probably to have gone out ofoperation in 1975. Sadly, it has now beencompletely demolished (Dobinson 2000,Wood 1992 and http://subbrit.org.uk).

88 Kenton, Royal Observer CorpsPost (HER 7070)

This post was built in 1960. As with otherCold War examples, it was to be mannedduring times of tension and to monitor thelocation and power of nuclear detonationsand the progress of radioactive fallout, inorder that Civil Defence measures could beput in place. The posts were manned by

three observers. The Kenton ROC post hasbeen archaeologically recorded in advanceof a residential development on the site. Theentrance was via a concrete shaft 1msquare, sealed with a counterweighted steelhatch. To the east of the entrance was a55cm square mount for a warning siren, aventilator with timber louvred shutters andtwo sensor masts. The interior was accessedby a ladder. The main room contained atable, a bunk bed and a cupboard and wouldhave had a chemical toilet. Above the tablewas a mount for the bomb-power indicatorand the telephone connections. The mainroom was only 4.5m by 2.26m, which wouldhave meant quite cramped claustrophobicconditions for the observers (Mabbitt 2004).

Other Cold War ROC postsBirtley (HER 5878)Kenton (HER 7070)Springwell (HER 5879)Sunderland (HER 5882)Tynemouth (HER 5885)Washington (HER 5880-1 and 5883-4)Whitley Bay (HER 5886)

Kenton ROC Post

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Acknowledgements:

The authors would like to thank the following people for their assistance: Alan Rudd (for thepreface and providing comprehensive lists of defence sites in Tyne and Wear, the startingpoint for the book), Roger JC Thomas of English Heritage and Brian Pears.

We would like to thank the following people and organisations for allowing us to use theirimages: Colin Anderson, Archaeological Services University of Durham, Tim Gates, ImperialWar Museum, National Monuments Record, Newcastle City Library Local Studies Section,Brian Pears, Northern Archaeological Associates, Northern Counties Archaeological Services,Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd, South Shields Central Library and Tyne and Wear Museums.

We would like to thank the following members of the public for advising us of sites in theirarea: Mr Dickinson of Gosforth, Philip Smith of Gateshead, Nigel Barlow of Wallsend.

Finally we would like to thank the owners of Hillhead Poultry Farm and Welland’s Farm forkindly allowing us access on to their land to take photographs.

twentieth century defence sites of tyne and wear

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