Innermessan Battery
Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century), Bunker (20th Century), Magazine (20th Century), Pillbox (20th Century)(Possible)
Site Name Innermessan Battery
Classification Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century), Bunker (20th Century), Magazine (20th Century), Pillbox (20th Century)(Possible)
Alternative Name(s) Loch Ryan Aa Defences; High Balyett
Canmore ID 90244
Site Number NX06SE 86
NGR NX 09055 63047
NGR Description Centred NX 09055 63047
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/90244
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Inch
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Wigtown
- Former County Wigtownshire
NX06SE 86 centred 09055 63047
A heavy anti-aircraft battery, visible on vertical air photographs, (OS 76/149/004-6, flown 1976) and oblique air photographs, (RCAHMSAP 1993).
Information from RCAHMS (DE) August 1996
A four emplacement heavy anti-aircraft battery situated on the E side of the A 751 public road S of Three Thorns. The four concrete and brick emplacements survive along with the command position and magazine/ammunition store. The crew accommodation camp was situated at High Balyett Farm (NX c.087 627)
J Guy 1998; NMRS MS 810/6, 29-30 (vol.1), 7-8 (vol.2)
The heavy anti-aircraft battery is situated at the top of a slight rise (about 30m OD) to the E of the junction between the A751 and a minor road leading to Garthleary.
The battery has four brick and concrete gun-emplacements one lying beyond a modern fence, all with surviving holdfasts, and a command position. One of the gun emplacements is filled with old tyres whilst another with redundant farm machinery. The area between the command post and the emplacements is now occupied by a large silage pit.
At NX 09034 62957 is a large pre-cast concrete shed, presumably that idenfied by Guy as the magazine/ammunition store which is similar to that found at the AA battery at Leswalt (NX06SW 35).
Though no evidence could be found of the accommodation camp in the vicinity of the battery, postwar RAF vertical air photographs (106G/Scot/UK 987, 4128-4129, flown 9 November 1945) show that it was situated below the gun emplacements immediately to the E of the present day A751 road. No evidence could be seen on the air photographs of a hutted camp at High Balyett Farm.
It is possible that this battery was equipped with a radar installation as there is a structure at NX 09191 63105 which is suggestive of a radar ramp.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE), March 2004
The vertical air photographs taken in 1945 would appear to confirm that the HAA battery was provided with radar equiipment as the structure noted at NX 09191 63105 has the appearance of the platform used to support a mbile radar unit.
The four gun-emplacements are from N-S, at NX 09051 63081, NX 09029 63064, NX 09025 63036 and NX 09042 63014, the command centre NX 09055 63046 and the magazine is at NX 09034 62957.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), March 2006
