Archaeology Notes
Event ID 678252
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/678252
HY40NW 16 centred 41237 08495
HY40NW 16.01 HY 41072 08528 Radar site
A heavy anti-aircraft battery situated some 100m W of Upper Berryhill farm. The four gun-emplacements and the command post with the associated bases of the camp accommodation buildings are visible on vertical air photograph (OS 63/145, 032, flown 1963).
Information from RCAHMS (DE) January 1997.
The almost complete remains of a heavy anti-aircraft battery are situated in a field imemdiately E of Upper Berryhill farmsteading. An arc of four circular earth banked gun-emplacements all with four breeze block and concrete ready-use ammunition lockers and the remains of the command and control centre immediately to the W of the arc of gun positions. Also identified on site were 17 concrete hut bases at the S end of the field and two earth banked light anti-aircraft positions at the E side.
A further group of hut bases was noted on the E side of the track about 200m to the SE.
The radar unit (GL-mat) with the ramp (HY 41072 08528), was situated to the NW, immediately beyond two large ditches. Only the platform and ramp survive and this was not examined on the date of visit due to the extremely boggy nature of the ground.
There are also the eroded earth banks of four decoy gun-emplacements which describe an arc running N-S, west of the real gun positions. The decoy emplacements would give the impression that the site was a full eight gun eight gun battery.
The gun battery is visible on WW II RAF vertical air photographs (NLA/16, 905-907, flown 22 June 1941) and postwar RAF vertical air phtographs (CPE/Scot/UK 188, 4168-4169, flown 10 October 1946), the latter clearly showing the decoy emplacements on the W side of the site.
Documents held in the Public Record Office (WO 166/7270) show that this battery was armed in 1942 with four 3.7-inch static guns and a GL Mk II radar unit and was coded by the War Office M5.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE, GS, SW), August 1999 and August 2000
