By October 1941 there was a searchlight emplacement (Military Grid reference R 545747), operated by 508 Searchlight Battery of the 29 Searchlight Regiment of the Royal Artillery, at Chartham Hatch. This looks to have been in a field to the east of New Town Street, at the south end of the village, opposite the Chapter Arms public house.
Owner : Private
Publicly accessible : Unknown
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential :
Condition : unknown
Date of visit :

The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, this was known as searchlight battery no. HC04 4Y (old number HC 05 4A) located at Chartham Hatch at TR 104565. It was manned by 508 Searchlight Battery. It was operational by 14-OCT-1941. (1)

Searchlight sites typically comprised a small ring-ditch to provide the crew with shelter during an air raid, a predictor emplacement for calculating the height and range of targets, a light anti-aircraft machine gun pit, a generator and hutted accommodation for the crew. During the Second World War searchlights were manned by the Royal Artillery and were under the control of the Army's Anti-Aircraft Command. (2)

CBA Twentieth Century Fortifications in England Supporting paper AA/1 Searchlight Sites in WWII A sample List (Bibliographic reference). SKE15307.

29 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery, 01/01/41, War Diary 29 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery (Unpublished document). SKE15306.

29 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery, 01/01/41, War Diary 29 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery (Unpublished document). Ske15306.

<1> Lowry (ed), 1995, 20th century defences in Britain : an introductory guide (Bibliographic reference). SKE56150.

<2> CBA Twentieth Century Fortifications in England Supporting paper AA/1 Searchlight Sites in WWII A sample List (Bibliographic reference). Ske15307.