Monument record TQ 55 SE 205 - The site of Second World War searchlight battery no. BH01 117 at Shipbourne

The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, this was known as searchlight battery no. BH01 117 located at Shipbourne at TQ 585511. It was manned by 337 Searchlight Regiment RA whose Battery Headquarters were located at Gaza Barracks, Hildenborough. It was operational by September 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)

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

<2> Lowry (ed), 1995, 20th century defences in Britain : an introductory guide (Bibliographic reference). SKE56150.