Monument record TQ 96 SW 1309 - The site of Second World War searchlight battery no. HC04 1A at Rodmersham

The site of a Second World War searchlight battery, this was known as searchlight battery no. HC04 1A located at Rodmersham at TQ 938614. It was manned by 322 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)

<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.