Monument record 4143 - Searchlight Battery near Dane Bower

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Summary

Searchlight battery at Dane Bower which was in use around April 1941. It was probably part of the Leek defences and is part of a much larger network of batteries located in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, this monument being on the western edge of this group. Land based searchlights were used for three main purposes. The first was to search out enemy aircraft in the sky and keep the light shining on them to allow friendly artillery and aircraft to see the enemy more easily. The second was to try and blind the enemy bomber by shining the light up at the enemy planes. The third was to guide damaged friendly planes back to their bases. In a coastal context they could also be used to search for enemy vessels. These sites were typically simple; each of the searchlights were surrounded by a small circular bank and ditch and the searchlights were often arranged in a clover leaf pattern. Typically there would also be a trench or shelter for defence during air-raids. Some of the sites were provided with huts.

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Type and Period (1)

SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY (Second World War - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full Description

Searchlight battery at Dane Bower. Manned by 353 Searchlight Battalion in April 1941. It was in defence sector (run by sections of the RAF e.g. airfield commands like RAF Hooton Park) TL, sub division 07 and troop 1. It was probably part of the Leek defences and is part of a much larger distribution in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, this monument being on the far edge of the distribution (1).

This battery seems to be well preserved and one of the emplacements is visible on aerial photographs dating from 1999/2001 as a cropmark (2).

The 2010 aerial photograph shows a triple emplacement, much like a clover leaf. A rectangular feature adjacent to the road and located to the south-west may be associated (3).

<1> C S Dobinson, 2000, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England: Supporting paper AA/1; Searchlight Sites in WWII (Report). SCH4458.

<2> The GeoInformation Group, 1999-2001, Millennium Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH4609.

<3> Bluesky International Ltd, 2010, 2010 Bluesky Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH5444.

Sources/Archives (3)

<1> SCH4458 Report: C S Dobinson. 2000. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England: Supporting paper AA/1; Searchlight Sites in WWII.
<2> SCH4609 Aerial Photograph: The GeoInformation Group. 1999-2001. Millennium Survey. New Cheshire.
<3> SCH5444 Aerial Photograph: Bluesky International Ltd. 2010. 2010 Bluesky Survey.

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Location

Grid reference	Centred SK 006 695 (67m by 71m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	SK06NW
Civil Parish	MACCLESFIELD FOREST AND WILDBOARCLOUGH, MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE EAST
Historic Township/Parish/County	WILDBOARCLOUGH, PRESTBURY, CHESHIRE

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Record last edited

Mar 1 2012 5:55PM