Bolton-on-Dearne WWII AA site, July'09

[Moodster020]

A WWII anti-aircraft, or ack-ack site as ol' soldiers like to call 'em

In the Heart of South Yorkshire, Located Near to Mexborough nearby the River Dearne. Built in 1941 after the experience of the 1940 Sheffield Blitz, formed part of 8 battery sites around the region. I'm taking an educated guess that this one was placed here to defend the local Steelworks & Coalpits, Rawmarsh Steelworks is 5miles due south of the site. A tactic of the Luftwaffe bombers to find their mark was often to fly on Moonlit nights, flying to the Humber estuary & following their targeted river to their objective which glowed as a silver ribbon in the dark (So it said on a recent documentary i watched!).

However, this battery never fired a shot, & was dismantled & sent down to the south-east coast in 1944 to deal with the final threat of the doodlebugs. 250 people served at this site in the years of 1941 - 1944.

Nissen Hut


The brick of the Nissen Hut...


One of the gun pits, this is the easiest to see, others being heavily overgrown. A gun mount ring is still in situ


From the Bunker..


Inside. This had been knocked out, the steel reinforced concrete bars showing


I didnt manage to see the command bunker, the vegetation got silly by the time i got to the 3rd pit, and the local farmer had dumped 3ft of slurry in the middle, so perhaps another time! Heard that it's flooded out & i didn't have me wellies anyhow!

More at the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1XWP...e=channel_page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1247043...7621980351490/

[boxfrenzy]

Nice one, reminds me of the one outside Leeds. That is flooded too!