'P'Site No. 334 Battery of No.107 HAA Regiment - Info sought.

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Stratocaster, Mar 13, 2019.

  1. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Hello,
    Hoping that somebody can help or point me in the right direction to find out more about the above HAA installation at Ditton in Widnes, Cheshire. (previously in Lancshire).Sited to north side of Heath Rd.
    This site was my childhood playground during the 1950's as it was not fenced and very accessible. There were approx. 12 families living in the brick buildings and nissen huts in the mid 1940's to early 1950's, with a couple of families remaining until approx. 1960 when it became a housing development.
    I would love to know more about the military details of the site ie. when constructed/decommissioned, were the guns employed often, what all the buildings were used for, personnel that would have occupied the site etc, the only bit of info that I know about is when the Heinkel bomber H111 Werke No. 2989 was shot down by a Hurricane on the night of 12 March 1941 and crashed approx. 300 yds south of our house, there is a superb account of this on:- 'Liverpool and Merseyside during the blitz' on 'Our scouse forum' by 'Scousemouse'.
    Any pointers would be gratefully received.
    (Attached - Part copy of 1958 OS. Map showing the 'P' Site )
     

    Attached Files:

    hutt likes this.
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  3. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

  4. hutt

    hutt Member

    I suspect this site may have been part of 4th or perhaps 11th AA Division.

    For the information you seek, at the National Archives at Kew, I would look for WO 166/2603 for 334 Bty, August 40 to August 41 and WO 166/2397 for 107 HAA Regiment, September 40 December to December 41. I would be surprised if your incident wasn't recorded in either of those records. Shame the site seems to have been lost without trace. A number are still visible around the Mersey estuary, perhaps not surprising considering the number and value of targets in the area.
     
  5. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Thanks hutt,, the plane crash was recorded by the local battery and also by the battery approx. 3 miles away from the scene as noted in Mr Gillhooley's account referred to in my original note, if that is what you are suggesting.
     
  6. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    I have checked in After the Battle Then and Now page 471 vol 2

    Night 12/13 March 1941

    upload_2019-3-14_11-53-11.png
     
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  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  8. hutt

    hutt Member

    There is an HAA site at Moore, (SJ 57855 85048) south of Warrington that shows up well on Google and can be seen from the adjacent road and from trains on the WCML. I have always presumed that the two nearby rectangular buildings could date from WW2 and indeed show some similarities with your plan. For a comprehensive overview of the UKs WW2 aa defences, see Dobinson,
    AA Command: Britain's Anti-aircraft Defences of the Second World War (Monuments of War S.) by English Heritage.
    For details of the guns and possibly information on when they were in action, you will need the diaries I have noted. Checking Wikipedia and 107 HAA is noted as being part of 33rd AA Brigade. Diaries for them exist at Kew, so again would be worth exploring. I'm afraid they are on my very long term list to copy.
     

    Attached Files:

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  9. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Thanks for that CL1 & TD, - as mentioned in my original note, there is a superb account of the Heinkel crash by 'supermouse' , search for :- (Liverpooland and Merseyside during the blitz our scouse forum ) and it should come up. Sorry not very good at links!

    Hutt, - Thanks for that info on the Moore site, I had not seen that before and it is only a few miles from where I now live.

    I will try and spend some time marking up that 1958 o.s. map showing what I remember the buildings etc. looked like in case anybody is interested. (from memories of 60 years ago of course!).
     
    CL1 likes this.
  10. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Attached is a copy of the 1958 o. survey with my description of what the buildings/bunkers looked like, I am guessing that maybe 'E' was the main ammunition store and this was transferred to the two gun compounds at 'C' ready for use ?
    The roads were all decent concrete roads..
    Several of the brick buildings on the south side also housed families until late 1950's.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  12. hutt

    hutt Member

    Hi
    You have made a very good attempt at identifying the structures. If you were to get hold of a copy of Dobinsons book you would see that there were quite a number of designs and developments in HAA sites as the war progressed and which types of guns they mounted. If you had the battery diary and knew the actual guns you could probably refine you sketch or it might jog or clear your memory that bit more.
    Some of the structures you describe can be seen in that book but I would be loathe to simply copy and paste here due to copyright. Drop me a line and I could perhaps email something.
     
  13. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Thanks hutt, just to clarify that I am not after real detailed info, not making a model or anything like that, just trying to establish the basics of what the buildings were for and what went on there, the info and great pictures from CL1 clear up the gun installations so the large main concrete structure at 'E' is the only item left that I would like to know more about ie, would it have been the main ammunition store etc.
    I will attempt to pm you!
     
  14. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  15. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Sorry hutt, tried a pm but could not find any 'send' button to hit.
     
  16. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

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  17. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Yes I did mate thank you
    Make sure you keep us updated with your findings it is very interesting

    regards
    Clive
     
  18. Stratocaster

    Stratocaster Member

    Hello CL1 & hutt,
    Just wondering if you both knew about a v.good website that I use a lot when looking for places as they used to be in years gone by, it is ( old-maps.co.uk), I just type in a town or area, and hit the search button, but I think you can also type in the cords. This then brings up a load of historic os map thumbnail images at various scales (the 1:2500 are the best) so if you select one after say 1940 for the area you are interested in, you can pan around to your chosen spot and you can then enlarge this one stage (to enlarge continuously you have to register and pay - think it was £10 for a month). The 1958 scan that I attached to my first post was one of these. And you can compare this old image with the current Google maps image if the installation is still there. Hopefully not teaching granny to suck eggs etc..
    Cheers
     
  19. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Yes I posted the site here Old Maps Online in December 2018

    regards
    Clive
     
  20. hutt

    hutt Member

    Hi
    In addition to Grid Reference Finder and EchoDelta, (The "Coordinate Translator") the Allied WW2 map coordinate translation site, I also use the National Library of Scotland side by side map site at this location
    Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland
    You can simultaneously zoom to a modern map or aerial photograph and on the adjacent panel, see the same area on an historical map. Use it all the time at work although its a bit thin for ww2 and later
     
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