1 Day, Four Ranges

**Paul B** · 10-05-2011, 02:47 PM

A hard day of field archaeology yesterday, having to cover four seperate ranges before dark.

First off, a WWII tank training range.

Surviving hard targets (A13 MkIII Covenater cruiser tanks) on the beach, with many AP holes:

One of the three moving target winch houses and the bank that protected the target rails:

**Paul B** · 10-05-2011, 03:05 PM

Range No.2, a 1950s RAF air to ground bombing and gunnery range, right next door to the tank range above (The site plan indicates it included some of the disused tank range eventually). Not much to see, apart from one surviving quadrant tower and the foundations of the master tower.

Moving a few miles along the coast to another site, which seems to have had a number of roles during its existence.
Originally a pre-WWII anti-aircraft training area, it also seems to have been used during mid-late WWII for tank gunnery and possibly air gunnery ground practice.
Plenty of moving target runs still survive, along with their respective winch-houses and operator shelters:

Last one for the day, our old favourite the USAAF Gunnery School, and yet another car park fee to pay...
(At least it was a reduced rate by this time of afternoon, and not the wince-inducing charges at the previous sites)

Nice shot showing three of the target earthworks.
L-R: Bank between the East and West Ranges, West Range target railtrack bed and the start of the backstop (behind the camera)

"Any finds?" I hear you ask...

Not much, an unidentified lead scrap from Site No.3 and some .50 cal projectiles and an ammo box thumbscrew from the Gunnery School, all eyes-only thrown up by moles and rabbits... LOTS of rabbits.

All the best,
PB

**Steve T** · 10-05-2011, 05:13 PM

Very nice PB. Thanks for sharing. I know how much the carparks are at each site and pictured the drive along the coast as your thread progressed ! I've travelled the same route many a time

Interestingly I wasn't aware of the use of the bit next to the tank range as an air to ground range. The place is probably jammed with spent ammo

Just to confirm, when you travelled from the tank range, (I presume it's the one with the triangular service road), to the air to ground range, you went Northish ?

Thanks for sharing the photos. Some great sites there

Steve T

**Paul B** · 10-05-2011, 05:16 PM

The salt marsh used as the 50's A-G range is right alongside (the strafing and dive-bombing targets were on land), so to the immediate west.

**talltom** · 10-05-2011, 05:20 PM

thanks for sharing paul the tank looked like it must have been hit thousands of times during its service

tom

**Steve T** · 10-05-2011, 06:18 PM

Thanks PB. As a matter of interest, last time I visited the buildings at site three, they all had bloody great big bee's nests in them ! You could hear the buzzing from about 100 yards away

Steve T