Rifle Range, Dartmoor

Hi I have been viewing this site for a while and thought it was about time I posted some images.

Here are some photos of a disused rifle range in Dartmoor. The photos are three years old now, but I doubt it's changed much.

My dad was in the Royal Marines in the early 50's and actually used this site for training. I am not sure when it was abandoned.

I am not sure what it was called, but if you draw a line on a map between Buckland In The Moor and Sigford, it's about half way along.

EDIT: It's been posted about before I see, but I have a few different photos.

This is where the men would sleep. I presume the enclosed part on the left is for the officer.


Close up of the Officer's section


These are the "facilities" around the back


This is the bank that catches the bullets that are shot at the targets


A view from the top of the bank looking back down to the reverse side of the targets. The soldiers would have been beyond the targets lying on one of three banks in the distance and firing this way.


Looking over the top of the bank. I've spent hours here digging out used bullets.


Secure room where the ammo was stored. I doubt it was left in here unattended. Probably just secured here for the duration of the training.


Closer view of above


Inside view of above


Looking out of the ammo store toward the row of targets


The targets would be fixed on these frames and sent up when needed and brought down again to be replaced.


Close-up of above

Great find mate.I have only ever seen one diused rifle range before and that is on the coast at Lyddon Spout near Dover-I suppose that they are virtually all the same - but i have not seen the apparatus for the targets before.Thanx for posting.!!!

Great pics Marcel. This has been on my list of visits on Dartmoor for some time. We were in the area only last week but time was running short after a trip to the Giant's Chair & Stover Park. The target hoists look almost simliat to the ones on the Willsworthy Range. With your Father being an ex Bootneck, was he based in Plymouth?

This place does look a bit similar to the range at Portland Dorset, especially the target pulley system.

Badoosh said:

With your Father being an ex Bootneck, was he based in Plymouth?

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He started out at Deal then I think he spent most of his time at Stonehouse Barracks. A bit of time at Bickleigh and Lympstone and some time at Portsmouth for the gunnery. I am not sure of the chronology.

He was nearly killed at this range when another recruit next to him had his rifle jam and a whole magazine went off just missing my dad's head and deafening him in the process.

I had a look at the Giants Chair back in August. Quite a long walk from Jay's Grave where we parked. I think it was worth it though.

Nice set of pics of an interesting place, keep meaning to get digging around the base of the big wall at the former firing range at Belper, Derbyshire, not far from me, and the airfield firing butt at Wymeswold to see what bullets turn up

I mentioned in the past that there's a range at Great Dalby, on the site of an airfield.

marcel_911 said:

Close up of the Officer's section

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... and one of the officers still present I see.

Love the pics - they bring back a few memories.

Could I just clarify a few of the points you made in your original post. The place that you describe as being where the men slept is simply the range shelter. That open fronted area to the right of the shed was generally used for the issue of ammunition and tasks like filling magazines which were best done in a relatively dry environment. The small shed to the left that you descibe as the Officer's section was simply a storeroom where the ammunition and the rations and so on would have been kept for the duration of the training - nothing would have been left there overnight and it would have been manned at all times while shooting was in progress.

The shed with the bars on the windows at the end of the butts (the area where the target frames are), and which you describe as the ammo store, was actually the target shed. There would be no point in storing ammunition at that end of the range as it was required by the details on the firing points, not by the butt party. The shed is quite large as it would have been required to hold a full range of targets (eg, Figure 11, Figure 12, Six-foot Screens, falling plates etc etc, as well as all kinds of other paraphernalia like red warning flags, target marker pointers, paste pots and patches and so on). Its position meant that targets could be easily carried straight out of the shed and placed in the target frames ready for use.

Hope that helps to flesh out the background a little.

J

Interesting looking place, have seen it on the map but never got around to going to look at it when I have been down on the moor.

Nice one there marcel 911

I wonder if this is the place I went to with army cadets in the mid 80's.
Went on annual camp to Dartmoor and did a lot of live firing. Looks vaguely familiar but then I suppose a big wall with an earth bank looks just the same as another really - especially when it was about 25 years ago
Nice find though

Cruachan said:

... and one of the officers still present I see.

Love the pics - they bring back a few memories.

Could I just clarify a few of the points you made in your original post. The place that you describe as being where the men slept is simply the range shelter. That open fronted area to the right of the shed was generally used for the issue of ammunition and tasks like filling magazines which were best done in a relatively dry environment.

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I have just spoken to my dad and told him what you said. He says it was a long time ago and you are probably right . What you say does make more sence. You wouldn't need the ammo right up there when they started running from close to the road.

Thanks for the info.

When was the range decommissioned? Is it far from Porlock or Lynton & Lynmouth? The only rifle range I've been to is the one near Tenby - which I think is still in occasional use. Nice pics

Flexible said:

When was the range decommissioned? Is it far from Porlock or Lynton & Lynmouth? The only rifle range I've been to is the one near Tenby - which I think is still in occasional use. Nice pics

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I don't know when it was last used, but this is where it is. It's all open to walkers etc.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...9674,-3.763783&spn=0.005733,0.016469&t=h&z=17

Kaputnik said:

Nice set of pics of an interesting place, keep meaning to get digging around the base of the big wall at the former firing range at Belper, Derbyshire, not far from me, and the airfield firing butt at Wymeswold to see what bullets turn up

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Hi mate,if you do decide to dig for bullets,go carefully,I remember years ago digging in the back stops at the old range in Sandridge when my trowel struck a smooth round stone,digging further I found that this stone had a fin attatched to it,it was a mortar bomb!,we called the bomb dissposal squad,they took it away and blew it up,it turned out to be a dummy full of cement,there is still a gap in the hedge to this day,take care.