Stallingborough anti-aircraft Battery, Lincs, February 2019

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HughieD

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1. The History
The former Heavy Anti-Aircraft gun site is off Keelby Road, Little London near Stallingborough. It is one of only six surviving 5.25-inch HAA gun sites known nationally. The Battery was originally built as part of the Humber estuary's coastal defence system. In February 1916 the coastal battery was equipped with two 6-inch breech-loading Mk VII guns. The guns were removed in 1919 and the site abandoned in 1926. The battery was then re-used during World War II. In June 1940 it was equipped with four 3.-inch calibre guns set in concrete emplacements. In April 1944, construction was underway for four new, much larger and more complex emplacements for 5.25-inch calibre guns which could fire up to altitudes of 43,000 feet. These were operational by 2nd November 1944. After the end of the war, Stallingborough was selected for retention as a Battery Headquarters. It was finally decommissioned around the Spring of 1955 when the use of artillery for anti-aircraft defence was finally abandoned.

Lay-out of a 5.25-inch HAA gun site:

33217066658_67377b49be.jpgHAA Gun emplacement by HughieDW, on Flickr

Part of the site was reused from 1961 when a Royal Observer Corps (ROC) nuclear fallout monitoring post was built and opened at the site. Sometime between 1976 and 1984, the concrete emplacements and their associated buildings were returned to agricultural use.

The site retains its complete functional layout including all four-gun emplacements and their engine houses, the command post and the guardhouse/gun store and generator house. It is a reminder of the considerable investment made to counter bombing raids by the Luftwaffe.

2. The Explore
This place came up during research into WWII locations around the Humber. It’ looked great so put it on my list. After the hour or so drive over I parked off the road and walked along a footpath. The coppice the battery is in is a stone’s throw from the footpath. So easy access and had the place to myself for a very relaxed hour’s exploring. One of the nice things about this site was that it was untouched by the idiots so no crap graf etc. Must be a hard place to visit in the summer when the foliage is at its peak.

3. The Pictures

The first emplacement I looked round. Nature is now reclaiming the site:

47054639402_cb9e7e9222_b.jpgStallingborough 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr

40121674453_5e8a9b5a16_b.jpgimg0796 by HughieDW, on Flickr

46193145345_d6a45748a4_b.jpgStallingborough 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr

46363109134_bdf0cc28df_b.jpgimg0800 by HughieDW, on Flickr

40121760853_6e6d0c891e_b.jpgimg0802 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The fixing screws for the gun:

46172923795_b682f2ed16_b.jpgimg0804 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47086669111_146d605d75_b.jpgimg0806bw by HughieDW, on Flickr

Presumably this was the shell hatch(?):

33211690568_cf0ce4c151_b.jpgimg0805 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Entrance to the engine room:

47086622301_466237e188_b.jpgimg0810 by HughieDW, on Flickr

32144825397_2829975700_b.jpgimg0818 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47086563231_336579b28f_b.jpgimg0816 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The engine room itself:

33211620518_959b499af2_b.jpgimg0813 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Observation tower:

46363158064_b69db8f1b7_b.jpgimg0820 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And on to the next emplacement:

33212066318_64228440d1_b.jpgimg0821 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47034782862_08743bf13d_b.jpgimg0829 by HughieDW, on Flickr

46173484985_b7d2715e9a_b.jpgimg0826 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47087094581_6c72853b05_b.jpgimg0822 by HughieDW, on Flickr

More of the same:

47034866672_6c8b7be8a2_b.jpgimg0823 by HughieDW, on Flickr

40122256983_476fe993fc_b.jpgimg0827 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And another:

46363406204_5610a3c94c_b.jpgimg0845 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47034655282_a77df4270f_b.jpgimg0843 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Finally, on to the control bunker:

47086899481_1563f72d07_b.jpgimg0835 by HughieDW, on Flickr

32145248067_1b2964b2a3_b.jpgimg0828 by HughieDW, on Flickr

46173403215_2d8de21e20_b.jpgimg0832 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Quick peek inside:

40142080993_f52fda0149_b.jpgStallingborough 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47106791111_83c1089f5c_b.jpgStallingborough 06 by HughieDW, on Flickr

These look like reinforced shelters:

32145184537_ea1ddcee38_b.jpgimg0833 by HughieDW, on Flickr

47086922521_c005c3d55b_b.jpgimg0834 by HughieDW, on Flickr


And finally, an old tank:

46173418395_779ed4b7b8_b.jpgimg0830 by HughieDW, on Flickr
 
Oh we like that a lot - and it also has underground wet bits - win win.

Cheers Newage
 
Blimey that's a good one!
Kinda rubbish up here because a lot has been removed or buried beyond reach.
I'm wondering what else could lie there if the silt was cleared out.
Awesome location and not impossible for me to get to - added to my never ending list!
 
Blimey that's a good one!
Kinda rubbish up here because a lot has been removed or buried beyond reach.
I'm wondering what else could lie there if the silt was cleared out.
Awesome location and not impossible for me to get to - added to my never ending list!

Do it mate. Loads of other stuff round here too. Highest proportion of surviving Anti-aircraft batteries along the Number than anywhere in the UK with the exception of Plymouth...
 
These places survive because they were originally WW1 Coastal Defence Batteries - hence very solid and much thicker construction than WW2 AA Battery sites. Mind you; they really were something in the Autumn of '59 - the start of my motorcycling days - all the iron work and corrugated iron was still in place and nature had not taken over. My father was in command of the team that surveyed all the fortifications on the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire sides of the Humber for possible reuse by the ROC.
 
A nice set there mate.visited here a few yrs back myself.plenty too see
 

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