Starfish decoy site - Pennines - September 2010

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nij4829

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
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Location
Brighouse, W Yorks
Visited with Darrell

Until recently, operation starfish was very unknown.There is very little documentation regarding such sites and even less sites remaining.
A starfish site, was a decoy site for Luftwaffe bombing targets. They were in moorland and used oil pans to create light, structures to replicate the target and other industiral equipment.
In the case of this site, we believe that this was mean to be a decoy for Todmorden train station, railway lines and goods sheds. Little remains today of the goods sheds, though you can see where the rail line was laid and where the structures once stood. Also the bunker and blast wall which housed the service men and women survives.
From ontop of the bunker, you can see Kirklees, Calderdale, North Derbyshire. On a good day you can see York.

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Thanks for sharing a great piece of our rich history.I had no idea such creation's of wartime deviation even existed.Very nice!:)
 
...I had no idea such creation's of wartime deviation even existed.Very nice!:)
It's amazing what they did to confuse and camouflage. There are a couple of great books about it...
Fields of Deception by Colin Dobbs (about the decoy sites), and
The War Magician by David Fischer (about Jasper Maskelyne who headed a camouflage unit and came up with the most outrageously inventive ideas. Very entertaining read).

I love these decoy sites. Nice find and pics, nij. :)
 
Very interesting mate. I like the story about the one on the south coast, with the inflatable tanks and stuff.
 
Its a great place, about half a mile from a small country road.
It wasnt me who found it, it was Darrell and I cannot thank him enough for sharing it with me.
 
Nice one Nij - thanks for posting :) So someone tell me, what were the large ducted holes in the wall for ? The same exist in the Mendip Starfish sites.
 
Or go to the definitive source...

[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Deception-Britains-Bombing-Decoys/dp/0413745708[/ame]

:)
 
that's dreadful! - the local morons are wrecking the place - when i was up there they had a blast wall covering the entrance - the morons have ripped it down?

when you consider that these are comparatively rare and unusual sites you'd think there'd be some historic protection for them. I contacted all and sundry when i stumbled over this location over half a decade ago, it was in pristine condition then as far as i recall. No-body knew what it was and it wasn't listed anywhere, i don't think it even appeared on my o/s of the time

grrrrrrrrrrrr!

:icon_evil
 
that's dreadful! - the local morons are wrecking the place - when i was up there they had a blast wall covering the entrance - the morons have ripped it down?

when you consider that these are comparatively rare and unusual sites you'd think there'd be some historic protection for them. I contacted all and sundry when i stumbled over this location over half a decade ago, it was in pristine condition then as far as i recall. No-body knew what it was and it wasn't listed anywhere, i don't think it even appeared on my o/s of the time

grrrrrrrrrrrr!

:icon_evil

They don't appear on any OS maps mate (I have a large selection both in time, area and types (ie - walker, explorer etc......)) - the best source for info on them is the BOB database IMO
 
They don't appear on any OS maps mate (I have a large selection both in time, area and types (ie - walker, explorer etc......)) - the best source for info on them is the BOB database IMO

thanks. well at the present rate of vandalism this 'starfish' survivor which was in A1 condition 5 years ago will be a pile of rubble in the corner of a farmer's field in 5 years time. sad.
 
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