AA Battery, Stonecreek, November 2011

[Jimthething]

I actually photographed this site last year, before I found out about this website and community and I had been intending to post my original photos on here.
It was such a lovely bright day today though that as I’d finished work early I decided to have a drive out to Stone Creek and take a better look at the site and I’m so glad I did, as on closer inspection I found the lovely aircraft identification pictures that have been painted directly onto the wall inside one of the bunkers. They’re starting to decay a fair bit now but still look beautiful. I felt like some archaeologist discovering a hitherto undiscovered set of cave-paintings!

Stone Creek itself is on the Humber bank near a place called Sunk Island. The whole area used to be an actual silt island in the river Humber until the land around it was drained and reclaimed during the 17th and 18th centuries. Stone Creek was so named as it’s where building stone for many of the local churches was landed (us having nowt but clay to stand on here).

The battery itself is one of a chain of Anti-Aircraft batteries that guarded Hull and the Humber during World War 2. It is located about a mile west of the remains of the World War 1 coastal defence battery at Sunk Island, which I will visit and photograph some time soon.

This site is now only inhabited by cows (not at home today), swallows in the summer months and the odd rabbit. The structures are in relatively poor condition – the barracks have lost their roof, the nissen hut has no roof and most of the blast doors from the magazines are missing. The concrete structures of the gun emplacements are mostly still complete, although one has been partially broken up. There is a brick structure to the north of the field which is entirely demolished.
One of the telegraph poles is still standing and now has an owl box attached to it and some of the buildings still have some switches and cabling.
There were 4 gun emplacements originally, and the mounting iron for the guns themselves is still visible in places. One of the structures there has a triangular mounting which is much smaller – I’m guessing for a gun aiming device or perhaps a searchlight – although I believe there is a searchlight sight to the east near the WW1 battery. I’m sure someone will be able to enlighten me on seeing the pictures.
The real gem, as I said, for me was finding the aircraft identification drawings!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Jim.


Stonecreek AA Battery 080 by jimthething, on Flickr
Ariel view, courtesy of GE


Stonecreek AA Battery 068 by jimthething, on Flickr
View of the Humber from just in front of AA site


Stonecreek AA Battery 067 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 039 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 062 by jimthething, on Flickr



Stonecreek AA Battery 066 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 065 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 064 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 063 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 061 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 060 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 059 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 058 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 057 by jimthething, on Flickr
Triangular mounting - gun aiming system?


Stonecreek AA Battery 056 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 055 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 054 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 053 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 052 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 051 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 050 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 049 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 048 by jimthething, on Flickr
Very heavy iron door hinges on one of the magazines. Note the airbrick - presumably to allow the cordite to breathe as it becomes very unstable when damp!


Stonecreek AA Battery 047 by jimthething, on Flickr
Remains of a blast door.


Stonecreek AA Battery 046 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 045 by jimthething, on Flickr
This gun emplacement now fenced off as an enclosure for cattle.

These next few pictures are of the concrete building to the north of the site. Generator building perhaps?

Stonecreek AA Battery 044 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 043 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 042 by jimthething, on Flickr
To the rear of the building and barb-wire fenced off for some reason.


Stonecreek AA Battery 041 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 040 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 038 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 037 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 036 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 035 by jimthething, on Flickr

Note the double thickness blast wall around this area. Main magazine perhaps? Each gun emplacement has it's own much smaller magazines arrayed around the gun itself.


Stonecreek AA Battery 034 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 033 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 032 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 031 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 030 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 029 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 028 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 027 by jimthething, on Flickr
Some of the small magazines, some with blast doors still intact around the individual gun emplacements.

And my favourite bit!

Stonecreek AA Battery 026 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 025 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 024 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 023 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 022 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 021 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 020 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 019 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 018 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 017 by jimthething, on Flickr
Gun mounting


Stonecreek AA Battery 016 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 015 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 013 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 012 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 011 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 010 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 009 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 008 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 007 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 006 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 005 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 004 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 003 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 002 by jimthething, on Flickr


Stonecreek AA Battery 001 by jimthething, on Flickr

And the weather couldn't have been better for nearly December!
Jim

 

[jonney]

Nice finds there Jim looks like most of its still there, the concrete building to the north with the windows in would have housed the radar set for the battery.

 

[night crawler]

Great report and photo's. I'm sur ethe farmer could hav etold you what was under the wired off area. Those old paintings were worth seeing.

 

[theartist]

good in depth report, congrats.

 

[cptpies]

Excellent report and great pictures. The triangular thing you mention is the mount for the gun laying predictor. More info at [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrison_Predictor[/ame]

 

[RichCooper]

Love it mate One on our todo list those plane pics are well worth a visit on their own

 

[Jimthething]

Thanks guys. There is another AA battery just a couple miles west of this one. I plan to go and have a look at that sometime in the near future too.

As for the aircraft pictures, I believe they show a Wellington, a Fortress, a Dakota and possibly a Short Sunderland - all allied planes. Obviously a 'don't shoot at these' list!

I once had a look around inside the roof space of Beverley Minster. The master mason who worked there during WW2 was apparently a plane spotter as there are some lovely pictures of WW2 aircraft etched into the glass in one of the windows. I have photos somewhere if anybody is interested in seeing them.

I know an elderly lady who was in the WRAF during the war. She was on an AA battery on the south coast and her job was to pass the information from the predictor to the gun aimers. She was telling me how it worked out where to aim and what time fuse was required using altitude, speed and heading of the enemy aircraft.

 

[Munchh]

Lovely bright, sharp photos Jim, but you might want to lose the date stamp.

Enjoyable and detailed report. I could happily spend several hours there. Thanks for posting.

 

[Jimthething]

Aw cheers, Munchh.

I have to use the date stamp for part of my work. I thought I'd switched it off before this visit though!

 

[WinchItIn]

First Class report, quaility write up and pic's. I do like a good old HAA battery.

 

[Jimthething]

These are some more pictures of the same place that I took there summer 2010. There's a couple of different perspectives...


DSC02743 by jimthething, on Flickr


DSC02749 by jimthething, on Flickr


DSC02748 by jimthething, on Flickr


DSC02747 by jimthething, on Flickr


DSC02744 by jimthething, on Flickr


DSC02741 by jimthething, on Flickr

 

[dannylaing]

Great pics,love the plane drawingstrip in the new year with the bruv,great pics

 

[Foxylady]

What a great site. Nice to see so many interesting remains. Especially loving those beautiful plane drawings.
Fab pics and tour Jim.

 

[hydealfred]

Superb report and shots - well done