200 yard Moving Target Ranges

[Bill]

Hi

The sleepers I posted about earlier are not from a mtr, but from a normal railway, a main line was demolished fairly locally. There are many sleepers in use as posts over a wide area.

Here is an aerial shot of RAF Wigtown mtr from sometime in the 1940's. It shows a covered roof for the gun position, and a covered awning at the other end of the range behind the trapezoidal wall under which the target must have run. I saw lead flashing for this awning still there on my last visit.

Bill

[PNK]

Great photo. Shows up the original features a treat.

You don't happen to have one of West Freugh's?

[PETERTHEEATER]

See this Luftwaffe image on CANMORE. It appears to confirm PNK's location:

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site...eugh+airfield/

[PNK]

I didn't notice that Theddlethorpe appears clearly on the Old-Maps site!

[WJT]

Here is an extract from the plan attached to the sale particulars for sale of the RAF Theddlethorpe Range HQ (closing date for tenders 28 July 198 and the area of land outlined in red.





Signs of the 200 yard range are still shown on the plan.

[PETERTHEEATER]

So, 13 out of 13 located (but there may be more undiscovered).

Dumfries is the only one with no satellite coverage at good definition but may have significant remains. It is also the only one which was not coastal and firing out over the sea. The topography indicates steeply rising ground so the danger area would have been marked out as an inland range.

Did you come up with an NGR for the Silloth MTR; according to Carnabie's early post it is obliterated?

[Carnaby]

So, 13 out of 13 located (but there may be more undiscovered).
My thoughts too.

Dumfries may have significant remains.
when NP and I visited it 15? years ago it was in reasonable condition - and was protected by a bull!

NGR for the Silloth MTR; according to Carnaby's early post it is obliterated
This was the info I received - I spent a while trying to locate it from maps and the web. However resolution has improved now and this seems to be it. NY132564
Also in Bing

Silloth in Google is great - one of my favourite airfields.

Graham

[PNK]

According to AP 3236 a total of 13 MTR were built. Are they now all accounted for?

You happen to recall which page? I wanted to scan it an put it into my MTR folder.

[PNK]

200 yard Moving Target Ranges:

Barrow SD167712
Hells Mouth SH281265
Jurby SC346985
Millom SD141782
Wigtown NX445525
Tain NH838834
Dumfries NY053785
Dalcross (Fort George) NH789565
Pembrey SN397041
Silloth NY132564
Theddlethorpe TF473905
West Freugh NX108 524
Chesil Beach SY648785

Some of the NGR's might be slighlty inaaccurate as I used Streetmap

[Carnaby]

I'm still confused about the allocations of these sites. AP3236 (p748 ) lists the following 20 as 'Air Navigation, Bombing and Gunnery Schools (1939-45)'

Stations in bold had MTRs (I assume Penhros went 7 miles to Hell's Mouth).

The 20 stations: Andreas, Barrow. Bishops Court, Castle Kennedy, Dalcross, Dumfries, Evanton, Halfpenny Green, Jurby, Llandwrog, Mona, Morpeth, Millom, Penrhos, Pembrey, Staverton, Sutton Bridge, Stormy Down, Wigtown, West Freugh.

This leaves MTRs at Tain, Silloth, Theddlethorpe and Chesil Beach unaccounted for.

Barrow's range Dwg No. suggests a 1942 device.

Evanton and Stormy Down were Gunnery Schools from 1940, Castle Kennedy from 1941, Morpeth from 1942, Andreas from 1943 - no MTRs.

Wigtown was never a Gunnery School (that's why its MTR is intact )

Jurby and Penrhos ceased being Gunnery schools in 1940, Dumfries and Millom in 1941.

Sutton Bridge wouldn't be interested in a 50mile journey to / from Theddlethorpe.

I don't believe the Air Ministry could have got it all wrong

Graham