Ottery Point

[Daveg4otu]

Some information has come from a local resident that a field at South Farm , Budleigh Salterton.(N50.38.248/W3.18.246)was used as an aerodrome between the wars -used for Flying circuses and pleasure flights . Possibly the area to the north of the farm buildings.It was known as the "Flying Field" locally .

He also says that the same location was used as a decoy airfield during WW2....this is a new one to me ...can anyone confirm this?

My informant also states...."On the coast edge beyond farm and close to the sewage pumping station, was the wartime gunnery target range with the targets moored offshore. piolots from Exeter in particular would use these facilities. There is still a shell of a building alonside the costal footpath which I understand was used the observe the targets."

[PNK]

Well, you have ceratinly got my attention I will have a look, if I get time tonight, and see what I can find.

[Daveg4otu]

Purely guesswork ....but could the object at 50.37.824/03.18.331 be the "shell of a building" refered to?

[PNK]

How peculiar , Petertheater sent a PM about Brandy Bay or Head that is mentioned in Paul's new book (No, I haven't read all of it). I thought Budleigh Salterton sounded familiar! The upshot is that we think the range in question is the A&AEE gunnery range at Brandy Bay (Head?). The area is a little further up the coast from South Farm and three buildings are visible on the 1945 layer in GE (The only bit of Devon!). The middle one was probably a coastal lookout but the other two are unidentified as far as I know.
The other thing is that this range is not on my lists and it pops up via two different sources! The name is familiar so I think I came across it somewhere.

NGRs for the three suspects are approx

SY09046378 - Possible quadrant or markers shelter
SY09048367 - Coastal obsevation post
SY08878334 - Unknown, may not be a building

[PETERTHEEATER]

The book 'Druid's Circle' which I have mentioned previously on AiX contains a non-specific reference to a special armour plate target erected on the cliffs southeast of Exeter. In the third week of January 1942, two Hurricanes from A&AEE Boscombe operated from Exeter to carry out trial fring of the then new rocket projectiles fitted with the 25 pound armour piercing shell as used by the famous 25 pounder gun (howitzer). The target was 40 feet square consisting of 4 foot square sections of 4 inch thick armour plate laid onto a substantial steel frame. Over two days the target was perforated many times over at 90 and 45 degrees proving the effectiveness of the head/motor combination.

[Daveg4otu]

More on this ....

Shaun Churchill has just informed me that he has found that there was an ELG at Home Down ( about 1 mile East of South Farm) used as a get-out for any range-users at Brandy Head who needed to get down in a hurry .

Was this perhaps the same site as the prewar "Flying Field" and the supposed decoy field?

Can anyone tie any of this up?

[PNK]

There would only have been a clear run of about 600yards so maybe this was okay?

[Daveg4otu]

Looking at GE there is one place to the north of South Farm with the potential for about 1200 yds E/W if a small lane was crossable.Otherwise , as you say, 600yds is about it.

However , as this was intended as an Emergency Landing Ground I guess the primary concern would be just to be able to get down , even if it meant a wheels-up landing to stop in time.

[ianbache]

How peculiar , Petertheater sent a PM about Brandy Bay or Head that is mentioned in Paul's new book (No, I haven't read all of it). I thought Budleigh Salterton sounded familiar! The upshot is that we think the range in question is the A&AEE gunnery range at Brandy Bay (Head?). The area is a little further up the coast from South Farm and three buildings are visible on the 1945 layer in GE (The only bit of Devon!). The middle one was probably a coastal lookout but the other two are unidentified as far as I know.
The other thing is that this range is not on my lists and it pops up via two different sources! The name is familiar so I think I came across it somewhere.

NGRs for the three suspects are approx

SY09046378 - Possible quadrant or markers shelter
SY09048367 - Coastal obsevation post
SY08878334 - Unknown, may not be a building

Hi PNK,
You have probably already seen this, but at the above grid/ref SY09048367, Observation post could this be it,
C/O Geography and Lewis Clarke.
Said to be used for experimental gun sight and weaponry development?





hope it helps

Regards Ian

[PNK]

Yes that looks like the building. The area was marked as an air to ground range on1942 charts and the safety trace was an arc facing SE. The area also had the large metal frames to hold rectangle of mild steel and also armour plate for testing RP rounds (see post #5). That building must have been used for viewing experimental attacks out to sea though.