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CHAIN HOME LOW STATION CHL05A

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

RAF FAIRLIGHT

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The site of a Royal Air Force Chain Home Low radar station at Fairlight established by June 1940. It provided early warning of low-flying enemy aircraft approaching the south coast between Hastings and Rye. It formed part of the radar warning network for the key 11 Group of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. Chain Home Low sites typically comprised two gantries carrying the transmitter and receiver aerial arrays, a transmitter and receiver hut, a standby set house for the reserve power, and a general purposes hut. Defence measures installed at radar stations included Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pillboxes, road blocks and air raid shelters. Aerial photography from 1972 shows that the station had been removed, but an air raid shelter was visible in a disused quarry.

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A Chain Home Low Station located at Fairlight (TQ 858 118), called site CHL05A. It was established by the end of June 1941. Chain Home Low (CHL) stations provided early warning of approaching low-flying enemy aircraft during the Second World War. CHL stations used technology originally used by the Army to plot shipping for coastal batteries. In 1940 the Royal Air Force established the series of Chain Home Low stations to supplement the existing Chain Home stations as they were capable of detecting lower-flying aircraft. CHL sites typically comprised two gantries carrying the transmitter and receiver aerial arrays, a transmitter and receiver hut, a standby set house for the reserve power, and a general purposes hut. Defence measures installed at radar stations included Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pillboxes, road blocks and air raid shelters. (1)

Chain Home Low Station at Fairlight. Aerial photography from 1972 shows that the station has been removed, but an air raid shelter is visible in an old quarry. (2)

Aerial photograph referenced in source 2. (3)

RAF Fairlight provided early warning for low-flying enemy aircraft approaching the south coast between Hastings and Rye. (4)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) C S Dobinson 2000 Twentieth century fortifications in England, volume 7. Acoustics and radar: England's early warning systems 1915-1945

Page(s)164

(2) Michael J. Anderton 2000 Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two radar stations

Page(s)83

(3) Aerial photograph

MAL/72021/023 23-MAR-1972

(4) World Wide Web page

Royal Air Force and Crown Copyright, 2004. 11 Group Stations of the the Battle of Britain http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/11group.html Updated on 16-FEB-2005 [Accessed on 24-JUL-2008]

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