| Summary : The site of a Royal Air Force Chain Home Low radar station at Bempton established by June 1941. It provided early warning of approaching low-flying enemy aircraft during the Second World War. 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. The site was upgraded in 1942 and fitted with centimetric radar to become a Chain Home Extra Low station, called site K159. Aerial photography from 1997 shows that the site was later turned into a Rotor station (see HOB UID 1447327). The remains of at least four Second World War buildings are visible at TA 192 737. A range of buildings and aerial bases at TA 193 742 are part of the Rotor station. It comprises a guardroom, operations block, Type 80 building, over five Type 13/14 aerial bases, and a sewage works. |
More information : Some of the features describe below may correlate with features discussed in the associated monument records but exact concordance is not possible.
Elements of a RADAR STATION including FENCE, MILITARY BUILDING, TRACKWAY and a RADAR BEACON are visible as structures and earthworks on air photographs taken in 1941. (1)
Additional structures were visible on 1950 photographs including the radar beacon at TA 1913 7368. (2)
Most features, including the RADAR BEACON were either ruinous or removed by 1997. (3)
A Chain Home Low Station loacted at Bempton (TA 192 737), called site CHL37A. It was 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. From 1942 CHL sites were combined with the British Army's Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) sites to form one system of low-cover radar under the control of the Royal Air Force. These selected stations were upgraded with centimetric radars to become the K-series of Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) stations. This improvement in radar technology meant that fewer stations were needed to give the same coverage and as a result many CHL and CD/CHL stations not upgraded were closed. Bempton became CHEL station K159. (4)
Chain Home Low Station at Bempton. Aerial photography from 1997 shows that the site was later turned into a Rotor station. The remains of at least four Second World War buildings are visible at TA 192 737. A range of buildings and aerial bases at TA 193 742 are part of the Rotor station. It comprised a guardroom, operations block, Type 80 building, over five Type 13/14 aerial bases, and a sewage works. (5)
Aerial photograph referenced in source 5. (6)
'Elements of a WW2 radar station including fence, military building, trackway and a radar. Additional structures were visible on 1950 photographs including the radar beacon at TA 1913 7368. Most features, including the radar beacon were either ruinous or removed by 1997. Buildings are visible as structures and earthworks on APs taken in 1941 (7) |