NHER 43322 (Monument record) - Site of Second World War searchlight battery

March 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A World War Two searchlight battery site is visible on aerial photographs (S1-S3). This site was centred on TF 7431 3604. It was located immediately to the southeast of Sedgeford Decoy airfield (NHER 13162) and approximately 5km northwest and southwest of Bircham Newton (NHER 1793) and Docking (NHER 13551) airfields respectively. The earliest aerial photographs showing this searchlight battery date from July 1942 (S1). At that time three searchlight emplacements were present. These were arranged in a typical trefoil pattern and were centred on TF 7427 3603. Each of the emplacements were surrounded by an earth bank and had a diameter of approximately 9m. A further emplacement surrounded by a penannular earth bank was located 55m to the west. This emplacement, which had an internal diameter of 12m, probably housed the predictor equipment or possibly a light anti-aircraft gun. A group of buildings including Nissen hut and pitched roof types was located to the southwest of the emplacements. A possible weapons pit was also located to the south of the buildings. The site was accessed by a track leading from a road on its eastern side. Further buildings were located in a barbed wire enclosure alongside the road in the eastern part of the field. By June 1945 the layout of the site had changed (S2), with the large predictor emplacement and two of the three searchlight emplacements having been removed. A circular concrete base with a 10m diameter had been constructed to the south of the former emplacements at TF 7430 3598. It is possible that this emplacement was for late World War Two radar controlled 150mm projector searchlight mounted on a wheeled trailer, which probably replaced the earlier fixed searchlights. A sunken earth emplacement with a similar diameter was located 45m to its east. The main area of buildings for the battery appeared to be enclosed by a barbed wire fence by this date. Most of the buildings and the remaining emplacements were still present at the site in June 1946 (S3). However, by September 1958 the site had been completely cleared and was under arable cultivation (S4).
J. Albone (NMP), 02 March 2006.

March 2025. Northwest Norfolk Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AI&M) Project (volunteer strand).
Lidar data from a survey flown in 2018 (S5) shows no trace of the site, suggesting that it has been entirely levelled. The earthworks of several pits are visible, but these do not appear to correspond to the position of the searchlight emplacements and are most likely to be marl pits of post medieval or modern origin.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 31 March 2025.