Monument record 8104/0/1 - Starfish Bombing Decoy SF22A (Civil Bombing Decoy C84A)

A Second World War bombing decoy site at Barby. It was built in early 1941 as a 'Permanent Starfish' site to deflect enemy bombing from the town of Rugby. By 1942 a 'QL' decoy was incorporated into the site as part of the 'C-series' of civil decoys to protect Rugby railway marshalling yard. The 'Starfish' decoy operated by lighting a series of controlled fires during an air raid to replicate an urban area targeted by bombs. The 'QL' decoy displayed simulated marshalling yard lights and locomotive glows to reconstruct the railway yards. The site is referenced as being in use up until 1943. Aerial photography from 1963 shows that the site had been given over to agricultural use and no features of the decoy survive. A further 'Starfish' site for Rugby was located at Clay Coton.

{1} The report makes specific mention of the Starfish decoy on p145 &150 and to a C Series (civil) decoy (a QL site) on p131, 139 and 165. The report contains detailed descriptions of both Starfish and QL decoys. Note the co-location of Starfish and QL decoys. The Barby Starfish decoy operated with a Starfish decoy at Clay Coton (in Stanford parish) for the parent site of Rugby. The site is identified as being in use at least from 01/08/1941 to 08/04/1943. The QL target was Rugby marshalling yard with MY lights and loco glows being used at the QL decoy. The QL site is identified as being in use at least from 02/10/1942 to 01/05/1943.

{2} "It (the site) covered quite an area and seemed to comprise of 6ft high scaffolding and a series of water and oil tanks."

{3} Starfish site to simulate large fires in Rugby by night (with another at Clay Coton). Starfish were the biggest and most complex of the decoys for civilian and industrial WWII targets. QL site to simulate specific targets by night (QL lights) for Rugby. These were smaller decoys than the Starfish. This QL operated with the Starfish. Further details of the operation of Starfish and QL sites in Gibson p.89-90.

{4} Aerial photography shows that by 1963 the site had been given over to agricultural use and no features of the decoy survive. It notes that a number of structures and decoy apparatus is visible on an 1944 aerial photograph (US/7PH/GP/LOC/284/12035).

{5} NGR concords with that given in source 1. The 'Starfish' sites for Rugby were built by April 1941. The urban decoys for Rugby were decommissioned in August to September 1944.

<1> DOBINSON C.; DENISON S., 1996, TWENTIETH CENTURY FORTIFICATIONS IN ENGLAND: BOMBING DECOYS OF WORLD WAR TWO, p.131+139+165, 145-50 (unchecked) (Report). SNN45892.

<2> Start P., 1999, Letter, (unchecked) (Letter). SNN100773.

<3> Gibson M.L., 1982, Aviation In Northamptonshire: An Illustrated History, p.90 (unchecked) (Book). SNN100276.

<4> Anderton M.J., 1999, Twentieth Century Military Recording Project: World War Two Bombing Decoy Sites (Survey Undertaken for MPP), p. 78 (Report). SNN106122.

<5> Dobinson C., 2000, Fields of Deception: Britain's Bombing Decoys of World War II, p. 89, 204, 285 (Book). SNN105856.

Record last edited

Jun 20 2022 2:06PM