Monument record 7967/1/5 - Searchlight Battery at Northampton Town & County School

A searchlight battery from World War II. It was probably constructed between 1939 and 1945 but the site had been destroyed by the time of the Defence of Britain survey. The site is located at Northampton Town and County School. SMR Note: May be the same site as 7967/1/1, 500m north.

{1} Northampton Town and County School, searchlight battery. In Barnes' account of the history of C Company of the 12th Battalion (Northamptonshire Borough) Northamptonshire Home Guard, he mentions liaison between the Home Guard who were manning a nearby roadblock and the members of the searchlight batttery stationed at the Northampton Town and County School. No evidence is indicated by the RAF vertical photographs taken in 1947. This site has now been destroyed.

{2} In the middle of the war Home Guard units were authorised to use searchlight positions if their own communications were otherwise unavailable.

{3} Manned by 443 S/L Battery RA.

<1> HOLLOWELL S., 1998, Defence of Britain Recording Forms, (checked) (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN51546.

<2> Lowry B., 1998, Oral report, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN107129.

<3> Barnes L.E., 1946, History of the 12th Northamptonshire Battalion Home Guard 1940-1944, p.35 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN55036.

<4> Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources (Database). SNN112922.

<5> Historic England, Undated, Defence of Britain, DEB01 (Archive). SNN112947.

Record last edited

Nov 7 2022 3:35PM