Monument record 8683/0/1 - HAA Battery at Newnham

[Also known as Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Daventry B]. Site of Second World War heavy anti aircraft battery at Brookfield Farm, Newnham. It was listed as unarmed in 1942. There are no remains.

{1} Note from M Rumbold dated 3/12/1998. Provides information from the members of the Flore Heritage Society supplied by John Smith. "Members report two Anti Aircraft sites in the Daventry area. Newnham Grounds is one of them. Follow the private road which leaves A45 halfway between the two turns to Newnham." This almost certainly the same site as that reported in the sources quoted later in these references (see below) See also SMR 8143 for the HAA site locted to the NW in the Daventry district.

{2} The report gazetteer makes specific reference to an unamed HAA site at NGR SP596604 established, along with another HAA site (at Daventry) for defence of Daventry (presumably the BBC station on Borough Hill?). No information on equipment. Note that the report contains detailed descriptions of HAA sites. The accuracy of NGR may not be good.

{3} Photographs of 'Daventry AA Battery located near the Transmitting Station".

{4} Two modern photographs from an O-level history project carried out in 1980. The photos are of the site of A.A. Gun site at Newnham - two 3.7inch guns covered Weedon and Daventry Trasmitter. ' (The sites are) located at the back of Newnham Hall'.

{5} Existing SMR info identifies two possible locations for this monument, the more likely being c.SP59596040. Local information confirms that the Battery was at this approximate location but also reports that the site has been recently ploughed with no evidence for the site being revealed. M.Flitcroft feels that it should now be considered a former site for future management purposes.

<1> RUMBOLD M., 1998, ORAL REPORT TO SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN50476.

<2?> DOBINSON C.;, 1996, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, Volume 1: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914-46, p. 350 (Report). SNN40730.

<3> 1978, Northamptonshire at War 1939-45: A Selection of Photographs, 110-111 (Uncertain). SNN46893.

<4> SMITH C., 1980, PHOTOGRAPHS, (unchecked) (Photographs). SNN51668.

<5> 1999, ORAL REPORT TO SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN50291.

<6> Armishaw A. (compiler), 2002, Daventry Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, 1940-41: Summary of war diary of 244th (3rd Norfolk) AA BTY, (unchecked) (Diary). SNN102146.

<7> Newnham Grounds AA Battery, (checked) (Photographic prints (B&W)). SNN108909.

<8> Down Memory Lane, (checked) (Newspaper cuttings). SNN108910.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2023 4:54PM