Second World War features on Memorial Common, descriptive survey
update January 2009
1. Introduction
During both the First and Second World War Chailey Commons were used for military training purposes. Peter Longstaff-Tyrell identifies the extensive trench system on Romany Ridge as dating from the First World War[1] while Chris Butler recently identified evidence of WW2 training trenches on both Red House[2] and Pound Common[3]. Memorial (or St Mary’s) Common also shows evidence of military use during the Second World War. There is documentary evidence and an eye-witness account of an anti-aircraft searchlight position (Appendix A).
This paper briefly describes the main features that may date from this period of activity. These features are all found in the north-eastern corner of Memorial Common (MC), southeast of the playing fields and bounded by the A275 to the east as far south as the ‘sand’ quarry adjacent to the A275 (TQ391650). A survey of the rest of Memorial Common has yet to be undertaken.
Initial walkover surveys were carried out in January and May 2008. A more detailed walkover survey was undertaken in June 2008. Some additional material was added following further examination of the area in January 2009. I have tried to be consistent with the methodology used by Chris Butler in his surveys on behalf of East Sussex County Council in late 2007 and early 2008. Written notes were recorded for each feature encountered, including information on its dimensions, shape and extent. Where possible this information is backed up with digital photographs. The locations of these features are described relative to each other or to other features and located using a hand-held GPS receiver. Dimensions over 1m were estimated by pacing; others are measured by flexible steel tape.
I have given each feature an identification number (Memorial Common or MC1 to MC18) for ease of reference and with a view to using these numbers on a map in the future. Locations are given with a 10 figure OS reference number.
Ian Seccombe
30th January 2009
[1] Longstaff-Tyrell P. 2000 Front-line Sussex: Napoleon Bonaparte to the Cold War, Sutton Publishing, Stroud
[2] Butler C. 2008 An Archaeological Survey of Chailey Common, East Sussex: Phase 1
[3] Butler C. 2008 An Archaeological Survey of Chailey Common, East Sussex: Phase 2
2. Results
| MC1 | Approached from the south this site is noticeably higher than the surrounding area. Visible remains include protruding corrugated iron sheeting plus 12 metal stakes in a roughly semi-circular pattern approximately 4 metres across. The site is at 54m above sea level. Although slightly lower than St Mary’s Church (56m) this is one of the highest points in this area. | TQ3898720843 |
| MC2 | Small shaft 200 metres south of the east-west path and 25 metres west of the north-south path. The shaft is rectangular in shape with external measurements of 0.52m by 0.67metres; depth to current in-fill is approximately 0.34m. The shaft is brick-lined; the surface work is of concrete or has a concrete facing. There is a metal rim around the top. A smaller concrete square is detached from the southern edge. | TQ3905320801 |
| MC3 | Approximately 10 metres to the west of MC2 is a significant area of rubble comprising bricks, concrete, metal downpipe elbow, corrugated roofing (asbestos?) | TQ3904720796 |
| MC4 | Possible cesspit, 25 metres to southwest of MC2 to which it appears connected by a downward sloping channel roughly 0.8m wide and 0.1m deep. The shaft is square in shape with external measurements of 1.72 metres by 1.72 metres; depth to current infill is 0.62 metres. Constructed of brick; surface work is concrete or concrete facing. Three pipes can be seen entering the construction, two on the northern edge (pointing towards MC2) and one on the western edge. Like MC2, there is a concrete lined protuberance on southern edge (0.47 metres by 0.38 metres). Southern slope away from this feature is covered with ‘clinker’ like material suggestive of a cesspit. | TQ3904120787 |
| MC5 MC6 MC7 MC8 | Approximately 25 metres south of MC2 and running alongside the main north-south footpath is a group of four shallow ’v’ shaped cuts. Possible two-man trenches. The point of the ‘v’ faces is oriented to the east. The features have very similar dimensions: the outer edge of the ‘v’ is roughly 2.6 metres; the inner edge is 0.9 metres and they taper in width from 0.65 metres at the ends to 0.8 metres at the centre. Depth to current in-fill varies but is typically circa 0.34 metres. | TQ3906520777 |
| MC9 | This feature lies approximately 4 metres to the west of MC7. A large enclosure approximately 10 metres wide at northern and southern ends with sides 20 metres long. There is an ‘entrance’ 1.3 metres wide in the northern edge. The ‘walls’ are approximately 0.8 metres high and 1 meter wide (measured at base of northern end) tapering to 0.6 metres at the top which is flattened. They appear to be mainly composed of earth although there are some bricks. Five metres from northern edge is a surface area of thick black ‘tar’. | TQ3905920775 |
| MC10 MC11 | Approximately 2 metres south of the southern edge of MC9 are two further ‘v’ shaped trenches, oriented towards the enclosure and of similar dimensions to MC5-MC8. | TQ3906020757 |
| MC12 | Approximately 30 metres south of MC8 and 40 metres west of north-south footpath is a ‘trench’ cut into one of the north-south ridges that are a feature of this part of the Common. The ‘trench’ is approximately 3 metres by 3 metres and 0.5 metres deep. | TQ3903820741 |
| MC13 | Ditch cut through ‘ridge’ approximately half metre wide and three metres in length | TQ3909920857 |
| MC14 | Shallow trench, roughly triangular in shape with sides 2 metres in length; there are several other earthworks in this area suggestive of activity, though these may relate to the quarry. | TQ3905520672 |
| MC15 | Single metal stake same design as those at MC1 | TQ3907720786 |
| MC16 | Small brick-lined shaft of same design as MC 2. Not measured. | TQ3909020785 |
| MC17 | Concrete and brick feature similar to MC4 but smaller. Not measured. | TQ3908620779 |
| MC18 | ‘Pig’s tail’ metal stake and barbed wire | TQ3910420929 |
Appendix: Documentary evidence
Between August 1940 and June 1944, Sussex Police recorded 14 air raid incidents (ARIs) in the parish of Chailey[1]. During these raids the Luftwaffe dropped a mixture of high explosive and incendiary bombs. Although some buildings and telephone lines were damaged, many of these bombs fell in open fields and on common land. There are no reports of casualties. At least two of the air aid incident report cards are relevant to our inquiries on Memorial Common.
The first recorded incident came during the Battle of Britain. Shortly before 1 am on Monday 26th August 1940 PC Herbert Cornford reported that one high explosive bomb had fallen in the garden of the King’s Head. Six properties were damaged and some GPO lines were brought down. A second high explosive bomb fell some 30 yards from north side of Haywards Heath Road and 200 yards west of Chailey crossroads. Four properties were damaged and the wall of the old rifle range was destroyed. The same raid is mentioned by Stanley Bentall, then serving with the Searchlight Battalion on the Common: “I lost my steel helmet in the blast and then met my wife …. when she came to view the craters”. His description (which mentions three bombs rather than the two recorded by PC Cornford) implies that the searchlight position was being targeted.[2]
The air raids reached a peak between September and October 1940 with incidents reported on the 8th, 19th and 29th of September and on the 16th, 21st, 22nd and 24th of October. On Thursday 24th October PC Charles Stevens records a raid just after 10pm in which nine high explosive bombs and an incendiary bomb were dropped in a run from Roeheath to the North Common Stores with one high explosive falling near St Mary’s Church just “north of the searchlight post”.
One of the largest raids came around 9pm on the night of Friday 21st January 1944 when a mix of 12 high explosive bombs and 9 phosphorous incendiary bombs were dropped, four of the falling in ‘North Common’ (the precise locations are not described).
This documentary and eye witness evidence confirms that the searchlight position was near St Mary’s Church. Intriguingly there is no mention of an anti-aircraft gun emplacement in this material. It may be that this was a later deployment, although the evidence of a possible cesspit and other drainage identified earlier might suggest a longer period of occupation.
[1] Source: East Sussex Records Office, Sussex Police Authority, Air raid incident report cards (SPA 2/21/1).
[2] http://www.anti-aircraft.co.uk/human_interest_SB.html