Washington, Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post
Washington, Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post
HER Number
5881
District
Sunderland
Site Name
Washington, Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post
Place
Washington
Map Sheet
NZ35NW
Class
Defence
Site Type: Broad
Royal Observer Corps Site
Site Type: Specific
Royal Observer Corps Site
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Form of Evidence
Documentary Evidence
Description
Post 2 in cluster E of 30 Group moved here in or before April 1943 from a site nearer to Washington village (HER 5880). Around May 1949 the post was resited at Hastings Hill (HER 5882). This was a visual observation post to track aircraft movements. Early Observer Corps Posts had a simple instrument for plotting the plan position of the aircraft. Throughout WW2 the ROC had a more sophisticated "Post Instrument" which also recorded the height of the aircraft. WW2 posts were frequently simply sand bagged emplacements, or more sophisticated examples were of domestic brick construction, some two-storey, with an open observation post and a crew room. Some had latrines.
Easting
431100
Northing
558400
Grid Reference
NZ431100558400
Sources
<< HER 5881 >> C.S. Dobinson, 2000, Twentieth Century Fortifications in England, The Cold War, Vol XI, 2, p 212
Council For British Archaeology, 1995, Twentieth Century, Defences in Britain - An Introductory Guide Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, p 32; D. Wood, 1992, Attack Warning Red; http://subbrit.org.uk
Council For British Archaeology, 1995, Twentieth Century, Defences in Britain - An Introductory Guide Handbook of The Defence of Britain Project, p 32; D. Wood, 1992, Attack Warning Red; http://subbrit.org.uk