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Drumcross, Shilton Battery

Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century)

Site Name Drumcross, Shilton Battery

Classification Anti Aircraft Battery (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Gsg7; S7; Clyde Aa Defences

Canmore ID 106497

Site Number NS47SE 80

NGR NS 4519 7095

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/106497

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Renfrewshire
  • Parish Erskine
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Renfrew
  • Former County Renfrewshire

Archaeology Notes

NS47SE 80 4519 7095

An anti-aircraft battery is depicted on the latest edition of the OS map (OS 1:10000 map, 1981), SE of Drumcross farm.

Information from RCAHMS (DE), August 1996

This heavy anti-aircraft battery consisted of four emplacements with command position to the NW and the GL mat (gun laying false radar horizon hexagon) to the W. The accommodation camp was situated in the bend of the minor road which runs NE from Shilton farm. (Visible on vertical air photograph, RAF 106G/UK/988, flown 1945, 3226)

Information from RCAHMS (DE), July 1997

This World War II heavy anti-aircraft battery is situated near Erskine in an area between the M8 motorway and the M898, SE of Drumcross Farm.

The four brick and concrete gun-emplacements with command post, gun store, two standard size magazines, with a large magazine nearby, all survive. No trace of the crew accommodation camp could be seen on the date of visit.

The battery was armed with four 4.5-inch guns.

J Guy 2001; NMRS MS 810/11, Part 3, 202-3; Vol.2 (appendix).

Activities

Standing Building Recording (8 April 2010)

NS 4519 7095 A historic building recording exercise was undertaken, 8 April 2010, on the site of a WW2 heavy antiaircraft battery, in order to assess the impact of recent largescale landscaping activities undertaken in its immediate vicinity. The survey revealed that all the major elements of the operations area, comprising four gun pits, two magazines and a command post could still be identified as upstanding remains. However, much of one gun pit and roughly half of another had been buried beneath bunds, and some of the structural elements of these features may have been demolished during the landscaping process. The command post had also been subject to partial demolition. However, the remaining two gun pits and the magazines were in good condition. Aerial photographs indicated that the battery’s accommodation area had been located to the E and S of the

battery. Much of this area had been subject to landscaping, but one upstanding stretch of brick walling was identified that appeared to represent the footing of a Nissen hut or similar temporary structure.

Archive: RCAHMS. Report: WoSAS

Funder: Mr Peter Anderson

Louise Turner – Rathmell Archaeology Limited

Field Visit (18 July 2017)

Some broken concrete debris under a hedge (NS 45291 70833 and NS 45171 70817) in an area now occupied by three large farm buildings is all that remains of a World War Two heavy anti-aircraft battery visible on a RAF air photograph (M/013/F309 3642) flown on 6 June, 1941. It was one of at least 43 such batteries that were constructed to protect the industries in the centre of Glasgow and along the banks of the River Clyde from aerial attack by the Luftwaffe during WWII

Visited by HES, Survey and Recording (ATW, ARG) 18 July 2017.

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