Alternative Names Gsg3; S3; Clyde Aa Defences; Clyde Postwar Aa Defences; Mid Netherton
Site type ANTI AIRCRAFT BATTERY (20TH CENTURY), ENCLOSURE (20TH CENTURY)
Canmore ID 43809
Site Number NS55NE 18
NGR NS 5827 5751
Council GLASGOW, CITY OF
Parish CARMUNNOCK (CITY OF GLASGOW)
Former Region STRATHCLYDE
Former District CITY OF GLASGOW
Former County LANARKSHIRE

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Archaeological Notes

NS55NE 18 5827 5751.

NS 5827 5751. Impression of a 6m to 7.5m broad bank, enclosing an area 40m in diameter, around a solitary WD building at Netherton Braes.
Information contained in letter from T C Welsh to OS, 9 June 1974.

The location of this enclosure and the description given above makes it very probable that this is one of a series of heavy anti-aircraft batteries which were guarding the approaches to Glasgow and the Clyde Estuary during the Second World War.
Information from J Guy, September 1996

This heavy anti-aircraft position is situated on Netherton Braes and consisted of a four gun-emplacement battery, with the GL mat (gun laying radar false horizon hexagon) to the N. The accommodation camp was to the E. (The gun-emplacements, GL-mat (gun laying radar) and accommodation camp are visible on RAF post-war vertical air photographs, 106G/Scot/UK 140, part III, 5283-4, taken 3 July 1946).
Information from RCAHMS (DE) July 1997.

NS 5833 5756. This World War II heavy anti-aircraft battery is situated at the end of a rough track leading from the cemetery at Mid Netherton.
Four brick and concrete gun-emplacements, command post, two magazines, gun store, engine room and one computing room all survive in a field. The hut bases for the crew accommodation camp are still visible to the E.
J Guy 2001; NMRS MS 810/11, Part 3, 211-12; Vol.2 (appendix), 19-21

This battery would appear to have some postwar alterations and following information supplied by Mr Bamber (information via e-mail to RCAHMS from Mr J Bamber, 3 July 2008), an examination of post 1946 air photography was undertaken
Vertical aerial photography subsequent to the 1946 sortie above (ibid) and recent oblique aerial views (RCAHMS 2007) show that additional buildings were constructed sometime between 1950 and 1954. Sortie 541/A/527, frames 3063-3064, flown 13 May 1950 shows that the battery had remained unaltered since 1946. The gun-emaplacements, command centre and engine room set within a barbed wire enclosure along with the accommodation camp all remain in situ. By the date of the 1954 sortie (F22 540/RAF/1485, frames 0040-0042, flown 24 November 1954), however, show that two buildings with a made track from the road to the gun emplacements had been added on the SW of the barbed wire enclosure with a second falt roofed structure on the SE side. Within the accommodation camp, at least six huts had been removed, but two small square pitched roofed huts had been added at the NE end. The oblique air photography by RCAHMS would appear to confirm these changes with the presence of a single flat roofed building to the SW with anoter to the SE.
The additional buildings suggest that some postwar work was undertaken at this battery, though not on the scale seen at other heavy anti aircraft sites (see NS36NE 32, NS47NW 25 and NS76NE 24).
Information from RCAHMS (DE), July 2008; e-mail from J Bamber, 3 July 2008

Redfern, N I (1998) Twentieth century fortifications in the United Kingdom, 5 V. V.1 Introduction and sources; V.2 Site gazetteers: Wales; V.3 Site gazetteers: Northern Ireland; V.4 & 5 Site gazetteers: Scotland York
Page(s): 10 Held at RCAHMS F.6.9.CBA