# Naval Bombing Decoy Sites, Plymouth - 2009



## Badoosh (Jul 6, 2009)

I'd already visited one of these sites last year & found little left apart from rubble, & didn't think that there would be much left at the other sites until i began fully researching them, & how wrong i was! This is an ongoing project & i'm hoping to get some pics from their operational days which will be added to this thread as & when.

These sites were the N series of Naval Bombing Decoy Sites, with ten built specifically to deflect German bombers from miltary installations around Plymouth. The sites normally had a Control Bunker protected by a blast wall at the entrance, a small corridor seperated two rooms, one for the generator & one for the control room to operate switchgear for fires & lights, also an observation/escape hatch in the roof.

The sites differed in their configuration;

Q decoy - This was to resemble an active airfield with a sequence of lights. Only one 

QF decoy - To replicate a bombed target by lighting a series of controlled fires.

QL decoy - This site was to replicate industrial areas during blackout, comprising of a grid of muted lights usually ste out around ponds or water tanks.

Starfish decoy - These operated by lighting a series of controlled fires to replicate a miltary or urban area targerted by bombs.


The Plymouth sites were coded PL1 to PL10, & not all have remains left or nothing has been found so far. On with the first 3, & joined by Graybags & theterrorwheel, off we went to begin the search for what was left, taking in 3 sites in one afternoon.

The first was PL3 sited at Boringdon Park, where the new golf course is. Not much to be found here apart from a water tank, which looks like it has been slightly adapted for modern use. This site operated as a QL & QF decoy & was constructed in 1941, decomissioned September 1944. It's purpose was designed as a decoy for Laira marshalling yards.












On to the second site, PL5 sited at Wembury which functioned as a Starfish & QL decoy. Much better here, as we found the Control Bunker still standing, although missing it's blast wall at the entrance. Contructed in December 1940, decomissioned September 1944.










Looking into the lobby with the control room to the left, generator room on the right





The control room, escape/observation hatch just visible at the top of the picture...





...the hatch & where ladders once fixed to the wall









Inside the control room looking toward the lobby, beyond that the generator room





The generator block





Exhaust/vent pipes









Fuel pipe?





Back outside now. Water tank on roof





It's possible the fuel tank for the generator is still buried as there's a big mound a few feet away but heavily overgrown, with corrugated sheets scattered around.





Water trough on the side of the control room









Finally, about a hundred feet away lies a rusted steel sheet partly excavated by field ploughing. This would have been a drum filled with oil for the decoy fires. 






The third site we visited was PL1 at Down Thomas, not far from the HAA Battery & nothing was found apart from the military fence which surrounded the perimeter of the field. Constructed December 1940, decomissioned September 1944. 






Tried getting a closer pic of the fence posts as i thought they were interesting features but an annoyed resident of this very private area was arguing that we needed to leave, so that was it for the day, 3 down, 7 to go & more findings will be added after the visits.


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## graybags (Jul 6, 2009)

*Excellent*

Damned fine report Badoosh, and damned fine day's explore too !

Although I could have done without the bites lol

Will post some pics later

G


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## outkast (Jul 6, 2009)

ofton wondered what a decoy site consisted off, theres one in nazeing but only generator room survives


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## the_historian (Jul 6, 2009)

Great pics, Bad & outkast. Should add that semi-sunken single-room buildings were the _original_ ones from the start of the war. They were replaced by the familiar surface two-roomed ones fom the end of 1940, since the other ones were prone to flooding.
I've got _Fields of Deception_ by Colin Dobinson, the definitive guide to decoys; if you want me to look anything up, give me a shout.


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## graybags (Jul 6, 2009)

*Plan*

Found this on another site :






G


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## theterrorwheel (Jul 6, 2009)

the local resident was funny, i thought he was going to explode.


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## ricasso (Jul 6, 2009)

well done fella,and the crew, some mighty fine pics there,I sometimes wonder what these old military sites would look like if we could strip away the undergrowth.


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## Badoosh (Jul 6, 2009)

outkast said:


> ofton wondered what a decoy site consisted off, theres one in nazeing but only generator room survives




Cheers for posting them outkast, it's good to see the comparison of these kind of sites.




the_historian said:


> Great pics, Bad & outkast. Should add that semi-sunken single-room buildings were the _original_ ones from the start of the war. They were replaced by the familiar surface two-roomed ones fom the end of 1940, since the other ones were prone to flooding.
> I've got _Fields of Deception_ by Colin Dobinson, the definitive guide to decoys; if you want me to look anything up, give me a shout.




Thanks TH for the extra info & i think i'll be taking you up on that offer. I've been after the book for a while now but i'm not prepared to pay stupid prices on Amazon or E-bay. 




ricasso said:


> well done fella,and the crew, some mighty fine pics there,I sometimes wonder what these old military sites would look like if we could strip away the undergrowth.




Thanks Ricasso. It certainly would be good to see what''s buried underneath some places like this. We hope to do a site which is buried later this year that should prove interesting.


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## the_historian (Jul 6, 2009)

Bad-
Try UKBookworld.com


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## Badoosh (Jul 6, 2009)

the_historian said:


> Bad-
> Try UKBookworld.com



Ah thanks very much Gordon. On the case now!


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## penance (Jul 7, 2009)

The thickness of that pipe makes me think it is more likely to be for the cooling system, maybe the radiator was sited outside the bunker? Would make sense i think.

Next time I am near our old generator (a '39 lister) I will try to get some pics of the coolant piping.


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## Badoosh (Jul 7, 2009)

penance said:


> The thickness of that pipe makes me think it is more likely to be for the cooling system, maybe the radiator was sited outside the bunker? Would make sense i think.
> 
> Next time I am near our old generator (a '39 lister) I will try to get some pics of the coolant piping.



It could well be. I think we need a revisit at some point to see what's under the mound.


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## the_historian (Jul 7, 2009)

There were usually expansion tanks outside the genny room, the pipe could well be connected to those.


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## Foxylady (Jul 7, 2009)

Badoosh said:


> ...where the new golf course is. Not much to be found here apart from a water tank...



And golf balls, presumably! 

That's a really exciting find, guys. The second site especially...so much still to be seen. Fantastic stuff! 

_The-historian_: Thanks for that link from me too, Gordon. I waited several months for the library to find The Fields of Deception that I'd ordered, and I'd only had it two minutes and they wanted it back again! :icon_evil Time to get my own copy!


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## littledasypus (Jul 7, 2009)

*Decoys*

I never heard of these before. Cool.


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## outkast (Jul 7, 2009)

Badoosh said:


> It could well be. I think we need a revisit at some point to see what's under the mound.



close to the bunker in nazeing is a small mound underneath wich is the control bunker, this was semi sunk into the ground, I have spoken to someone who visited it before the farmer filled the entrance with earth, incidently a ROC post sits nearby too but unfortunately the entrance has been capped with concrete some years back.


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## jonney (Jul 8, 2009)

Nice find Badoosh always wondered what these looked like having heard about them but never seeing one


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## Badoosh (Jul 10, 2009)

the_historian said:


> There were usually expansion tanks outside the genny room, the pipe could well be connected to those.




Hopefully we'll get to find out one day. Was i right in thinking the tank on the roof is a water tank?




Foxylady said:


> And golf balls, presumably!
> 
> That's a really exciting find, guys. The second site especially...so much still to be seen. Fantastic stuff!




Thanks Foxy. I've managed to locate another 2 bunkers at different sites but haven't had the chance to document them yet. Been too busy working on another project but i'll get down & take some pics soon.




outkast said:


> close to the bunker in nazeing is a small mound underneath wich is the control bunker, this was semi sunk into the ground, I have spoken to someone who visited it before the farmer filled the entrance with earth, incidently a ROC post sits nearby too but unfortunately the entrance has been capped with concrete some years back.



Judging by the size of the mound at the above one, i can't see it being a semi-sunken post, but answers are needed so time will tell!




jonney said:


> Nice find Badoosh always wondered what these looked like having heard about them but never seeing one



Cheers Jonney. I've seen one up north before near Hull, but to be honest i never thought i'd see the inside of one of these again!


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## jonney (Jul 10, 2009)

I've been given the location of 2 decoy sites up here (North of Hull) but havn't investigated them yet


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## the_historian (Jul 11, 2009)

Bad-
Not entirely sure; I've yet to find one on a Scottish decoy, but I suppose that goes for nothing. I know there's another one near Swindon with a water tank _inside_, but nobody's sure if it's original or just fly-dumped.


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## Badoosh (Jul 16, 2009)

jonney said:


> I've been given the location of 2 decoy sites up here (North of Hull) but havn't investigated them yet




I've seen a site on the net with some decoy sites Cumbria way, i'll try find the link 




the_historian said:


> Bad-
> Not entirely sure; I've yet to find one on a Scottish decoy, but I suppose that goes for nothing. I know there's another one near Swindon with a water tank _inside_, but nobody's sure if it's original or just fly-dumped.




I've got another two to knock off the list next week with my son, so it will be interesting to see what's left, if anything! Then it's on to the Auxilliary Unit Bunkers which are proving to be a little elusive, managed to pinpoint one within a couple of hundred square metres but surrounded by mine shafts, adits & dense undergrowth, makes it that bit more challenging.


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## shatters (Jul 17, 2009)

Badoosh said:


> I've seen a site on the net with some decoy sites Cumbria way, i'll try find the link



Is this it ?

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/contents.htm

Phil


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## Badoosh (Jul 18, 2009)

shatters said:


> Is this it ?
> 
> http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/contents.htm
> 
> Phil



That's the one, cheers Phil


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