Munitions storage site - Southburn, Yorkshire

I'm trying to help a lady with information on her former home - Southburn House, Southburn, Yorkshire. It's located to the south of RAF Driffield and she states that the house was requisitioned by the RAF in World War 2 and her family, the Prince-Smith's, were moved out.
She also remembers a munitions storage site nearby. My research has come up with very little but I did find co-ordinates for the munitions site 499500, 453600.There seems to be little, if anything left but the google earth view from the co-ordinates shows an intrigueing crop mark leading off the (now disused) main railway line.
Any info would be gratefully received, especially as to what the RAF were using Southburn House for and anything on the munitions dump.

Thanks to all.

Mike

Hello Mike,

RAF Southburn was an No 1 Air Ammunition Park (AAP) when opened on 01 October 1939 but shortly after was renamed a No 91 MU (Maintenance Unit) under No 42 Group RAF.

Unlike most other AAPs which had purpose built storage for HE and Incendiary bombs the layout here was simple spaced stacks accessed by what was, probably, compacted tracks with clinker surfacing.
The access road running south from the un-numbered Southburn to Hutton Cranswick road was concrete terminating in a rectangular concrete pad providing a loading/unloading area. The area adjacent to the east was also part of the site, possibly hutted accommodation. Your assumed location is accurate. I am unconvinced that there was a dedicated rail spur running into the depot given the proximity of the multi-spur goods yard and the austere layout of the munitions storage site, however, the aerial oblique provided by Peter Kirk (below) certainly shows a likely spur. The land is flat and dismantling the spur post-war would have left no visible traces. I opine that the AAP may have stored only boxed ammunition and components. As to CW (Chemical Weapons), these required separate isolated storage

Sub sites at:

Bainton (so called) was under the control of 91 MU at Southburn to the NE and was used for the storage CW (presumed RAF stocks) It had two sites:

Low Wood ( just south of Tibworth) off the B1248 which has an access track in the eastern section of the wood serving a rectangular closed loop road probably used to store CW in covered trenches. There was also a system of tracks in the western section probably used in the same way.

High Wood- (just south of Low Wood(!) -. This strip of woodland almost unchanged from WW2 is the likely area. A track runs through the centre of the wood and munitions would have been stored in spaced stacks on the verges. The LNER railway ran SW/NE just south of Bainton village and would have provided a railhead or munitions may have been trucked from Southburn.

As to Southburn House, it is very likely that it was requisitioned but would seem overkill if only for Officers of the AAP. RAF Driffield to the north had its own officer accommodation. Perhaps the grounds of Southburn House also accommodated Other Ranks of the AAP?

Use the Forum SEARCH function to locate Mawcarse/Southburn. Select Titles only where you may find more information mixed in with Mawcarse info,

Peter.

What a great photo and much appreciated. It does indeed show the site.and confirms it's exact location as I had placed it slightly further West.

Many thanks

Mike

Peter (theeater),

Many thanks for your comprehensive reply and for steering me to other discussions regarding this site. I did wonder whether the 1946 aerial survey would have shown the site. I live in Norfolk and it's available online for my area (e-map explorer) but I couldn't find anything similar for Yorkshire. However, although an oblique, the photo Peter Kirk posted is an excellent resource.

Thanks again.

Mike

Hello All,

Last weekend, I spoke to the lady who was seeking information on the AAP at Southburn. It was a long shot but I asked her if she remembered the railway spur/siding going into the site. She said she did but, and I mean no disrespect, I took this information lightly as we are many decades forward and memories can get a little muddled. However, she then produced an estate map of Southburn showing the land the family farmed. Of course, she was right. The rail spur is shown on the map which confirms its existence. I felt that the map would be of interest to you here on the forum and she was very happy to let me copy the map and share it with you.
I also asked about the billeting arrangements at Southburn House. The point was made that the house isn't actually that big so there were not that many officer's in residence. She said that there were no other ranks billeted at the house or grouhds but suggested that 'other ranks' might have been billeted across the road in what used to be a children's convalescent home pre-war. However, she could not positively confirm that this was the case.

Regards

Mike

Hello Mike,

Thank you for that information from a positive source. The symbology used on the map implies twin parallel spurs (!) That makes no sense since, with two trains parked only one could be worked from the (assumed) depot side. This was not a big site and yet it had rail and road access.

Judging from the copy of the estate map, the spur ran only up to the edge of the Wellspring Drain yet the photograph appears to show that it ran further curving east as far as the hardstand at the southern end of the service so it may have stored aircraft bombs and boxed ammunition probably laid on spaced covered stacks bedded on gravel or cinder with timber battens hence the absence of post-closure remains.

Pyrotechnic storage would have required dry storage usually in temporary huts in which case I should have expected to see some remains of bases. More answers raises more questions!