Airfield Site Plans (RSP), Building Plans, Drawings and Maps

Originally posted by PETERTHEEATER:

First look here: Airfield 'maps' are referred to as Record Site Plans (RSPs)

/community/showthread.php?393-RAFM-Airfield-Site-Plans-Parts-1-2-amp-3-%28In-Stock%29

Then contact the Royal Air Force Museum (RAFM) here:

www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/

Department of Research and Information Service (DORIS) - they have an email contact. State clearly what you want, give a terrestrial address and phone number and they will copy and mail them too you with an Invoice for payment. Probably best that you e-mail them first and they will give you an idea of availabilty and costs.

This site also sells copies of Record Site Plans but looks like they have run down their stocks:

www.motorbooks.co.uk/showsect.asp?id=211

I have loads of Record Site Plans and even a site proposal plan, but none of them show pillbox or Pickett-Hamilton fort positions. However they do show the Battle Headquarters.
Were these always left off, or would there have been a another set of plans showing the defensive positions?

I suspect it is a combination of various sources that would reveal the real situation. A good example is the RSP for Polebrooke, some defensive positions are included and still visible on the ground, others have gone and some are extant but not on the plan.

Very few of the RSP's I have show defensive positions. Some have pillboxes marked on and some have the BHQ marked on.

I have seen Gun Posts, and Motley Stalks, and in all cases where they have them Battle Headquarters denoted on plans, but I've never seen pillboxes and Pickett-Hamilton forts denoted.

I was always under the impression that airfield defences came under the control of the local defence officer who surveyed the airfield and advised on the sighting of pillboxes and other defence structures? At least the the inference I get from a couple of entries in airfield ORBs that I've read.

Of the site plans I have, the only one with an actual pillbox on it is Southrop and that's the big one near the AMWD buildings. None of the Norcons are shown at all. The pattern I've spotted, in Gloucestershire at least, is airfields constructed around the time of the Battle of Britain seem to have a few defensive structures on the site plan, but later there are none and all the defences seem to be light, portable types probably added later on advice.

Mawganmad

Any chance you could list the RSP that list Battle HQs, that way we can tie down any that are not
Covered on here in the BHQ thread.

Cheers mike

Hi Mike,

give me time to go through them all, but the ones immediately to hand that show the BHQs are,

Angle, 11008/41 P.B. & C.
Carew Cheriton, 11008/41
Dale, 11008/41
Hullavington, 11012/41
Kemble,11008/41
Llandow, 11008/41
Pembrey,
Pengam Moors,
Perranporth, 11012/41
Predannack Down, 3329/41
Portreath, 3329/41 & 18/201/42
St Athan, 11008/41 & 1 local design, 'SA.... Blast Protected Underground, P.B. & C.'
St Davids, 11008/41
Trebelzue / St Mawgan, no drawing no., T.B.C.

I have doubts about the second BHQ listed at St Athan as being one, its location wouldn't afford a view anywhere and it looks like a local design shelter now, however I have written it as it apppears on the RSP.

...but no PH Forts or Pillboxes!

Cheers, James

Newage;125704 wrote:

Mawganmad

Any chance you could list the RSP that list Battle HQs, that way we can tie down any that are not
Covered on here in the BHQ thread.

Cheers mike

Do you mean that you want the number and date of the RSP on which a BHQ is shown?