Chudleigh Knighton US Fuel dump

Thanks for that link Peter, what a great site, haven't come across it before.

I know the railway line, or what's left of it quite well. I regularily walk our dogs along the trackbed where it's accessible. There has been talk from time to time of reinstating the line, or a similar one as the mainline at Dawlish is very expensive to maintain and the Teign valley was an alternative route from Exeter to Newton Abbot.

I have just joined Google Alert and the topic of Chudleigh Knighton US Fuel Dump came up today, which I find interesting.

I was born and raised in Chudleigh Knighton and used the concrete bases on Knighton Heath when I was learning to ride.

A friends Grandfather now deceased told her that there was something buried on the heath during the war and now I know what it was.

Welcome Kipsie, what's the weather like down south?

Hello Kipsie, how interesting! If you have any recollections or any info please share.

These scans were given to me from a local historian, the site is at Heahfield, Devon and is a US facility. I don't know it's purpose, it could be billeting for the fuel dump personnel but there were other sites locally including a military hospital.

The chimneys are from Candys tile factory which pinpoints the location, now under part of the industrial estate.

Pat_Pattle;41712 wrote:

Thanks for that link Peter, what a great site, haven't come across it before.

I know the railway line, or what's left of it quite well. I regularily walk our dogs along the trackbed where it's accessible. There has been talk from time to time of reinstating the line, or a similar one as the mainline at Dawlish is very expensive to maintain and the Teign valley was an alternative route from Exeter to Newton Abbot.

Hi Pat. Do you mean you walk your dogs on the old fuel dump railway line, or the old track bed of the Teign valley; as I would think that the old track bed to the fuel dump is completly gone?

Great Pictures. Wow wouldn't like to be on the recieving end of that baseball bat when you say Candys tile factory is that the one that can be seen from the main road?

PNK;41867 wrote:

I would have thought those scans were from WW1 judging by the uniforms and headgear.
The buildings also look very WW1 too.

I thought that too and made the same point but was told that they are from ww2.
Also there is no information that I've come across that suggests US sites in this part of Devon during ww1 so it may well be right.
Hopefully the QM museum may have some ideas.

Ant;41859 wrote:

Hi Pat. Do you mean you walk your dogs on the old fuel dump railway line, or the old track bed of the Teign valley; as I would think that the old track bed to the fuel dump is completly gone?

Hi Ant,

You can walk on the trackbed of the railway and in the area of the sidings although the latter is very overgrown and there's no visible remains. Candys is right next to the A38, they've recently erected a huge cooling tower (or rocket launching facility, I'm not sure which)

The 'walkable' part of the line is in yellow dotted.

PNK;41867 wrote:

I would have thought those scans were from WW1 judging by the uniforms and headgear.
The buildings also look very WW1 too.

The plot thickens, the QM museum were very kind enough to take the time to reply..

"They look like WWI photographs. The building 600series with the tar paper walls and the sgt with the breeches, wrapleggings and M1913 Montana peak hat. The officers behind have WWI caps on. Yes, I am pretty sure they are WWI photos."

Also.. have come across this site:

www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/bases-21.html

Which shows a US Naval Construction Battalion based at Heathfield in 1944, around a mile or so to the west. This site looks more like the location of the huts in the photographs with Candys chimneys to the east.

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