Monument record MDO28580 - Chain Home Radar Station CH12B (RAF Ringstead), Owermoigne

RADAR STATION. From site list with letter. RAF Ringstead. Recorder- R. Perry. <1-3>

A Chain Home radar station located at Ringstead (SY 751 817), known as CH12B. Chain Home stations comprised transmission and receiver blocks, four 240ft timber receiver aerial towers, four 350ft steel transmitter aerial towers that stood on concrete pads, and other buildings such as dispersed accommodation huts, guard huts and standby set houses. From 1940 defensive measures were installed at radar stations, including Light Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements, pill boxes, road blocks and air raid shelters. The receiver towers was located at SY 745 813. <4>

A Chain Home station at Ringstead. Aerial photography from 1978 shows three earth-covered buildings, two of which being transmission and receiver blocks. The remains of two aerial base sets survive, as well as 2-3 ancillary buildings. <5>

The Rotor programme was developed to advance the wartime radar technology in detecting and locating fast-flying jets. It was approved by the Air Council in June 1950. The first phase of the programme, Rotor 1, was to technically restore existing Chain Home, centrimetric early warning, Chain Home Extra Low and Ground Controlled Interception stations and put them under the control of RAF Fighter Command. There were three main components to the Rotor stations: the technical site, including the radars, operation blocks and other installations; the domestic site, where personnel were accommodated; and the stand-by set house, a reserve power supply. The technical site at Ringstead radar station was located at SY 751 817. The domestic site was situated at SY 742 830 and the stand-by set house was co-located at the technical site. <6-8>

As source 5. <9>

RAF Ringstead became operational in 1940 and was in use up until 1956. <10>

<1> Council for British Archaeology, 1995, Defence of Britain Project, 2599 (Digital archive). SWX5.

<2> Council for British Archaeology, 2003, Defence of Britain Project Database, 2599 (Machine readable data file). SDO128.

<3> Council for British Archaeology, 2006, Defence of Britain Project Archive DEB01, 2599 (Excavation archive). SDO17227.

<4> Dobinson, C S, 1996, Twentieth century fortifications in England, volume 7. Acoustics and Radar: England's early warning systems 1915-45, 45, 54, 161 (Monograph). SDO12579.

<5> Anderton, Michael J, 2000, Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two radar stations, 64 (Unpublished document). SDO18992.

<6> Dobinson, C S, 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume XI.1. The Cold War (Monograph). SDO18653.

<7> Dobinson, C S, 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume XI.2. The Cold War, 153 (Monograph). SDO18654.

<8> Cocroft, Wayne D, and Thomas, Roger J C, 2003, Cold War: Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989, 86-110 (Monograph). SDO18652.

<9> Anderton, Michael J, 2000, Twentieth Century Military Recording Project: Cold War Rotor Stations, 46 (Unpublished document). SDO18655.

<10> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1413269 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 14 2024 1:43PM