Description

The monument comprises the remains of a heavy anti-aircraft battery. The monument dates to the Second World War, with later alterations made during the post-war and Cold War period. The battery consists of a command post, four gun emplacements, generator building and 'computer' hut. The site is located in a slight dell at around 45m above sea level and around 530m north-east of the outskirts of Bridge of Weir.

The command post is partially buried for added protection from blasts and is of a typical form for this type of site. It is an E-shaped building on plan, with six internal rooms. The entrance is through the central arm, outside of which would formerly have been the shelters for the Predictor and Height-Finder. The building measures around 20m NW-SE by around 10m transversely. The four surviving gun pits are all octagonal on plan and measure around 14m in diameter. They are constructed of brick and reinforced concrete and comprise two walls each forming three sides of the octagonal shape, with the remaining two sides left open for access, one facing inwards towards the command post and the other facing outwards. Earth has been piled up against the exterior of each wall to increase the protection against blast damage. Attached to the interior side of each wall are two ammunition lockers, some still with wooden shelving in position. There is evidence to suggest that the battery was converted for post-war guns in the form of concrete additions to the outside of each of the emplacements; post-war aerial photographs also indicate that the configuration of the battery had changed from its original layout. The 'computer' hut, a small single-cell concrete structure located at NS 3932 6670, is thought to be an addition relating to the later use of the site. The whole battery is enclosed by the remains of a concrete post, wire and barbed wire fence, presumably also dating to the Cold War period.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area extends up to and includes the concrete posts of the post-war enclosure on the N side of the monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

This monument is a heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) battery of the Second World War, showing clear evidence of a standard Second World War plan with immediate post-war alterations. The alteration work is visible on a series of post-war aerial photographs which shows that work was underway in 1945 and complete by 1947. It is thought that the battery was altered to adapt it to new post-war gun technology, which was probably upgraded to 3.7 inch or 4.5 inch calibre, and later incorporated into the ROTOR programme. This programme was developed during the 1950s to counter the aerial threat from the Soviet Union and was operated by Fighter Command and the British Army. This is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a monument type which would have been a common and familiar sight in the 1940s. Given the excellent condition of the site, there is a high potential for further archaeological information related to the construction, use, re-use and abandonment of the battery to survive both within and around the structures. As part of the initial group of Second World War HAA batteries forming the aerial defences of the Clyde Gun Defended Area, and one that was subsequently altered in the post-war period, this site could potentially supply valuable information about the changing needs and technologies of aerial warfare during and after the Second World War.

Contextual characteristics

The monument is located in a slight dell around 4.3km south-west of the Royal Ordnance Factory at Bishopton and 6.2km south of the Clyde. It was accessed by a trackway from the Houston Road, 210m to the east. The battery is oriented to the south-west, but the guns were capable of covering 360 degrees. The location of this site within a dell would appear to restrict views across the surrounding landscape, but this was not an issue as the focus of the site was defence of the sky and the higher ground is not far enough above the site to hinder this function. A number of building remains in the immediate area appear to be associated with the battery. Two buildings are extant in the plantation woodland around 50m to the south-east, and there are further structures in the woodland to the east. These are interpreted as the remains of a small associated accommodation camp. A compound located north-east of the battery has two large concrete bases, aligned NW-SE and measuring around 11m by 6m transversely. These are covered in concrete rubble and are interpreted as structures relating to the post-war use of the site, now demolished.

The Clyde was the most significant strategic asset in the west of Scotland and one of the most significant assets of the entire country. It was home to the most extensive shipbuilding industry in Britain, an extensive range of other important industrial concerns such as munitions, and was the destination point for the Atlantic convoys bringing vital supplies and troops from the United States. Later in the war it would also serve as a vital mustering point for the fleets involved in the invasions of North Africa in 1942 and Normandy in 1944. This site was a part of the Clyde Gun Defended Area (GDA), a grouping of 46 HAA batteries created to protect the Clyde from aerial assault. This was a third of the total complement of anti-aircraft batteries created in Scotland as a whole and formed only one aspect of the wider defence of the Clyde, highlighting the critical need to keep the Clyde harbours and industries running.

With the outbreak of war in 1939, a rapid program of construction was undertaken to provide a defensive network for the country. This included the Gun Defended Areas of HAA batteries protecting major towns and strategic assets across the country. By the war's end, more than 1200 HAA batteries had been constructed. Early examples appear to have roughly followed the form visible at Houston, with four octagonal gun emplacements in an arc around a command post. Further study of this site in comparison to others of the type may shed light on the reasons for some local variations and the overall effectiveness of different configurations. As the war progressed and technology advanced, the original manual guns were superseded by larger, electrically powered examples at many batteries. Some sites were completely rebuilt, with new square gun emplacements to permit the installation of the new weapons, while others were retrofitted and/or had additional gun emplacements of the new form added. The monument is one of six heavy anti-aircraft batteries recorded in Renfrewshire and is the only example to retain elements of the associated accommodation camp. It is also one of only a few examples nationally to have been adapted for later re-use. The decision to upgrade this particular monument in the post-war period warrants further investigation, as does its potential continued use into the Cold War period.

Associative characteristics

The impact of the Second World War on the lives and landscape of Scotland in the late 1930s and 1940s was on a scale never before witnessed. The mobilisation of the entire country to aid the war effort would transform the social and economic character of the nation and the new threat of long-range aerial attack brought the war directly into the daily lives of the civilian population. Its place in the national consciousness remains prominent to this day, and many people alive today remember first-hand the experiences and impact the conflict had on them.

A high level of effort was made to protect the strategic asset of the Clyde during the Second World War. The Clyde GDA contained one third of the HAA batteries in Scotland, and the same number as the next largest two combined: the Scapa and Forth GDAs. These batteries were manned by troops from the Royal Artillery, aided by volunteers from the local regiments of the Home Guard, although, as the war progressed, the volunteers were assigned further duties, including manning the guns themselves. Given its proximity to Houston and Bridge of Weir, it is highly likely that Home Guard volunteers who lived in the area will have served on this battery during its operational life. It is not currently known which regular troops manned the battery, but further documentary research is likely to reveal the answer. Despite the efforts to protect the area, the strategic value of the Clyde had been recognised by the Axis powers early in the war, with Luftwaffe reconnaissance photographs of Greenock and the surrounding area taken less than a month after the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 highlighting several strategically important industrial areas. The threat materialised in two devastating episodes, the Clydebank and Greenock Blitzes, in March and May 1941.

On the nights of 13 and 14 March 1941, the Luftwaffe targeted the town of Clydebank as an important area for the production of munitions as well as ships. Over the course of two nights the town was largely destroyed by 1,000 bombs dropped by 439 bombers. Of the 12,000 houses that constituted the town, only seven were left undamaged by the attack and 4,000 were completely destroyed. It was the worst loss of civilian life in Scotland in the war: 528 people died, 617 were seriously injured and 35,000 were left homeless. Two enemy aircraft were shot down by RAF fighters, although none were apparently brought down by anti-aircraft fire.

On the nights of 6 and 7 May 1941, Greenock suffered the second worst bombing raids inflicted on Scotland during the entire war. On the night of Tuesday 6 May, a force of 276 German bombers had been dispatched to strike targets on both sides of the Clyde, including Greenock. Around 50 bombers dropped their payloads on Greenock and the surrounding area, causing damage to several areas of the town and killing numerous people, including many civilians inside one of the public shelters. Worse was to come on 7 May, however. It was a common tactic to raid the same target on consecutive nights, using any fires remaining as targeting aids. The air-raid sirens sounded around 25 minutes after midnight and one of the first buildings to be hit was the Ardgowan Distillery within the town. The resulting inferno illuminated the town providing an easy target for following bombers. To make matters worse, a direct hit was scored on the Westburn Sugar House, starting another huge blaze. These fires were large enough to be seen 100 miles away and the bombers continued to attack the town until almost 4 am. By the end of the attacks, the Air Raid Precautions Control Room in Greenock listed 159 areas of the town as being of critical concern and reinforcements were drafted in from as far afield as Edinburgh to help with the aftermath. The result of the raid was 271 deaths, with more than 1,200 people injured and damage to more than half the homes in the town, with 1,000 completely destroyed. The incident left a lasting impact on the town and its surrounding area. The battery at Houston was constructed by February 1940 and assigned the number GSG8; it would certainly have been operational during the period of these two attacks. It was situated to intercept the N-S line of attack inflicted by the enemy bombers as they flew towards the Clyde. It is as yet unclear the precise role that this battery played, but it is indisputable that it would have been manned and witnessed action as part of these and lesser raids in the area.

The monument is also associated with post-war defence, specifically the Cold War, a state of tension between East and West with global effects which lasted from 1947 to 1991. The Cold War originated in post-war disagreements between two former allies, the USA and the Soviet Union, on how the post-war world should be configured, and resulted in political conflict and military tension between the two regimes and associated countries. Two events, the first Soviet nuclear test in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, in which the country was divided along political lines with the Republic of Korea supported by the USA and the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea supported by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, highlighted the threat of the growing strength of the Soviet Union and other Communist states. In response to fears of nuclear attack from the East, the Government's Cherry report of 1949 recommended an overhaul and upgrade of Britain's air defences, with the code name Rotor. Fighter Command split the UK into six sectors, with the Scottish Sector controlled from a bunker at Barnton Quarry.

With technological developments and experience, the system evolved over the years. The period saw several episodes of high tension and times when attack was thought certain and imminent. This had an effect on the entire population; everyone was aware of the implications of a nuclear attack with official guidance explaining what do to in such an event. In the immediate post-war period, many sites were completely dismantled and cleared, and the high levels of secrecy employed at a time when espionage was a real threat means that the true function of many sites is hard to discern. This site, for example, is not depicted on maps during the periods it was in active use.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular the defences of the Clyde during the Second World War and their place within the wider defensive network of wartime and Cold War Britain. The remains of the battery may hold valuable information about the function and operation of such sites and the daily lives of the troops stationed on them. This site is particularly valuable given its excellent state of preservation and the evidence for its later alteration and continued use into the Cold war period. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the efforts and sacrifices made to defend the Clyde during the Second World War and the preparation, construction, use, re-use and eventual abandonment of the defences themselves.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NS36NE 32: Houston, East Yonderton Anti-Aircraft Battery. The WOSAS SMR number is 20057: East Yonderton: Anti-aircraft battery.

References

Osborne, M 2004, Defending Britain: Twentieth Century Military Structures in the Landscape, Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd.

Dobinson, C 2001, AA Command: Britain's Anti-Aircraft Defences of the Second World War, London: Methuen Publishing Ltd.

Gemmill, S 2001, Greenock Revisited, http://www.greenockrevisited.co.uk/.

Osborne, B D and Armstrong, R 2005, The Clyde at War, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited.

MacPhail, I M M (1974) The Clydebank Blitz, Clydebank Town Council

Research Study Group (Cold War) (nd) Rotor, Siren

Secret Scotland (2007) AA Battery Houston, Site Visit 2007. http://www.secretscotland.org.uk

Source: Historic Environment Scotland