Information for record number MWA9684:
Hunningham Permanent Starfish Site

Summary The site of a fire based bombing decoy installation from the Second World War known as a Starfish. Night time fires were created to confuse enemy aircraft and to draw them away from their real target. Documentary evidence gives this grid reference 900m SW of Hunningham.
What Is It?  
Type: Bombing Decoy
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Hunningham
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 36 67
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A Permanent Starfish site ('Starfish' from Special Fires). Fire based decoys were set up following the bombing of Coventry in November 1940 to protect urban areas, in this case Coventry, or what was left of it. A variety of effects were devised to simulate blazes such as those from incendiary bombs.
2 See also MWA9690 for the decoy lighting site.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: 20th Century Defence in Britain. An introductory guide. Revised edition
Author/originator: editor Bernard Lowry
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Twentieth Century Fortifications in England
Author/originator: Dobinson, C S
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: III
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Giles Carey
Author/originator: G Carey
Date: 2009-2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. back
monument BOMBING DECOY * A system of lights, controlled fires or dummy constructions, used during WWII to provide a counterfeit target for enemy aircraft. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FORTIFICATION * A usually permanent defensive work. Use specific type where known. back
monument STARFISH SITE * A decoy site designed to simulate a burning urban area during a bombing raid in order to lure enemy bombers away from legitimate targets. back
monument DEFENCE * This is the top term for the class. See DEFENCE Class List for narrow terms. back
monument AIRCRAFT * An aircraft, either whole or in part. Aircraft often survive as commemorative monuments, gate guardians or crash sites. back
monument TARGET * Any structure or object, used for the purpose of practice shooting by aerial, seaborne or land mounted weapons. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record