Information for record number MWA9688:
Morton Bagot Lighting Decoy Site

Summary The site of a lighting civil decoy from the Second World War, designed to confuse the enemy aircraft into dropping bombs in the wrong place. It was located 200m southeast of Stappenhill Wood.
What Is It?  
Type: Bombing Decoy
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Morton Bagot
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 10 64
(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 Morton Bagot lighting decoy site in the QL programme for the Birmingham area. It was set up to simulate factory lighting smilar to that at the BSA factory at Redditch. Lighting decoys were a cheap and effective way of confusing the enemy. They date from July 1941. Every site differed, so that they were a sort of theatrical lighting show to mimic the local vulnerable point. An associated shelter would have been built to house the generator/s and other equipment.
2 Earthworks and possible accommodation huts can be identified on this aerial photo at this grid reference, which is very slightly different from the SP103646 given in the documentation.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP16SW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No:
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP16SW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1947
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
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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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 CIVIL * This is the top term for the class. See CIVIL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument ACCOMMODATION HUT * A hut used for the accommodation of members of the armed forces. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SHELTER * A structure which protects an area of ground from the weather. back
monument FORTIFICATION * A usually permanent defensive work. Use specific type where known. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument AIRCRAFT * An aircraft, either whole or in part. Aircraft often survive as commemorative monuments, gate guardians or crash sites. back
monument FACTORY * A building or complex, housing powered machinery and employing a large workforce for manufacturing purposes. Use specific monument type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record