Information for record number MWA9689:
Eathorpe Lighting Decoy Site

Summary The site of a lighting civil decoy installation from the Second World War, designed to confuse the enemy into dropping their bombs in the wrong place. Documentary evidence locates the site south west of Eathorpe.
What Is It?  
Type: Bombing Decoy
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Eathorpe
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 39 68
(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 Eathorpe lighting decoy emplacement in the QL programme for the Coventry area. It was set up to simulate factory lighting in an attempt to protect factories in Coventry. No information at present of any grid reference. Lighting decoys were a cheap and successful way of confusing the enemy and date from 1941. Every site differed, so that they were a sort of theatrical lighting show to mimic some local vulnerable point. An associated shelter would have been built to house the generator/s and other equipment.
2 There is no evidence of earthworks on an aerial photo of 1947.
3 Described as Civil Bombing Decoy CC7A. A Second World War bombing decoy site at Eathorpe. It was built as part of the 'C-series' of Civil decoys to deflect enemy bombing from Coventry. This was a 'QL' decoy, which displayed a series of lights to simulate factories in Coventry. The first Civil decoys for Coventry were in place by January 1941 and were decommissioned in the summer of 1944. This decoy site is known to have been in use during 1942 and 1943. Aerial photography shows that by 1946 the site had been given over to agricultural use and no features of the decoy survive. Eathorpe was one of seven Civil bombing decoy sites for Coventry.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP36NE
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 42/36NE
   
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: 3
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: National Monument Record (Pastscape)
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date:
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
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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technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. 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 CIVIL * This is the top term for the class. See CIVIL Class List for narrow terms. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. 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 BOMBING DECOY SITE * A site comprising a system of lights, controlled fires or dummy constructions, used during WWII to provide a counterfeit target for enemy aircraft. Use more specific type where known. 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