I visited this site on the way to picking my daughter up from college! It's been on my radar for a while because its connected to Brooklands , which i have been working on a report about for some months! The Battery is set in a low lying field which was very wet, i should imagine this is the reason why the land hasn't been developed and the Gun Battery has survived! Inside their was some indication of drug abuse, which is never good to see and lots of graffiti which does if nothing else, brightens the place up a bit (not to everyone's taste i'm sure). It's a small site which i spent only about 30 minutes to look round and take some pics, i did have a chat with a guy who was walking his dogs and he told me how this Battery saved Woking as well as Brooklands during the war, which made me try to visualize the guns firing in anger at the German aircraft heading towards Brooklands!
Some history Taken from subterranea Britannica
The Old Woking Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery (BM5) serving the Brooklands Gun Defended Area (GDA) was located between Broadmead Road and the River Wey at Old Woking.The only surviving structure, located alongside a footpath is the battery command post which is in good condition. The gun pits in the adjacent field have all been filled in and there is no trace of any other buildings.
Official records for 1942 state that the battery was equipped with 4 X 3.7" mobile anti aircraft guns operated by 344 battery of 109 HAA regiment. Mobile guns were not permanently emplaced with a holdfast but were on wheels and axles and were the anti aircraft equipment of the field army. All the equipment could have been removed from the site within 30 minutes. There was no radar at this site.
This regiment later landed in France on D Day as part of 30 Corps and fought to Germany
There were six HAA gun sites in the Brooklands GDA of which three sites never had any guns emplaced.
Some pics
This is a typical layout of a Battery Post
Thanks for looking
Some history Taken from subterranea Britannica
The Old Woking Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery (BM5) serving the Brooklands Gun Defended Area (GDA) was located between Broadmead Road and the River Wey at Old Woking.The only surviving structure, located alongside a footpath is the battery command post which is in good condition. The gun pits in the adjacent field have all been filled in and there is no trace of any other buildings.
Official records for 1942 state that the battery was equipped with 4 X 3.7" mobile anti aircraft guns operated by 344 battery of 109 HAA regiment. Mobile guns were not permanently emplaced with a holdfast but were on wheels and axles and were the anti aircraft equipment of the field army. All the equipment could have been removed from the site within 30 minutes. There was no radar at this site.
This regiment later landed in France on D Day as part of 30 Corps and fought to Germany
There were six HAA gun sites in the Brooklands GDA of which three sites never had any guns emplaced.
Some pics
This is a typical layout of a Battery Post
Thanks for looking
