SINAH COMMON HEAVY ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY, PILLBOX STUDY GROUP

SINAH COMMON HAA BATTERY

HAYLING ISLAND, HAMPSHIRE

TIM DENTON

NGR: SZ 699-994

On Sinah common at Hayling Island in Hampshire (map ref SZ699994), a Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery has been preserved as a memorial to the six gunners that died defending the Portmouth area from a heavy air raid that took place in April 1941.

The men belonged to the 219th battery (57th Heavy Anti aircraft regiment) that manned the two 5.7 inch guns based there. The names of the gunners can be seen on a commerative plaque now mounted on a wall inside one of the remaining emplacements.

Sinah common was chosen as a defensive site because it was connected to a "Q" decoy area that had the purpose of drawing the German aircraft away from their intended target of the City of Portsmouth and its naval base. Fires at the "Q" sites were lit from a control bunker at Portsdown Hill near Portsmouth, turning decoy structures on Hayling Island into flaming masses.This fooled Luftwaffe crews to drop their bomb load on what they believed was Portsmouth, but was infact an open area north of Langstone harbour along with Sinah common and Farlington marshes thus hopefully reducing military hardware and civilian casualties to a minimum.

The site is now a peaceful picnic area and walking along its existing concrete roads, remaining parts of the site can be easily inspected.

Both gun emplacements (5) have been well preserved. The walls and earth banking along with their existing ammo lockers are both now sealed.

A short distance from the southern most emplacement, now inaccessible behind a wire fence, lay two remaining concrete tool stores (4) ,both have open ends.These would have held lubricants,tools and spares for the operation and maintenance of the guns.

Close to the roadside can be found the large concrete magazine (3).This is a most interesting strucure but is now inaccessible due to a locked gate.However the inside ammunition rooms can be clearly seen through the iron gate.

A short distance from this is the generator room (2). This brick built building has possibly been modified from its wartime appearance. On the far eastern side of the site the low brick built control room still stands amidst the undergrowth.Its entrance doorway is now sealed .On the roof ,the original mushroom shaped airvents are still in place.

Situated around the existing concrete roads were once situated a sergeants mess, a NAAFI, a dining hall and two section huts along with the parade ground.All evidence of these has since disappeared, as has the remains of the searchlight site base (6).

An information board can be found with some history of the site along some faded pictures and personal recollections of the base during the wartime years. This interesting site is well worth visiting, and is easy to find if you are in the southcoast area on a fine day.