Ramsey Militia Camp – A wartime history

Stewart Howe — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:42:01 +0000

By Paul McAllister

Based on notes extracted from Regimental War Diaries 1939-1944, held by the National Archives.

Ordnance Survey Grid Ref: 750048.

Camp telephone number: Ramsey 2123.

Introduction

Ramsey Militia Camp was built during 1939, as a training centre for the first Army Class Militia intakes. Compulsory National Service (Conscription) into the Militia was introduced in the spring of 1939 and this required a programme of building numerous hutted camps across the UK to accommodate their training.

Background to Anti-Aircraft Command

The responsibility for anti-aircraft defences within the United Kingdom was given over in 1935 to the Territorial Army. Five (later increased to seven) Anti-Aircraft Divisions were raised in the TA by 1939. These Divisions were located throughout the UK , with 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division (TA) assigned to the defence of the Midlands and East Anglia . Two of its Brigades, 40th and 41st Anti-Aircraft Brigades (TA), had responsibility for Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. These Brigades consisted of a mix of Heavy-Aircraft units, Light Anti-Aircraft units and Searchlight units.

In June 1939, with war imminent, the War Office ordered that Anti-Aircraft Command should be partially mobilised and moved to its war Stations, in a system which was known as “couverture.” Elements of TA Anti-Aircraft and Searchlight units were called up in rotation, normally being embodied for a month at a time. Then on August 24th 1939, a general mobilisation of Anti-Aircraft Command was ordered and all units moved to their assigned “war stations.” As well as the units described above, Companies of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the Women’s branch of the TA, were assigned to the Command after the formation of the ATS in September 1938.

Many of the recently built Militia Camps, including those at Ramsey, St Neots, Ely, Thrapston and Yaxley, were therefore taken over by Anti-Aircraft Command. Ramsey Militia Camp became the base for a Searchlight Company. The Camp itself became the Company Headquarters, with Sections (four per Company) split into Detachments which were distributed to various subsidiary sites. Attached to the Company, performing non-operational roles such as cooks, clerks, storekeepers and telephonists, were ATS personnel. Later, ATS Auxiliaries were also employed as searchlight operators in what became known as “Mixed” Searchlight Batteries (Though none of the units based at Ramsey employed ATS Searchlight operators, only in non-operational roles).

Wartime use of Ramsey Militia Camp

The first unit to occupy Ramsey Militia Camp was 441st ( Essex ) Searchlight Company of 1st/6th Battalion, The Essex Regiment (64th Searchlight Regiment) (TA). This Battalion, originally an Infantry unit but converted to the searchlight role in November 1938, (See Note 1) formed part of 41st Anti-Aircraft Brigade (TA). It comprised two Companies, 441st and 442nd, based at The Cedars Drill Hall in West Ham, London E15, and one Company, 443rd, based at Chingford Mount, London E4. 441st Company had been mobilised on August 13th 1939 under the couverture scheme, leaving their home base in the early morning for the five hour journey to Ramsey. It quickly established Company HQ at Ramsey Militia Camp, with its four Sections detached to surrounding locations.

The Battalion Headquarters was at Milton Park, Wheatley Bank, Wisbech, with 443 Company in the Peterborough area and 442 Company detached to the Anti-Aircraft practice camp at Weybourne. 441’s stay at the camp was short however, for on August 25th 1939, 441 left Ramsey and moved to Weybourne in Norfolk , replacing 442 Company. In October, the Battalion Headquarters moved to Wallington Hall, Kings Lynn.

On departure the Company handed over Ramsey Militia Camp to another TA unit, 426th (Middlesex) Searchlight Company, 58th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (TA). This Battalion had been based in Harrow before the war, with two Companies 344 and 426, in Harrow and 425 Company in South Harrow . The Battalion formed part of 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (TA). On September 3rd 1939 war was declared and the Company undertook defensive works around the camp, camoflauging the huts and cladding them in sandbags.

On April 18th 1940, 426th Company moved to the Louth, Lincolnshire area. The following day, its place at the Camp was taken by 442nd (Essex) Searchlight Company, 1st/6th Battalion, The Essex Regiment (64th Searchlight Regiment) (TA). Upon the outbreak of war, the Company had been at the Anti-Aircraft practice camp at Weybourne. On September 5th 1939 it had taken up its war stations around Narborough, Norfolk. Then during late March 1940 the Company began the move to Huntingdonshire, this being completed in April at which point it was distributed thus;

Company Headquarters: Ramsey Militia Camp.

No.1 Section: Connington.

No.2 Section: Doddington.

No.3 Section: Chatteris.

No.4 Section: Abbots Ripton.

Of the rest of the Battalion, 441st Company was based around Outwell, 443rd at Thrapston and the newly formed 306th Company was at Barton Mills, near Newmarket. 443rd Company also provided Detachments to the RAF airfields at Upwood and Wyton.

At 0030hrs on June 7th 1940, enemy aircraft dropped 15 high explosive bombs on the aerodrome at Upwood, causing some damage but no casualties. The following day, there was a raid on Peterborough, on both occasions 442’s Searchlights had been in action.

In July 1940, the Battalion Headquarters moved from Kings Lynn and also took up residence at Ramsey Camp. Then in August, the Royal Artillery took over control of all Searchlight units in the Army. As a result, 1st/6th Essex became a unit of the Royal Artillery and became known as 64th Searchlight Regiment, RA (Essex Regiment) (TA), its Companies becoming 441st, 442nd, 443rd and 306th Searchlight Batteries.

The Battle of Britain was now in full swing. Whilst the “Few” of the Royal Air Force were valiantly fighting in the skies, Anti-Aircraft Command was also playing its vital role (overlooked in subsequent accounts of the battle) in shooting down enemy aircraft in significant numbers, aided by its Searchlight units. On four occasions during August 1940, Searchlight sites operated by 442nd Battery were bombed, on one occasion German aircraft machine-gunning the crews, fortunately without casualty. A raid on Upwood aerodrome on August 25th missed the airfield, its bombs falling on the Ramsey road.

On September 19th 1940, enemy raiders dropped 12 High Explosive bombs around the camp, which fell into fields opposite. Of these, one was a delayed action bomb which was subsequently defused.

In March 1941, 442nd was operating across numerous sites around Ramsey, including Somersham, Brampton and Benwick. (There is also the remains of a searchlight site at Ramsey Forty Foot).

October 1941 found the Regimental Headquarters leaving Ramsey Camp and relocating to Billing Hall in Northamptonshire. 442nd Searchlight Battery remained with its Headquarters at Ramsey.

The Battery finally left Ramsey on January 12th 1943, moving to Yaxley Militia Camp. It handed over the camp to 345th (Middlesex) Searchlight Battery, 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA). This Battery, originally known as 345th (Middlesex) Searchlight Company, 36th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA), had been based in Edgware before the war.

At this stage, no less than 13 separate Searchlight sites were controlled by the unit occupying Ramsey Camp. These sites were known by codes DX04/3, 3a and 3b, DX04/4, 4a and 4b, DX04/5, 5a and 5b, DX04/6, 6a and 6b, and DX04/7b. (DX standing for Duxford, as the anti-aircraft defences of this area were controlled from the RAF Station at Duxford).

345th Searchlight Battery kept his Headquarters at Ramsey until December 19th 1943, when its Regiment moved South. The Searchlight sites in the surrounding area were closed down at this stage.

The camp, and those at Yaxley and Royston, were then taken over by 395th (West Yorkshire) Searchlight Battery, 49th (West Yorkshire) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA), a pre-war TA unit from Bradford. However, it would seem that at this stage the operational life of the Camp had come to an end, for 395th Battery had been made non-operational and given the task of acting as “caretakers” for the Camp and its associated Searchlight sites. Principally, the Battery was to carry out administration/care and maintenance tasks at the camp, so that it could be reactivated in the future.

In July 1944, 49th Searchlight Regt began training for service overseas and on August 6th 1944, 395th Battery left Ramsey and moved to Cardiff. The Regiment left behind a small Cadre of “Home Details” which were based at Ramsey Camp. This practice enabled a Regiment to have a small Detachment of reinforcements which could be used to reform the Regiment should it suffer heavy casualties.

49th Searchlight Regiment subsequently reorganised into a Garrison Regiment and served on occupation duties in North-West Europe from May 1945.

The subsequent wartime history of Ramsey Militia Camp has yet to be established. By this stage of the war, many of the Searchlight Regiments had been converted to other roles as the threat of air attack on the UK had reduced significantly, consequently many of the searchlight sites and camps were closed down. It is probable therefore that Ramsey remained on a “care and maintenance” basis for the rest of the war and in common with similar sites, was abandoned by the War Office soon after.

Note 1: 6th Battalion, The Essex Regiment (TA) was based with its HQ, “A, “B” and “C” Companies at West Ham and “D” Company at Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea. With effect from November 1st 1938, the Battalion was divided to form two Searchlight Battalions, the senior of which was 1st/6th Bn, The Essex Regiment (64th Searchlight Regiment) (TA). Battalion HQ, 441 and 442 (Essex) S/L Companies were raised at West Ham from HQ Wing, “A”, “B” & “C” Companies, whilst 443 (Essex) S/L Coy was raised as a new unit at Chingford. The former “D” Company, 6th Essex then reformed as 2nd/6th Bn, The Essex Regiment (65th Searchlight Regiment) (TA). My maternal Grandfather, Walter Coe, had joined 6th Essex (TA) in 1925 and in 1938 he became the first Company Sergeant Major of 442 S/L Coy. He had left the Company by the time it arrived at Ramsey.

Ramsey 1940s Weekend 2012

Stewart Howe — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:58:04 +0000

Every year for one weekend in August, Ramsey takes a trip back in time as it returns to the 1940s to remember the sights and sounds of this historic era. 2012 will be no different and on the 18th and 19th of August, Ramsey will celebrate all things Forties. The event is open from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm each day

The highlight of this trip down memory lane is Saturday’s 1940s dance. There you can dance the night away to an authentic big band sound.

The daytime will see a procession of vintage vehicles, living history displays, stalls, Forties fashion shows and other special events. Looking for some authentic 1940s memorablilia? Ramsey 1940s weekend features a brilliant retail village, with a huge range of stalls selling all things Forties. From uniforms and authentic civilian clothes to paintings, postcards and medals, Ramsey 1940s Weekend will have a stall that can meet your needs.

The site also has a wealth of eating outlets – whether you’re looking for a cup of tea and a hot doughnut or a hogroast. And, the food of the Forties isn’t forgotten either, with endless mounds of spam sandwiches also on the menu!

Daily Pass

Adults £8.00
OAP (over 60s) / Children £5.00
Under 5’s free
Family £22.00 (2 adults+2 children or 1 adult +3 children)

Weekend Pass (must be pre-booked by 15th June 2012)

Adults £12.50
OAP (over 60s) / Children £7.50
Family £35.00

Event contact number: 07881 730047.

Email address: ramsey1940s@gmail.com.

This year’s event will be held at:

The Camp
Wood Lane
Ramsey
Huntingdon
PE26 2XB

Click here for booking forms.