Monument record MDO45305 - First World War/Second World War slit trench, Launceston Down, Tarrant Launceston

A possible military slit trench, which could have been dug in the First or Second World Wars, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs taken in 1943 but was subsequently levelled by ploughing. It may have been used in conjunction with nearby practice trenches or the bombing range. The trench had been filled in by 1953, when aerial photographs show that the land had been converted to arable cultivation.

A possible military slit trench, which could have been dug in the First or Second World Wars, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s but was subsequently levelled by ploughing. The trench is centred at ST 9532 1102, measures 20m long by 6.5m wide and is flanked to either side by narrow banks. It is orientated south-west / north-east and may have been used in conjunction with nearby practice trenches (eg ST 91 SW 118 / UID: 1480766) or the surrounding bombing range (ST 91 SE 248 / UID: 1481331). A second slit trench is located circa 125m to the ENE (see ST 91 SE 258 / UID: 1481413). The trench had been filled in by 1953, when aerial photographs show that the land had been converted to arable cultivation. <1-2>

<1> Royal Air Force, 13-JAN-1943, NMR RAF/HLA/651 1136-1137 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19184.

<2> Royal Air Force, 14-AUG-1953, NMR RAF/58/1212 F22 0093-0094 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19232.

<3> Bishop, Sharon, 2009, Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis, Object Number: MD002384 (Unpublished document). SDO12459.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1481411 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 24 2023 10:00AM