BY JACK WATSON
My grandparents recently took me to a lovely place two miles from the market town of Beverley—a historic town just outside Hull—called Butt Farm for a guided tour. Now a farm and campsite, this area was once the site of a World War II anti-aircraft battery established in 1941. It comprises four brick-built gun emplacements arranged in an arc around a semi-submerged command post, with two additional emplacements added later in the war. It was one of 50 permanent anti-aircraft gun sites located on both sides of the River Humber during the conflict and was the northernmost of them all.
When the current owners purchased the farm in 2014, they did not realise the incredible piece of military history they had inherited. Over the years, they have worked tirelessly to reinvigorate the site by clearing away rubbish and vegetation to reveal the remarkable structures that had been hidden for nearly 80 years. Despite some instances of vandalism, the most impressive aspect of the buildings is the impeccable brickwork, which was clearly constructed with care and has retained its aesthetic appeal over time.
The strategically organised tour around Butt Farm was fascinating and revealed an aspect of local history that many residents were unaware of. The site was a substantial battery that could have employed up to 300 personnel working in eight-hour shifts at a time, the majority of whom were women. The four 3.7-inch guns were operated by men from the 62 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, who relied solely on metal helmets for protection. The remaining roles were undertaken by women from the Auxiliary Territorial Service, who managed communications and scanned the skies for potential threats—a significant responsibility, as it was easy to confuse our planes with those of the enemy.
The area where the soldiers’ huts once stood is still present, though the huts themselves have long since disappeared. Further up the path are the remains of a magazine where artillery would have been stored, and the long, uneven brick path used for transporting shells to the four guns is still visible. An unscathed underground building next to the guns is intact, where women once worked to connect phone calls and coordinate operations between the guns. Remarkably, a folder containing ample pictorial evidence of the site includes a photograph of the original setup of the room, which has impressively remained unchanged since it was constructed.
Hull was the most severely damaged British city during World War II, suffering 82 air raids, with approximately 95% of its buildings affected. Around 1,200 civilians lost their lives, and up to 87,000 buildings were destroyed. Beverley was also a significant target due to its large shipyard, its function as a port, Armstrong’s factory (which was repurposed for ammunition storage), and the barracks where newly conscripted soldiers were trained.
Anti-aircraft batteries were not particularly effective, as they shot down only approximately 300 Luftwaffe aircraft. Some sites were equipped with machine guns to defend against low-level targeted attacks on the batteries. Such assaults were the only effective means for the enemy to disable these batteries, as accurately bombing them from the air while under fire proved difficult. Although the overall success rate of the batteries in hitting enemy planes was low across the country, Butt Farm—which ostensibly did not shoot down any aircraft, though residents claim the area saw it in action—along with many other sites, provided civilians in air raid shelters with some reassurance that efforts were being made to counteract the shelling of their areas.
Nearly 1,000 anti-aircraft gun sites were built during World War II, but fewer than 200 have any surviving remains across the country. It is unclear how many people are aware of these sites, as we were unaware that one was so close to us until my grandfather learned about the tour during a talk at the local library. Otherwise, this remote area might not have received the attention it deserves. Their construction and setup are both fascinating and impressive. If you ever get the chance to tour one, I strongly encourage you to take it!
Butt Farm—one of the few remaining operational sites—offers free guided tours lasting approximately 90 minutes. For further information, visit their website. Interested readers may also wish to purchase Dennis Chapman’s book, The Stories Behind the Wartime Plane Crashes on Hull, available on Amazon.
Jack Watson is a 16-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.