{"id":426,"date":"2025-09-05T21:33:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T21:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chastownley.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2025-09-26T19:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T19:42:26","slug":"belmont-upton-st-leonards-ex-service-camp-used-for-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chastownley.com\/?p=426","title":{"rendered":"Belmont, Upton St Leonards Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun Site; Later an Ex-Service Camp used for housing."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This ex-service camp had been used by as the base of a Heavy Anti-Aircraft unit involved in the defence of the Gloucester\/Brockworth Gun Defended Area. Belmont Camp, housed up to 400 military personnel, was established around the HAA site by June 1942, when the camp was listed as HAA number A14. The Command Post slightly to the south at Croft Farm has been listed at Grade II<\/a> and includes the remains of one of the four gun emplacements for the 3.7 inch guns. The 494 Battery of the 143 Mixed Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment and also the 88 HHA Regiment were known to occupy this site during the War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note: The remains are on private land and are not open to the public. <\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The location of the camp can be seen on the western side of the road to Painswick on the 1:10,560 (6″ to the mile) scale mapping published in 1955. The site is now Croft Farm, located above the Tara Hotel on the Painswick Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Belmont and the four Gun Sites can be seen at the bottom centre of this RAF Aerial Photograph taken on 7 June 1946 which is from the Historic England Aerial Photo Archive.<\/a> Please note this photograph has the north at the bottom, which is the reverse of the OS mapping above. The four gun sites can be seen with what is probably the command centre behind. Some of the buildings of the camp can be seen below others are likely hidden in the wooded area. It will be noted that the gun sites do not appear on the OS map – this is a security deletion and information about the policy can be found on the National Library for Scotland mapping website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n