Brackenbury Battery was a small

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

fort located just north of

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. His ...

, and initially known as Felixstowe Battery. It opened in October 1915 to provide fire northward from the

Haven ports Haven or The Haven may refer to: * Harbor or haven, a sheltered body of water where ships can be docked Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Haven (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter), from the novel series * Haven (comics), from the ''X-Men ...

, replacing a battery of 10-inch guns that had previously covered this area. With their removal, only a single 10-inch gun in

Landguard Fort Landguard Fort is a fort at the mouth of the River Orwell outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, designed to guard the mouth of the river. It is now managed by the charity English Heritage and is open to the public. History Originally known as Langer ...

could fire in that direction, and Brackenbury was built to address this problem. Brackenbury Battery was equipped with two of the newest 9.2-inch Mk IX guns, making it the most powerfully armed battery on the east coast at that time. The gun's carriages were set in concrete with shelters below, then surrounded by an earthen rampart and ditch. The guns were upgraded to Mk. X versions in 1929-1930. Trenches and strongpoints were added around the battery on the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and in 1941 two searchlights were placed on the beach to give the battery night fighting capability. The Battery had a role in the development of

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

when, in July 1939, the guns were being test fired right as researchers at

Bawdsey Manor Bawdsey Manor stands at a prominent position at the mouth of the River Deben close to the village of Bawdsey in Suffolk, England, about northeast of London. Built in 1886, it was enlarged in 1895 as the principal residence of Sir William Cu ...

, about to the north, were testing a new surface-scanning radar. The splashes of the shells produced strong returns on the

radar display A radar display is an electronic device to present radar data to the operator. The radar system transmits pulses or continuous waves of electromagnetic radiation, a small portion of which backscatter off targets (intended or otherwise) and retur ...

s, allowing the team to measure the distance and bearing of the fall of shot. This led to the development of Coast Artillery radar, and more generally the use of radar to guide naval gunfire. During WWII, the battery was manned by the 176 Battery of Suffolk Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery (Territorial Army), and later, 278 Battery of 515 Coast Regiment. It was put into care and maintenance in 1944, and formally stood down in 1952. The site was later redeveloped as a housing estate, and the area is now a greenspace. No sign of the battery remains.

References

* * {{Authority control Device Forts Forts in Suffolk Felixstowe