Monument record MBC44966 - A Second World War roadside ammunition dump, Watergate Farm

A Second World War roadside ammunition dump is visible on historic aerial photographs and was mapped as part of the North Buckinghamshire Aerial Investigation and Mapping project (EBC18304). Located along the south side of the lane between Watergate Farm and Barton Hill Farm and centred at SP 63217 29481, the ammunition storage area comprises 12 rectangular buildings, each about 5 x 3 metres, laid out along the lane in pairs, with each pair about 8-10 metres apart and set out over 94 metres. These portable corrugated iron shelters, or hutments, were usually camouflaged and covered stacks of artillery or small arms ammunition. Roadside storage not only made the ammunition easily accessible but dispersed the risk of a large loss of munitions in one event as a result of a German air raid or accidental explosion. Visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946, three had been demolished by 1947 and all have been demolished by 1961 (1-5).