MMO1707 - Possible World War Two features on Malmesmead Hill (Monument)

Group of short linear mounds or marks recently made in heather were noted on aerial photographs. [1,2] A series of irregularly shaped features of probable modern date can be seen on aerial photographs of the 1940s, on the northern side of Malmesmead Hill, centred on circa SS 7848 4679, Brendon parish. They appear to be very low features and may have no physical presence beyond surface scrapes or areas of flattened vegetation. They are of unknown function but are probably related to the military training area which operated across substantial areas of Exmoor during Second World War, including Brendon Common (MSO7776). Munitions testing is known to have taken place in this area, as evidenced by numerous small craters visible on aerial photographs, but they may have been caused by particular military activity such as chemical weapons testing. The pattern of marks may indicate a common point of origin to the northeast. Similar marks can be seen approximately 250 metres to the southwest (MMO1708). [3,4] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [5]