MMO1708 - Possible World War Two military earthworks on Malmsmead Hill (Monument)

A series of irregularly shaped features of probable modern date can be seen on aerial photographs of the 1940s, on the northwestern side of Malmesmead Hill, centred on circa SS 7822 4665 , Brendon parish. They appear to be very low earthworks approximately 3 metres wide and 16 metres long. 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). The significance of their arrangement and orientation is also unclear. 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 earthworks might be associated with similarly arranged surface marks approximately 250 metres to the northeast (MMO1707). They can still be seen on photographs of the early 1950s and possibly as very low features on 1995 photography. [1-4] 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]