MMO2682 - World War Two bomb or impact crater on eastern side of Dunkery Hill (Monument)

A circular pit on the eastern side of Dunkery Hill, visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs, is probably the remains of a bomb or impact crater of Second World War date. The crater, centred at circa SS 9101 4230, is circa 8 metres in diameter, almost identical to a second pit visible roughly 800 metres to the southwest. It is probably evidence of overshot from the Exmoor Firing Range to the northwest. The crater could still be seen on aerial photographs of the 1970s. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4] The site was visited ahead of peatland restoration works in January 2025. It was noted that the two fits are currently filled with wwater. They were measured at 6m N/S and 6.5m E/W, 2m depth for the eastern pit, and 4m N/S 5m E/W, 2m depth for the western pit. The observation that there depths are consistent and deep, and the absence of spoil heaps strongly supports the conclusion that these pits are impact craters dating from the Second World War. [5]