You are standing by an exceptional WW2 bomb decoy site.
Along the Billy Line on Hayling Island the building is sadly now rubble on the beach. During WW2 it was a ‘Special Fire’ (SF or Starfish) control point. Look carefully for the square iron turret with its round observation windows. On Farlington Marshes, two of these rare decoy sites remain intact.
Langstone Harbour became a large decoy area to draw German Luftwaffe bombers away from Portsmouth and its important naval facilities.
When air raid warnings were received, then windows were blacked out in Portsmouth, and fires were lit around the harbour and on the islands to mimic nearby Portsmouth.
When a warning was given of an impending air raid, fires were lit at starfish sites all around Hayling Island. These fires simulated bomb damage and persuaded many German bombers to drop their bombs on or around Hayling Island instead.
Did You Know?
The Starfish sites undoubtedly saved hundreds of lives. On the night of 17th April 1941 alone, over 140 enemy aircraft were fooled into dropping a reported 200 bombs into the harbour, rather than on Portsmouth city.
The brave souls that served here literally put themselves ‘in the line of fire’.
- Learn more about Starfish sites at Wikipedia – click here
- Read more about the Starfish decoy operation – click here
- Read about the Blitz on Portsmouth in WW2 – click here
- More on other WW2 buildings on Hayling – click here
- Video about the Hayling WW2 Heritage Trail – click here