Anyone remember the aircraft target out on Cockerham Sands?

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

I grew up in Blackpool and we used to go up to the Lakes a lot and sometimes we'd go via Cockerham Sands. I remember seing a large silhouette of an airplane, head on standing on poles and about as big as a billboard. I always figured it was a practice target for gunnery school, especially as downrange would have been out to sea.

It just sort of disappeared over time, probably in the late seventies, but I bet someone here knows the full story.

[bottom rung]

Don't remember the target... I was too interested in the ancient old caravan at the end of the marsh that sold the best ice cream known to man.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

That could have been a target as well

[Fishtailed]

Argh,
Was only thinking of that recently. We often went north via Pilling sands from the Fylde, and that target always fascinated us as kids, because wherever you saw it from it was facing you dead on! We walked out to it once , (the tide was out), to find it was just a flat silhouette.

[Germstone]

I beleive a museum has it at millom

[west lakes]

Ah I remember that & doing the same journey to the lakes.

The two "theories" I was given many years ago were: -

WW2 Gunnery range (Squires Gate, Warton & Weeton were all in the Fylde and training fields)

Or decoy site with there being more at one time.

I think it went sometime in the 70's

Investigated further

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lait/site/...sh%20DK689.htm

Makes mention of the targets, and HMAS Inskip - forgot about that place, even though you can't miss the aerials.

A wander through the above site about some of the crash remains around Lancashire is interesting

[RAF Millom]

Yes it is at the RAF Millom Aviation & Military Museum

We recovered it from a Barn a couple of years ago, it is waiting its turn in the restoration list.

It makes the shape of a Bf109 when put together.

[mrthunder]

Oh my ! I am nothing to do with aviation apart from the fact as a lad I used to ADORE spotting the aircraft target on Pilling Marsh when travelling from Morecambe to Blackpool in the 1960s/70s.

In addition there were two "block houses" immediately adjacent to the road which my Dad always said were there for trainees to set triangulation on the aircraft silhouette. I always begged him for a walk out and one day we finally did. The 'target' was set in concrete footings BUT, as far as I recall, its surface was unblemished. Which means either our wartime trainee gunners were lousy shots or, more appropriately, the set-up was there for "range finding" practice.

I recall going across the marsh one time on my motorbike only to find the aircraft gone. Such a shock. It was the Summer of 1976 when I had a bike before getting a super MkII Cortina ! The block houses seemed to stay quite a bit longer before also disappearing.

I have looked on Google Earth and can't seem to find any remnants for the 'plane or block houses. Must visit the museum and be reunited with an old chum from my childhood !!!

[Andrew Blamires]

1950s

I lived in Preesall from about 4 years old in early 1950s until about 13 years old and my dad showed me the target many times from road. You had only to cross across cockerham sands when tide out. Quite a few vehicles got caught by inrushing tide. He told me it had been used as a practice target in 2nd world war. It was hard to get to due to the ditches between the hillocks.He did say you could find bullet leads around site. I went past years later and it had gone.

[Robin Drinkall]

Yes there was an old relic of a plane that had been previously used for target practice on Cockerham Sands in the early 1970īs. My Grandfather would walk with his cattle from Highfurlong Farm at Carleton, Near Blackpool to Abbeystead in the good old days. He would break his journey and spend the night at Pilling Mill.
Does anyone remember the story about grass turf being sold from Pilling to be used as the new football turf at Wembley when it was first built? I would like to know the name of the local company who supplied the turf and why on Earth was Pilling selected?

[Paul Hodkinson]

I remember that target in the sixties... as well as an open-fronted concrete OP or searchlight position on the coast of Pilling/Preesall Sands near where the Middle Dyke crosses Pilling Lane, that disappeared when the new sea defences were built. I also remember that near where the cast iron sewage outfall ran out on the sands from Pilling Lane, next to Dodgsons caravan park, there was a ring of iron posts (perhaps 100 feet) with an anchor in the middle... presumably a target for flour/chalk practice bombing. I was told that during the war, practice drops were made there with parachutes which local people immediately went out to liberate for wedding dresses etc. That whole surrounding area of the sands had large wooden stakes (maybe 8-9" dia) driven into it it to prevent aircraft or glider landings. I also used to go to the motorcycle sand racing just off Fluke Hall.