 To assist in the defence of the airfield, a series of dispersed sites were set up over a wide area around the airfield.These sites included a searchlight camp at the top of Ferryboat lane, and small AA gun posts out on the Birtley road, above the old quarries at the bottom end of Boldon Bank and along the disused railway line towards North Hylton.A large gunsite was set up near Downhill Farm, and on the Birtley road, well away from the station, a decontamination centre was built.