Wooler To Belford This is the most northerly stop line in the county of Northumberland and as such probably the most northerly in England. It stretches from the town of Wooler in the west to the coast just past Belford in the east, an area of basically moorland and rough […]
Yearly Archives: 2013
95 posts
Rare and unusual designs normally built for a specific location where observation and a clear view of fire was essential and not necessarily possible with a standard design of pillbox. Bulletproof Double Storey Pillbox, Slaugham, West Sussex. S0008043 TQ 249277 This brick shuttered two level defence can be found facing east at […]
National Trust North Downs Pillbox Day Surrey National Trust and head warden Rob Hewer had organised and arrange this special day with the 23rd Sussex Home Guard re-enactment group under the command of Richard Hunt. Sunday the 13th of September 2009 was probably the first time the GHQ Line B […]
In the late 1930s as threat of war with Germany grew so did the general anticipation that if war came it would involve an aerial bombing campaign. The railway companies were faced with the prospect of keeping vital buildings, such as signal boxes, operational despite the threat of damage from […]
The rescue & recording of two Vickers gun emplacements A sunny October morning in 2009 saw well known PSG members meet to start on operation Cromwell, a project carrying out a study to uncover, record and renovate some of Ewshot’s many surviving pillboxes for hopeful long term survival. The team […]
Anti-tank Cylinder and Mine Socket Excavation, Blacksmith’s Bridge, Dogmersfield, Hampshire. During the winter months of late 2007 and early 2008 I was involved in the discovery and excavation of mine sockets on Blacksmith’s Bridge, Dogmersfield in Hampshire. Previously only three of these sockets were visible. At first it was thought […]
It’s not often that one finds a truly “new” pillbox these days (I know all of them are 60+ years old), but even rarer that a “new” name for a pillbox is uncovered. This is the story of how that came about, thanks to the Pillbox Study Group, Defence of […]
The F.C. Construction Type are also variously termed “Mushroom” due to its shape or “Oakington” & “Fairlop” Pillboxes, probably because examples are present on both these airfields. The type seems to be confined to airfields apparently being found predominantly in the eastern counties of Britain. When Henry Wills wrote “Pillboxes” […]
eDoB Online Map – S0012601 Louise Manuell takes a photographic tour of this very unusual defence structure. NGR: TR 05283 67630
Survey Report Introduction On 29th May 2010, Colin Anderson and Ian Hall carried out a survey of the Auxiliary Unit (Special Duties) Zero Station at Heifer Law, near Alnwick. This report provides an overview of what was found during the survey. Thanks must go to Northumberland Estates, the landowners of […]
Site Name: Portsmouth , Old City Airport Site Type: Defence > Pickett-Hamilton Retractable Pillbox NGR: SU 6732-0390 Location: On sea wall between remnant of former moat to Hilsea Lines, retained as a drainage channel for former airport and present housing estate (since this dig this has become a community of […]
Following an appeal for help on the (old) Pillbox Study Group forum from Paul Thompson, four of us met up on August 17th 2008 to clean up 3 pillboxes located at Beal farm on the Northumberland Coast, overlooking the causeway to Holy Island. The first of these is a rectangular […]
East Yorkshire by Austin J Ruddy The Holderness area of East Yorkshire stretches 30 miles from Flamborough Head in the north to Spurn Head in the south, and 20 miles inland past Hull, along the river Humber. It is predominantly rural landscape, gently undulating, made up of loamy glacial soil, […]
By The Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group The remains of the Bison were found at Sleaford where it had been a familiar land mark to many and a playground item to many children over the last 50 years. However, few could have known its historical value. Indeed, only around 200 were […]
Northumberland ‘Beehive’ Pillboxes Edlingham It is located half way between Alnwick and Rothbury on the B6341 road, NGR: NU 12435 09377. It is close to the edge of the road by a small lay-by but unless you know where it is you’ll easily miss it. The site is in […]
http://www.gsia.org.uk/canals/projects/s04_ars_pillboxes.pdf
Saddlescombe Road, Poyning, West Sussex. NGR: TQ 267118 Fanning The Flames As Flame Trap Fever continues to sweep the nation fuelled by recent ‘Loopholes’ articles, I have discovered a good example of a Flame Fougasse in-situ on the South Downs in West Sussex, demonstrating that it is a great deal […]
The Maiden-Newton To Dorchester Section Down in the deepest, darkest depths of Dorset the remains of hundreds of Second World War structures still lie littered around the countryside. The county of Dorset, with its extensive coastline, natural harbours and relative proximity to the shores of northern France made it a […]
Bridlington Auburn Sands, Bridlington was a very vulnerable, quiet area, perfect for a German landing, with smooth, golden, flat, sandy beaches and flat tank country behind it. Today, it is a perfect example of surviving ‘coastal crust’ defences and most definitely worth a visit. Interestingly, it is still possible to […]
During the 1938/39 period I was employed erecting and fitting-out the sectional buildings which comprised the Berechurch and Roman Way Camps at Colchester (no doubt those names will be familiar to some) and when these contracts were nearly complete the contractors, I think it was Mears & Son, were awarded […]
The GHQ Line, Aldershot Command (See O.S. 50,000 Map 186) A Concentration of Vickers Medium Machine Gun Pillboxes General Although the G.H.Q. Line is well equipped with 2pdr A.T. Gun and 6pdr Q.F. Gun pillboxes, very few pillboxes were built for the Vickers Heavy Machine Gun and today only sixteen […]
Spigot Mortar Base This spigot mortar base can be found on the beach at Winterton and would most probably have been originally located on the cliff or at least above the high water mark. However, it is now most definitely on the beach and gives us a fantastic insight into […]
Downton, Hampshire Adapted from an article published in Loopholes No: 21 By Nigel walker Ever since I moved into the area I have been fascinated by the mill complex which straddles the River Avon some 3 miles south of the village of Downton where I live. What interested me were […]
The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret units created by the United Kingdom government during the Second World War, with the aim of resisting the expected occupation of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, after a planned invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion. Having had the […]
Key Facts See Poynings Flame Fougasse page for more details
Under all that 1/4″ steel plate is a Triumph WO-3SW cica 1939 350cc single side valve. Possiblly the slowest bike in the war at now over 600lbs! The B&W photos of the original bike (they only made one) where taken in the summer of 1940. Sean Walsh
Tillingbourne Brook, East Shalford Lane, Ngr TQ 012474 On a section of GHQ Line B near Shalford in Surrey is a badly deteriorating, but still highly interesting drum shaped anti tank gun emplacement. Postioned on the edge of a woods and a gentle slope facing south west, its map […]
Key Facts No doubt many of you will have noticed the large number of Concrete `Pipe` type pillboxes sprouting in military establishments during the last few years. In my experience they appear to be mainly used by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, though I have no doubt that […]
Key facts Tett turrets at RAF Hornchurch, Essex The former airfield at RAF Hornchurch in Essex boasts the largest concentration of surviving tett turrets in the country. This ultra rare form of one-man pillbox would have been extremely cramped and restrictive for the guy inside! Thankfully the surviving tett turrets […]
Airfield Defence Pillbox The first thing that people say when they see a Seagull Trench is… “Look at the size of that”! With overall dimensions of approximately 70ft X 13ft it is not surprising that this `Airfield Defence Pillbox` is something to get excited about! Paul Francis, Airfield Archaeologist, wrote […]
Turnbull Mounts Turnbull mounts were not exclusively used for mounting Vickers machine-guns but Brens, Lewis, water cooled Brownings and Hotchkiss MGs could all be used, there was even a request from Bovington if a gun bar could be designed for there Besa Machine guns. I suspect in fact that Bren […]
Key Facts
Key Facts The ‘Lifting & Turning Fort’ In the summer of 1940 many engineering companies approached government departments with plans for defence structures designed to their own specifications. The New Kent Construction Company of Ashford, submitted plans for a “disappearing pillbox” for airfield defence to the designs of Donald Hamilton […]
Key Facts More details and examples here
Extended Defence Officer Posts The function of EXDO (or, equally valid for this context. XDO) in the Royal Navy dates from April 3rd 1914 when the duty of so called `submarine mining` passed from the R.E.s to the R.N. The first such unit to transfer and be joined (i.e. re-badged) […]
Key Facts
Key Facts See The Northumberland Beehive Pillbox for more details
Key facts Allan-Williams Turrets at Bembridge Fort, Isle of Wight in 1988Photographs Kevin Briggs
A ‘Beginners’ Guide for visitors As a fairly regular Visitor to the Pas-De-Calais I decided one day to make a trip to France with the sole purpose of discovering the many Pillboxes and Gun emplacements which litter the coastline and make up the, Atlantik Wall’. Several trips later and it […]
Having decided to visit the Bombing Decoy Site at Offchurch we travelled eastwards along the Grand Union Canal towards Radford Semele so we could have a quick look at the Type 24 Pillbox, which is located on the non-towpath side of the canal at Radford Bottom Lock. The Pillbox can […]