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 […]
Defence Articles
19 posts
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Constructing Winterton-On-Sea’s WWII Anti-Invasion Defences A Personal Perspective, By John Green MBE I am recalling these events from 60 years ago but can assure you that they are as accurate as possible. The Company who did the construction work was: May Gurney & Co Ltd, Construction Engineers, Trowse, Norwich. This company […]
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 […]
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” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The basis of this article is Camouflage Military Training Pamphlet No 46: Field Defences 1941 It is intended to show the official line and from personal experience in the South West contrast this with the actual methods used by the military `on the spot` as it were. The ‘positive’ knowledge […]
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, […]
eDoB Online Map – S0012601 Louise Manuell takes a photographic tour of this very unusual defence structure. NGR: TR 05283 67630
After Dunkirk (4/6/40) there was an obvious and urgent requirement to put the country into a state of defence as quickly as possible, and the result was the construction of stoplines. Stoplines are usually broken down into three categories: a. Coastal fortifications, b. The G.H.Q. Line, and c. Secondary stoplines […]
http://www.gsia.org.uk/canals/projects/s04_ars_pillboxes.pdf
A Vickers Emplacement 70 Years On An early morning in July saw myself and Mike Hopton meet up to recreate how a fully equipped pillbox would have appeared seventy years ago. The purpose of the day was not only to see how it looked, but also to record the task […]
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 […]