Late at night on Saturday 11 September 1920, a daring raid was carried out on the Coastguard Station at Torr Head, County Antrim. It was reported that between 40-50 armed and masked Sinn Feiners arrived by motor vehicle at the remote station, forcibly entering each of the billets of the… Read More »The razing of Torr Head Coastguard Station
The legacies left behind following any conflict can be far-reaching. While we may not always have been on the conventional frontline, events in ‘our wee country’ have had a considerable impact on the landscape and our lives. Through my research, I hope to reveal the wide variety of defensive structures… Read More »What is Frontline Ulster?
The tunnel system known as Lord Airey’s Shelter is still owned by the Ministry of Defence, except the Tracer cave which is under the guardianship of the Gibraltar Museum. Access is tightly controlled and limited to around 20 people per year, with guided tours arranged through the museum for a… Read More »Operation Tracer, Part 2 – Exploring the tunnel
To date the primary role (…) has been against threatened attack from Spain across North Front. Owing to changes in the Situation during the past year, a seaborne attack is now considered possible. The primary role (…) has been changed to an anti-tank and anti-landingcraft one. This extract shows a… Read More »Operation Tracer, Part 1 – Gibraltar’s castle in the sky
In 1945, the Allies had narrowly won the Second World War but soon realised that a new and potentially dangerous world power was emerging. In what was to become the Cold War, Great Britain, weakened after the virtual collapse of the Empire, aligned with the United States in a war… Read More »Visit report – RAF Saxa Vord
Pillbox characterisation is nuanced. The adopted naming convention often refers to these hardened field defences from the Second World War to the drawing number issued by the War Office (WO) Directorate for Fortifications and Works (DFW); for example Type 22 or Type 26. The DFW branch responsible for defence design… Read More »A prefabricated anti-tank pillbox – worthy of its own name?
Great Britain found itself occupying Cyprus in the summer of 1878 after a political deal that saw the Mediterranean Island traded for British support against an increasingly aggressive Russian expansion across Europe. Fraught with nuance from the outset, Britain had already refused the offer of Cyprus three times previously and… Read More »A history of the early British military occupation of Troödos Mountain, Cyprus
In 1942 the Second World War was taking on a new, global element. December 1941 saw the attacks on Pearl Harbour that drew the Americans into frontline conflict, while units from Northern Ireland were engaged in Burma, North Africa, Leros, Sicily and Italy. It was written soon after the war… Read More »The most secret ARDS plan; fighting to the end
One of many Forest Service forests across Northern Ireland, Randalstown Forest was gifted by the Shanes Castle Estate in 1934. It is open to the public and can be openly visited and explored. What many of the visitors to the forest may not appreciate, is that hiding among the relatively… Read More »Site Visit Part I – Randalstown Forest, First World War Rifle Range
The pillbox is synonymous with the Second World War. Thousands were constructed across the United Kingdom (and Ireland) to defend high-value areas or as part of a National defensive line. Many of them still remain and conjure up the romantic notion of local boys and men bearing arms to defend… Read More »Site Visit Part II – Randalstown Forest, Second World War Defences