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?
Address Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 5XJ Google Maps Fort Luton on Google Maps Website www.fortluton.co.uk Facebook Fort Luton Facebook Page Opening Times Work days for volunteers every Saturday between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Public open days advertised on social media. Date of Visit 29 September 2018 Facilities… Read More »Visit Report – Fort Luton
Having conducted some research in the Royal Engineer Bomb Disposal (BD) archives at Carver Barracks, I came across a fascinating report covering the neutralising of a WW2 German Type GC parachute mine at Burghley Road, London, by Major G.R. Fletcher MBE, Royal Engineers. When I started to read the report… Read More »Parachute Mine Defused in London, October 1969
I first published this article in 2018 when I had spent some time in Kent and after walking the River Medway around Maidstone realised that a large proportion of the Second World War pillboxes still remained. There is no interpretation with this article, it is purely a record of each… Read More »Lower Medway Pillboxes
As the war in Europe intensified and the struggle for the protection of Britain grew, so did the need for the storage of more and more ammunition. Storage predictions proved difficult, and soon the new but limited RAF underground storage sites became overwhelmed and the introduction of Air Ammunition Parks… Read More »Site Visit – Ide Hill Ammunition Park
[huge_it_maps id=”9″] A photographic tour of the remaining defences.
A collection of photographs that were taken on a tour by the Land Trust in 2007.
The purpose built Pre-Officer Cadet Training Unit at Wrotham Camp was reputed to be at one stage the largest training establishments in the world with up to 10,000 cadets on site at one time. The first intake into Wrotham was in August 1942 and the camp continued training potential Officers… Read More »Pre-OCTU Wrotham Camp
Just west of RAF West Malling is a dispersed ammunition site dating from WW2. Still owned by the MOD, the forested site is a dry training area (ie; no live ammunition is fired, blank only) frequently used by Cadet and Army Reserve units. There is an active helipad on site,… Read More »Site Visit – Mereworth Woods Ammunition Depot
A total of three sea forts under the control of the Army were constructed in 1941/42 to protect the vital shipping lane and air corridor along the River Thames which had suffered greatly from magnetic sea mines dropped by German aircraft. Devised and named after their creator Guy Maunsell, the… Read More »Site Visit – Maunsell Sea Forts