The British Isles and Ireland are island nations dependant on their domination of the coastline and waters surrounding them. With estimates of upwards of 11,000 miles and 1,700 miles respectively, the task of providing protection for and communication around these vast coastlines is a problem that has been attempted numerous… Read More »Guarding the Coast
One rainy afternoon in lockdown, I thought I would do some research on finding evidence for the WW2 radar sites that were once dotted around Northern Ireland. Finding photographic evidence of what were once secret installations is still quite tricky almost 80 years on! I have been fortunate enough to… Read More »Radar in Northern Ireland 1939 – 1945
A site visit and photographic report on the history and current condition of Kilroot Battery, a 1910 coastal artillery battery on the western coast of Belfast Lough. The fort was in use until 1956 when the coastal artillery units were disbanded, and during the Second World War, it saw expansion… Read More »Kilroot Coastal Artillery Battery
In the hills above Belfast on Divis is a disused 600 yard military firing range, constructed in 1943 most likely to accommodate training for the high numbers of American troops in the country. A copy of the standing orders still exist, giving an overview of the classification and type of… Read More »Site Visit – Rifle Range, Divis
On the hills approximately 6 miles to the north east of Derry/Londonderry is the small but abandoned signal station at Killylane. Constructed during the Second World War, the site was used for around 20 years as a Royal Navy shore-to-ship radio communication station communicating with naval vessels operating across the… Read More »Site Visit – Signal Station, Killylane
Address The Fort, Helen’s Bay, Bangor BT19 1PU Google Maps Grey Point Fort on Google Maps Website Visit Northern Ireland WebsiteRadio Society Website Facebook Grey Point Fort Amateur Radio Society Facebook Page Opening Times Weekends 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (unconfirmed) Date of Visits 3 September 201711 May 200813 June… Read More »Visit Report – Grey Point Fort
The origins of a camp at Magilligan are difficult to ascertain, as I haven’t discovered any definitive records relating to the initial construction of the camp. A number of clues exist in the early Ordnance Survey maps of the area and in the local landscape that helps in charting the… Read More »Site Visit – Magilligan Point
Located on what is now Steeple Road PSNI Training Centre, was a 440 bed camp of the North Irish Horse. Very little is evident today of what was vacated over 100 years ago, but the site boundary is almost identical to what the reserve cavalry soldiers would recognise from their… Read More »North Irish Horse Camp, Antrim
