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
Updated February 2023 with excerpts from the official coastal artillery training manual from 1932. Often found in coastal artillery forts, this concrete pedestal would have been home to a Depression Range Finder (D.R.F.), an instrument designed in the 1880s used to calculate the distance and bearing of enemy shipping in… Read More »Coastal Artillery – Depression Range Finding
Situated firmly in East Berlin sat a secret and prohibited district, left off maps, and surrounded by high walls, barbed wired and armed guards. Inside lay a facility that bred paranoia on the part of the guards, and fear and terror on the part of the prisoners. Their houses raided… Read More »Site Visit – Berlin-Hohenschoenhausen
Slough Fort (so named due to its proximity to Slough hamlet to the north west) was built between 1861 and 1867 to combat a ever growing threat from the French who were bolstering their coastal defences and naval fleets. One of many stone built forts built along the Kent coastline,… Read More »Site Visit – Slough Fort, Allhallows
These rudimentary concrete obstacles were produced to a basic pattern with many local variations and flourishes, and manufactured in their thousands. Their original intent was to delay and channel advancing enemy armour during an invasion of mainland Great Britain. Many were sold and repurposed after the war, while others have… Read More »Anti-Tank Obstacles
Grain Tower Battery was constructed between 1879 and 1855 of granite in an Martello tower style. Unique by virtue that it was constructed off shore on a mud-spit in the River Medway, and only accessible by foot along a (muddy) brick causeway at low tide. The fort was initially armed… Read More »Site Visit – Grain Tower Battery
It may sound somewhat unassuming, but Oil Berth 3, sitting at the entrance to Musgrave Channel in Belfast Port, was once at the centre of a fascinating piece of Northern Irish history. In 1969, with the escalation of the IRA campaign, the Army deployed on Operation BANNER. This surge of troops… Read More »Oil Berth 3
In July 1971 a unique unit was born into the British Army, in particular 39 Airportable Brigade under the command of Brigadier Frank Kitson (September 1970 – April 1972). Brigadier Kitson has a wealth of experience in counterinsurgency operations, and politically his appointment to 39 Bde was welcomed. Known as the… Read More »The Birth of the Military Reaction Force (MRF)
Situated approximately 1.5km East of the world famous Giants Causeway, Portmoon (Port Moon) is traditionally known for its historic Salmon fishing house. The site sits on Benbane Head in the town land of Carrowreagh. Remnants of this industry remain in the area in the form of the tin roofed fishermans… Read More »Site Visit – Portmoon Anti-Tank Range