Military Archaeology

Gordon ( no jokes for once ! ) that is really fascinating stuff.

Many thanks for posting the pics & info !

 

My pleasure Martin! I'll try and get an airfield for you next time!

 

Hopefully Banff....

 

This might come under the heading of 'rescue archaeology'....
These are photos of the WW1 era concrete loopholes at Higgins Neuk, Stirlingshire, site of the old ferry across the River Forth to Kincardine, which became obsolete when the bridge opened in 1936.
Before the bridge was there, these loopholes would have had good fields of fire across the tidal marshes, and are typical of the Great War thinking. In WW2 an LAA battery was positioned near here, and their former billet forms part of the modern pub. A couple of old Anderson shelters still stand in the deserted road behind the first set. Three complete sets of these loopholes still exist, a fourth one having long since been destroyed.
The Scottish Executive has just announced that a second bridge is to be built by 2008, and these loopholes will disappear under a roundabout.
Another bit of heritage lost.....









[ 20. June 2005, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

 

Interesting stuff as always, Gordon....wel ldone for 'preserving' these relics before they vanish forever.

How many times have I driven past something saying to myself : 'Must stop one of these days and take a photo' .

And then one day - it's a McDonalds.....

 

This is probably old hat to you, Martin, but I just found this website.....
RAF Banff

 

Believe it or not, Gordon - I hadn't seen it, so many thanks for the link.....

A very impressive photo gallery there !

 

Yep, they seem to have done a good job.

 

Just back from a week's holiday in the Pas de Calais, and I managed to visit a few places of interest while there..........
This is the memorial on the site of St Omer airfield, largest RFC aerodrome on the western front in 1914-18...



This is the accompanying notice board, which says that the largest number of Allied airmen (around 100) are buried ......



here...the CWGC section of Longuenesse Souvenir cemetery just down the road, than any other place on the western front.
[img]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Pillboxer/StOmer001.jpg

 

I also managed to visit a couple of V-weapon sites.
This is La Coupole, at Helfaut, to the north of St Omer.....


This is a view of one of the unfinished galleries....



This is a typical working area....



And this is a memorial to the Loos train, which set off for the concentration camps with around 1000 Jewish prisoners on board. Half died in transit.



And this is a V2 engine.....

 

And I also squeezed in a visit to the Blockhaus at Eperlecque, another V-weapon site.
This is a sentry post...



These are views of the outside after the Allied air forces had finished with it.....







This is a view of the rocket preparation gallery

 

This is a bomb crater in the roof of the preparation gallery...



And the view from inside....



More damage inside ...



Probably caused by one of these....



This is the main presentation gallery inside



While a life-sized V2 model round the corner gives a better idea of scale...

 

This memorial commemorates Belgian workers killed here.



There is a V1 launch ramp at the front of the complex



Complete with replica Doodlebug!



This flooded bomb crater lies immediately alongside the ramp, and these can be found across the site generally




[ 04. July 2005, 07:35 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

 

I'm envious ! I visited Watten several years ago, before La Coupole was open to the public ; so the latter is still on my 'to be visited' list..... On the other hand, back in those days you could buy genuine 88mm shell fuzes in the souvenir shop for £4 each !

Great photos of the 'Tallboy' damage inflicted by 617 Squadron on 25th July, 1944 ( their second attack on this target, the first was on 19th June and failed completely ). Bill Reid VC was on the 25th July op, as was Tom Bennett ( in a Mosquito ) who is very much still with us.

 

Glad you appreciated the pics Martin!
I'm already planning next year's trip, as I must have missed as many bunkers/memorials as I managed to photograph.
Also took in Agincourt battlefield, but no pics though.

 

A depressingly familar story......
Car park plan for old defences

 

These are shots of a searchlight position at South Lethans Muir, next to Knockhill Motor Racing Circuit in Fife.



The former Royal Navy Armaments Depot at Lathalmond is two miles beyond this in the background. The RN Dockyard at Rosyth (HMS Cochrane) is another seven miles beyond that.

This is the exterior of the generator building...



And the interior....



This is the front of the accommodation hut...



'Front Hall'



And the interior...



This seems to have been some kind of store/pantry to the rear...




[ 08. July 2005, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

 

This is the actual searchlight position up the hill.....



And the inside, showing the rails for mounting the light platform...



Two of the holdfast bolts.......



There are five of these blocks around the outside. They don't seem to be connected to anything, there are no fastenings for anything else to be attached, so I can only assume that they are connected to the main structure in some way as to spread the weight in the boggy ground.




These positions were usually built in batteries of three, several miles apart, so there should be at least two more in the area. Assuming they survived.....

[ 08. July 2005, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

 

Not sure about this one.........
Plans for Upper Heyford

 

This is good!
Time Tunnel Found

This is depressing.........
RAF Yatesbury