Two for the price of one here; a WW1 pillbox, and a flame fougasse from the last war. "An historian from Margate has teamed up with eminent military expert Andy Robertshaw in a bid to preserve and relocate some rare World War One machine gun pillboxes discovered at Botany Bay. Phil Hodges, who works in the film industry and also writes for military magazines, and Mr Robertshaw, who is a military adviser for the movie industry and has worked on films for Stephen Spielberg, War Horse and blockbuster 1917 from Sam Mendez, are in talks with organisations including Thanet and Kent councils about the irreplaceable war constructions. Sir Ernest William Moir produced a design for the concrete machine gun pillboxes constructed from a system of interlocking precast concrete blocks, with a steel and concrete roof. The box acted as a camouflaged firing point for the machine gunner inside. Around 1500 Moir pillboxes were produced with blocks cast manufactured at Richborough and these were sent to the Western Front in 1918. Dad-of-three Phil explained: “They were designed to be shipped to France and Belgium for use in the frontline trenches during World War One. That’s why they were in sections, so three or four men could pick those up and move it through the mud and barbed wire. “They were designed quite late into the war, in 1918, but there are several surviving in Belgium – two in Ypres – and in France that were used in action. “After the war the country was in recession and the company had a lot of those concrete sections left over. In 1921 they auctioned them off to road companies, local councils etc. It was in World War Two that the pillboxes were installed between Botany and Kingsgate Bays – and also Dumpton Gap – for experimental use by the Army to create a flame fougasse. Phil said: “They took the concrete pill box segments that were laying around and built two sections going out to sea. On top they had a pipe and sandbags on top of that. Oil and petrol would be used to go through this and out to sea to set it on fire when the Germans came. It was very barbaric. “Thankfully it was never used but has stayed there ever since. I remember seeing them as a child, sometimes they would be covered in sand and other times you could see them.” Until recently the structures were believed to have been part of an old sewer pipe but a week ago Phil was approached by someone who recognised the parts as Moir pill boxes." The amazing piece of wartime history uncovered at Botany Bay
Ooh! That the Sandy Creek observation post? Just googled it. Don't know the other one. Can I share these with a FB group?
Of course! The blurb with the picture: This is one of six beach pillboxes built along the Casuarina Coastal area. The closest neighbours were are Dripstone Caves and East Point. The pillbox is noted as being in the Singapore Style, two Vickers Machine Gun position with a central observation post. This is very similar to pillboxes found in most Far Eastern Theaters, such as Hong Kong. I just googled Darwin Pillbox.
Interesting stuff ! It's great to see that these structures are finally being recognised as historic in their own right.
