'Hillman' & 'Morris'

Martin Bull · #1 (**permalink**) April 26th, 2004, 06:08 AM

The Historian asked under another thread about the strongpoints 'Hillman' and 'Morris' attacked on D-Day by British forces.

There are certainly remains of 'Hillman' still to be seen today, see for instance ; -

http://www.cpmac.com/ang/article.php3?id_article=301

I didn't realise that dummy sites were constructed in Scotland for pre-D-Day training purposes...?

The_Historian · #2 (**permalink**) April 26th, 2004, 08:12 AM

Martin,
They sure did. The two surviving examples of "Atlantic Walls" are at Castlemartin in Wales, and Sheriffmuir in Perthshire.
The latter is about 5 miles from me, and consists of a wall about 100 yards long simulating a sea wall, trenches, replica German bunkers, one with Tobruk Watches, a "shoreline" and "beach". On the hill behind, there are also a couple of earthwork Bombing Target Indicators.
This complex was grafted onto a ww1 training complex by 8th DLI in 1943, but as yet it's real-life equivalent in Normandy hasn't been identified. There was also a wood and canvas version of another D-Day target built at Muthil in Perthshire.
These are on the Defence of Britain website

Regards,

Gordon

Martin Bull · #3 (**permalink**) April 26th, 2004, 09:10 AM

Thanks, Gordon !

That's something I'd like to visit one day - I'll have to check if I can get a Visa....

The_Historian · #4 (**permalink**) April 26th, 2004, 09:30 AM

I'll have a word with the security services for you......

Regards,

Gordon

**sapper** · #5 (**permalink**) April 27th, 2004, 08:59 PM

If it is of any interest to anyone? I was at "Hillman" And later using it as base from which to sally forth into action, came back from action at night later, dropped down exhausted on top of Hillman and fell asleep, when I awoke I was surrounded by dead Germans buried so shallow that ther boots stuck out of the ground.

Lt Heal who won the Croix de Geurre at Hillman by opening up a path through the minefield under heavy enemy fire was from my company, spoke to him on the phone last year. I have his citation here, and a note he wrote that I could use as a foreword to a book I wrote for my family.

Anyone wants to now about "Hillman" I can tell them everything first hand.

Cannot get a better offer than that. Morris by the way surrenderd at once as did the men at the port where our men had gone to capture the lock gates intact at Ouistreham. Spelling?
Sapper. anyone want more info? get in touch.

The_Historian · #6 (**permalink**) April 27th, 2004, 09:17 PM

Brian,
Thanks for that. I'd be interested to find out more, but until uni finishes in a couple of months I'm too tied up.
Do you have any info on the life-size replicas of Hillman and Morris near Moffat? Got an acquaintance in Portsmouth who is the secretary of the UK Fortifications Club, and he regularly gets me stuff from Kew. Think I got the war diaries of the RE coy who built them, but there was no mention of them that I can remember.

Regards,

Gordon

**sapper** · #7 (**permalink**) May 7th, 2004, 12:54 PM

SUre do I will have to get my old stuff out and print some of it out
Sapper

The_Historian · #8 (**permalink**) May 7th, 2004, 01:51 PM

Brian,
You have no idea how much it would be appreciated if you could find something "concrete", as it were!
If I can get a fix on these sites, I have friends who can survey them and get them added to both the Defence of Britain database, and the National Monuments Record for Scotland. Either way, your work would get preserved for the nation.
Thanks in anticipation.

Regards,
Gordon