Military Archaeology - Page 7

The_Historian · #**151** (**permalink**) August 6th, 2005, 09:23 AM

Phillistines, obviously....

[img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

[ 07. August 2005, 01:17 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

The_Historian · #**152** (**permalink**) August 7th, 2005, 06:07 PM

Today I decided to go snap the old airfield at Findo Gask in Perthshire. A grass field opened as 25 Satellite Landing Ground for 44 Maintenance Unit at Edzell in Tayside in June 1941, it remained such until abandoned in favour of Tealing airfield in September 1944.
No. 309 Squadron flew from here until July 1943, when the airfield was taken over by Flying Training Command as a satellite for no. 9(Pilot)Advanced Flying Unit at Errol, also in Tayside, until 12/9/44. The site was then used by 260 MU until 1948.
Because the runways consisted of Sommerfield tracking, the airfield always suffered flooding problems, which is why it was abandoned.
On my last visit in 1993, the technical site boasted a well-preserved T2 hangar, a Station HQ with original wartime wall art on one of the office walls, a control tower, battle HQ, parachute store and various other identifiable structures. I got there today, and discovered a construction site full of half-finished luxury villas....I could have wept. All that was left were the battle HQ and the control tower.
This is the view towards the HQ's front emergency exit, and the command cupola. There are two small offices on the left here. At the end of the corridor, a left turn takes you upstairs to the command centre.

This is the view towards the rear emergency exit.

This is the main entrance.

This is the command cupola. The inside of some of these had a compass rose painted on them, but not this one.

This is a shot through the front emergency exit. The small doorway on the right leads into the cupola, the passageway back downstairs to the offices.

And this is the late-war three storey control tower, similar to the original at Heathrow.

The buildings were constructed of cellular concrete- a cheap and (very)nasty substitute for brick. It's nothing short of miraculous they lasted as long as they did.
Its not all doom and gloom though; I think I've still got the negatives of the original 1993 snaps, so I could always print off copies. Shouldn't need to, though. [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

[ 07. August 2005, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

Stevin · #**153** (**permalink**) August 8th, 2005, 12:00 PM

Thanks for showing this Gordon. In 10 years time it will all be gone. Probably a Sainsbury's will stand were the control tower now stands.

Glad you go out and preserve this. [img]graemlins/vc.gif[/img]

The_Historian · #**154** (**permalink**) August 8th, 2005, 01:00 PM

Cheers Stevin,
It just annoys me that my kids won't be able to show these things to their kids.
I really don't expect the battle HQ to be there much longer; once the villas are built, someone's bound to complain about it being dangerous for kids (all the steel hatches have already been removed btw) and it'll either be demolished or sealed. With that in mind, I'm going to try and get back up there during this week and try and produce detailed plans of it for future reference.
I fully expect the control tower to have every window and door either bricked up or concreted shut soon too, for the same 'safety' reasons.
Progress? Bah, HUMBUG!!

Martin Bull · #**155** (**permalink**) August 8th, 2005, 03:58 PM

Thanks yet again for the pics, Gordon - especially the Control Tower which is a rare and interesting type.

I know so well how you feel about such things vanishing under the developers' onslaught.....

pillboxesuk · #**156** (**permalink**) August 8th, 2005, 04:12 PM

Here's one that should resist the developers for a while...

Putney Bridge tube station in London.

Click here if the image doesn't appear.

The_Historian · #**157** (**permalink**) August 8th, 2005, 04:22 PM

Pillboxes-Cheers; lovely pictures!
Haven't seen a pillbox like that before!

Its hard to think how demolishing something in a position like that could be justified...

[ 08. August 2005, 11:46 AM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

Stevin · #**158** (**permalink**) August 9th, 2005, 07:59 AM

At least here they thought of a good use for them. Indeed, great pictures!

The_Historian · #**159** (**permalink**) August 15th, 2005, 03:55 PM

These are some pictures of Mugdock HAA site in Mugdock Country Park, Strathblane, just north of Glasgow. It was coded N9 in the Clyde Gun Defended Area, but was never actually used; no guns or radar were ever installed, and it was only manned on a Care & Maintenance basis. It wasn't finished until well into the war, because of material shortages and policy equivocation. The estate was taken over by local authorities in the late '70s and later became a park.

This is a general view of the site, looking south towards Glasgow. The path you can see in the foreground is the West Highland Way, a long-distance hikers' path from the northern outskirts of Glasgow to Inverness in the Highlands; 100+ miles.

And this is a typical gunpit. The Countryside Rangers in the park have not only fenced the gunsite off to prevent further vandalism, but have cleaned it up superbly!

These are the standard pattern holdfast bolts.

This is the standard shelter for maintenance on the gun which was provided internally on each pit at this stage of the war...

And this is the crew shelter, on the opposite side of the pit. Compare both these photos to the shelters at Myre End gunsite on page 5 of the thread, which were added as afterthoughts.

[ 15. August 2005, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

The_Historian · #**160** (**permalink**) August 15th, 2005, 04:09 PM

This is the Command post; again, compare it with Myre End. According to standard plans I've seen, the Predictor & Height-finder positions seem to have been reversed here.

This is the Predictor position

And this is the window behind the position

And this is the Height-finder position & entrance to the centre.

The next three are general shots of the interior.

The_Historian · #**161** (**permalink**) August 15th, 2005, 04:17 PM

More interior shots-this is the Plotting Room.

This is the small room at the far end of the previous picture.

The emergency exit.

This curved access path connects the emergency exit with the front of the building.

All thats left of the accommodation part of this site is this strange building. Anyone know what it was used for?

And this 'water tank' at the north end of the site is where I took the overview from.

[ 18. August 2005, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

The_Historian · #**162** (**permalink**) August 16th, 2005, 01:12 PM

This looks good.
Merlin engine goes on display

The_Historian · #**163** (**permalink**) August 20th, 2005, 12:38 AM

Just heard an interesting bit of news from some friends in Surrey.
They're interested in researching Tweedsmuir Camp, near Hankley Common 'Atlantic Wall', and it turns out there are rumours of a Sherman tank being disposed of in a bog on Thursley Common (now a nature reserve, I believe). There was also some other surplus equipment buried there when the camp was abandoned, but I'd better not reveal too much!

Anyone who knows the area able to give me some more info?

The_Historian · #**164** (**permalink**) August 20th, 2005, 06:12 PM

An all too familiar story, unfortunately.
Bid to stop divers on Orkney wrecks.

pillboxesuk · #**165** (**permalink**) August 22nd, 2005, 11:55 AM

One for Gordon!

Lossiemouth Defences

The_Historian · #**166** (**permalink**) August 22nd, 2005, 01:42 PM

Thanks Ian-what a guy!

[img]graemlins/salute.gif[/img]
A very nice set of pictures. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I'd like to get up there for a look, and also to get over to the Tentsmuir Nature Reserve near St. Andrews. Apparently, the Polish troops stationed in Fife took their anti-invasion plans very seriously, and as a result Tentsmuir is supposedly thick with fortifications.
One day............

bigiceman · #**167** (**permalink**) August 22nd, 2005, 02:28 PM

Another great military website to look at. No wonder I have so many books that I haven't read yet. Great website PillboxesUK.

The_Historian · #**168** (**permalink**) August 24th, 2005, 01:24 PM

I like this guy's style.......a lot!
Gimme Shelter Plea

bigiceman · #**169** (**permalink**) August 24th, 2005, 04:23 PM

Took some time to find out what the Anderson Shelter was, but it was very interesting. This collection must not be as big as I thought though. The shelters were not that big.

I wonder how many of them may still be in existence in back yards?