[Defence of the Realm]

Happy New Year to you all,
Visited a few sites in Notts a few days ago and thought I might share them with you piecemeal. The first is a DFW 3/22 located at Morley's Barn Farm near Gotham (sadly didn't see the caped crusader). It is a fairly common six sided pillbox shuttered in brick with a concrete core reinforced with steel rod and as you can see in the picture, other bits of scrap metal. This variant has a square brick built pillar in the centre whereas more usually there would have been a 'Y' shaped anti-ricochet wall of brick or concrete.



Note damage to roof slab and projecting scrap iron



Better view of the materiel used in reinforcing the concrete core and slab roof



Internal view - note brick pillar on left, half height entrance with flanking pistol loops; and one of the embrasures (on right) with concrete shelf.

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Firbeck, I originally hail from Peterborough but have been a bit of a nomad during my 26 years in the army. I have however returned and have been settled here for the past 20 years. As you can see I am no spring chicken. My interest in home defences brought me to this site because of your post on the Allan Williams Turret and my wish to make contact with you. Thanks for confirming that the AWT at Finchingfield is still about - can you steer me as to where precisely in the village I could find this chap/custodian. The AWT has become my passion (project) and I am trying to track down as many as possible purely for my own interest and would appreciate your help.

I have been to Sywell and have seen the AWT on display there; and gather they had two originally but sadly sold one off to the Wheatcroft Collection which means there is no chance we'll ever see that one again.

Regards

Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi TBI, Thanks for the 'heads up' about the brick structure at Stoke Bardolph locks - I explored a few areas around Nottingham today and checked out the lock as well. There is a brick built structure there in the trees but I think that judging by shape and dimensions it resembles a home guard store, sadly not a pillbox. Still the walk was pleasant.

Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Rog, great pics.

As for hijacking - no problem I won't make you walk the plank! I am most happy that my initial post to 'Firbeck' (incidentally great to hear that you are still around - perhaps we can talk re the Allan Williams Turret at Finchingfield in due course) has created such a response. I confess to not knowing anything about Notts apart from Robin Hood and Ikea and only joined the forum because of Firbeck's post on the AWT in 2009 but am picking up lots of info on other pillboxes and defence structures from all you Nottstalgians which I hope to follow up starting tomorrow - thank you and keep posting.

Hope you all had a great Christmas.

Cheers Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Rog,

Great pictures - it looks like one of the earlier ones as I can't see a compressed air cylinder which was fitted later to aid raising the inner core. Incidentally, they were designed to sit on runways and allow aircraft to taxi or run over them, only being raised to defend the airfield from imminent ground attack.

Do you have an accurate grid reference of whence it came from?

When I visited it at Thorpe Camp it was as you observed above - flooded. A common fault for which a bilge pump was provided and mounted on the inside wall of the inner core.

Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Mick2me,
Yes its still there if you mean the one at the Cliff End Battery. I was there a couple of years back, it is a type DFW3/22 variant in that it is a 3 storey structure. The fighting compartment is in the middle and has loopholes in all six sides, there is a large hole in the floor leading down to the lower chamber which I can only assume was to house the garrison and to give the pillbox extra height, and there is a hole in the roof leading up to a walled 'terrace' which could have been as a lookout position or anti-aircraft. Sadly had the missus in tow and she wouldn't let me climb and explore the interior so it will necessitate a second 'holiday'
Just a couple of pics below



Exterior view showing one of the loopholes mid way up the structure



Interior view from one of the loopholes showing the trapdoor in the floor and the hole in the roof to the 'terrace'

Hopefully I have got the sizing right this time. Enjoy

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Chulla, is the airfield you mention just south of Westville, if so I believe that there are 2 pillboxes fairly close together. If its being redeveloped might have to go up and check them out before they disappear.

Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi Rog, interesting about Thorpe Camp. I've been there and seen the Pickett Hamilton Fort, there is also an Allan Williams Turret close to the hut in the corner, apparently it came from Elstree airfield ( the AWT not the hut) in the 1990s. I was told that it had been restored to its original spec. It is the only one that I have ever come across with a hinged coffin lid.

[Defence of the Realm]

Sorry, didn't think that the pics would be so big. Will make sure they are smaller in my next post which will concern Notts

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi, carrying on the theme of desperate innovations in the defence of our island’s security and when you may have thought that nothing could be less inviting than resisting the enemy whilst being encased in an Allan Williams Turret then think again. Although there are no known examples of the AWT in Nottinghamshire and few others surviving nationwide, spare a thought for the poor soul who manned the Tett Turret, a far more diabolical invention comprising of a reinforced concrete turret, open at the top and mounted initially on a concrete sewer pipe. The brainchild of HL Tett and manufactured by Burbridge Builders of Surrey as a private venture Tetts were employed as part of airfield defences. Surviving examples are extremely rare with only eight evident nationwide. Six in various states of decay at RAF Hornchurch, Essex (now Hornchurch Country Park, turrets initially uncovered by Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver in the BBC series ‘Two Men in a Trench’) of which only four are still viewable the other two buried to protect and preserve them. Recently a further two were discovered at Docking in Norfolk, these are unusual as they are virtually intact, mounted on brick lined pits which are linked by a tunnel formed of concrete sewer pipes. These are the only known examples – unless someone knows different.

For your delectation the following images are from my own visits:


Tett Turret 1 at ex-RAF Hornchurch


Tett Turret 2 at ex-RAF Hornchurch


Tett Turret 3 at ex-RAF Hornchurch


Tett Turret 4 at ex-RAF Hornchurch


Tett Turret 1 at Docking


Tett Turret 2 at Docking


Tunnel linking turrets at Docking - note the spur tunnel half way down on the left side


Entrance to tunnel from inside fighting compartment of turret

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi all, many thanks for your responses to my debut on this forum - didn't expect to get a response so quick or by so many. The original question was to Firbeck as it was he who posted the info on the Allan Williams Turret in Finchingfield but am willing to talk with anyone who has any info on this one or any other. I must confess that I have only visited a slack handful of pillboxes in the Notts area as most of my 'hunting' grounds have been predominantly Cambs, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, though I have strayed further afield.

Cheers

Jan

[Defence of the Realm]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but have an avid interest in all Pillboxes but AWTs in particular. I am a member of the Pillbox Study Group (PSG) and would appreciate a little more info on this siting if you are willing. Have tried to contact you via PM but that failed. I appreciate that this is a an old post but would be grateful to establish contact with you either through this forum or the PM system.

Thanks in anticipation

Jan