If anyone is actually following this blog, you will possibly be glad to know this is the last post on Bawdsey for the moment! Included in this post are some photos of the old infrastructure for the Bloodhound surface-air-missile site and also a concrete artillery observation post on Hill 50 which I believe has not been recorded before. At present I know of three other artillery concrete observation posts in Suffolk, one at Benacre and two at Walberswick. This one sort of resembles the Walberswick ones in the three narrow observation slits. Several more purpose-built concrete artillery observation posts were built according to war diaries than these remaining survivals - hopefully may come across more in the future? Of course most artillery observation posts utilised existing buildings (church towers, lighthouses, windmills, residential houses) as well as infantry pillboxes and earthworks. I have even come across some mentioned in a war diary as being in a haystacks and trees in 1941 (you would kind of expect this in the hurried improvised days of May - August 1940 but 1941?).
Off to The National Archives for 3 1/2 days next week, concentrating on war diaries for 1942/3 so hopefully expect a few updates to the website over the coming weeks. Also making good progress on 6th R Sussex Defence Scheme.
Photo 1: Sewage System, Bawdsey Bloodhound SAM sitePhoto 2 & 3: I think these are Type 87 radar plinths
Photo 4: Plan of artillery observation post, Hill 50
Photo 5-9: Artillery observation post
No comments:
Post a Comment