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Friday 22 February 2013

Type 22's , Hollesley

I've posted photos of these two pillboxes in  the past but have never actually been able to get close up to them. On my recent visit to the restored 'Suffolk Square' I noticed the tide was exceptionally low and managed to jump a creek on to the island on which these two pillboxes are located on for the first time. Only just jumped back onto the mainland in time - another 30 mis and I may have been stranded for 12 hours!
They are both standard Type 22's.  Camouflage has been provided with turf on the roofs and a shingle rendered finish.
The embrasures have been blocked up, no doubt as a result from instructions by 15th Div in in 1941.
Good to have been able to visit them.





Above: First of the two pillboxes





Above: The second of the Type 22's

Monday 18 February 2013

Renovated Pillbox, Hollesley

Received news that the local Young Offender Instituion at Hollesley had renovated a second pillbox along the seawall from Shingle Street heading north towards Boyton (I posted awhile back about the Type 22 with the flying buttress that they had renovated).  So on a very foggy Sunday I went to have a look. This was another superb job done, the pillbox this time being a 'Suffolk Square'.  But if you want to see it as it is now, best to go sooner rather than later as it may be blocked up and converted for bats.




First three images show the pillbox when I visited last time, quite overgrown. It was possible to enter but you had to fight you way in through the brambles.

The following images show the pillbox as it is now. Note the remains of a Turnbull Mount for a light machine gun (almost certain this mount was for a Bren gun).










It turned out to be quite a productive afternoon as the tide was the lowest I had seen it in the area and I was able to jump a creek and get onto a small island with two Type 22's which I've never been able to get to in the past. Some photos of those on the next post.

Monday 11 February 2013

Grundisburgh Pillboxes

Thanks to information provided Paul Garwood I visited two pillboxes at Grundisburgh today, both as far as I am aware have not been officially recoreded on either the Defence of Britain data base or the Suffolk HER. I do get some very useful information provided by email through my main website, which is one of the reasons I enjoy mainainting it.
They are both Type 23's (i.e. with an infantry chamber and open LAA chamber) and I must admit at the moment I don't quite know their purpose! They are not on a Stopline. Grundisburgh was not a Nodal Point.  There was no Searchlight site in the area. Perhaps the answer is lurking on my hard drive somewhere, or if someone knows please leave a comment! Both pillboxes are in reasonable condition, with damage restricted to the embrasures in the open AA well. The walls are about 2 ft thick and have brick shuttering.



Above: Aerials showing location of pillboxes







First of the pillboxes. Bottom image shows the remains of the mount for a light machine gun for use in an AA role.




The second pillbox. The other pillbox is lurking in the hedge in the backgrounf of the bottom image.

Exercise Kruschen finally written up and now posted on website.