C O N T E X T 1 0 9 : M A Y 2 0 0 9 21 minefields.Where possible, much of the material used for these structures was carried on canal boats. During this period, the Kennet and Avon Canal (codenamed GHQ Line Blue) in southern England was used as a second line of defence against possible invasion. A series of pillboxes was strategically located along the whole length of the canal and concrete obstructions were placed across canal bridges. This was especially important as while the tanks in any German invasion force could move rapidly across country, their logistic support was in motor vehicles or even horse-drawn wagons, which needed good roads. Denial of such crossing points over the line would have forced the Germans to construct their own bridges, which would have significantly slowed their advance. Putting these defence plans into action was a massive task, not only for the military organisers but also for the hundreds of civilian building contractors who worked to complete the defensive network. The task began with the army commands sending out teams to survey the countryside and recommend suitable defence lines. The Royal Engineers were responsible for the construction and the distribution of engineering stores, including the miles of barbed wire. Authority to enter private land came from the 1939 Defence Regulation No 50. This also dealt with any compensation deemed necessary for the loss of agricultural value to fields that contained pillboxes and ancillary features. Orders issued to contractors typically started with the phrase ‘Provide forthwith the labour and materials required in the erection and completion of pillboxes according to drawings… amendment under the Anti-Tank Defence line RE Supervising Officers’. A footnote told contractors that they would be paid according to prices set down in ‘Form of Prime Cost Contract for Emergency Works’, which they were advised to read and which could be obtained for the cost of five pence post free. The cost of building each pillbox varied from location to location ranging from £48 to £114. A typical strongpoint or defended ‘island’ site is visible to this day at PewseyWharf inWiltshire, where a bridge takes the north-south main road (A345) over the Kennet and Avon Canal. Here in 1941 the landscape around the bridge on both sides of the canal was fortified with a continuous anti-tank ditch, essentially creating an anti-tank island. The ditch is likely to have been steep sided, about 14 ft wide and 6 ft deep, and would have been impassable to German tanks. The line of the ditch was selected to keep the enemy away from the bridge and to hold the high ground, particularly to the south, which was the most likely direction of attack. The four roads entering the defended ‘island’ were provided with road blocks which, in the event of an invasion, could be pulled across the carriageway to stop all traffic, including tanks. Four shell-proof infantry pillboxes of the type FW3/24 were constructed to enable defending troops to keep the anti-tank ditch and the road blocks under observation and fire from protected positions. Each of the Pewsey pillboxes probably contained a light machine gun and possibly a Boys antitank rifle. Infantrymen would have been dug-in in trenches around the pillboxes, the bridge and the road blocks. The pillboxes themselves were constructed of reinforced concrete, using shuttering to create the familiar polygonal shape with loopholes. Originally, timber shuttering was used but due to its increasing scarcity, cheap porous Phorpres bricks were used instead and were left in situ. That method saved time and added a further layer of protection. All the Pewsey Wharf pillboxes survive intact and most can be seen easily from the A345 and canal towpath. In some places it is possible to trace the route and direction of the ditches on the ground. Two of the roadblocks survive intact and can be viewed by the side of the road. It is evident from the position of these blocks how quickly and easily it would have been to place them in position. Most, if not all, of Britain’s wartime defence structures have been recorded by the Defence of Britain project, but the number of designated structures is still quite small. The Kennet and Avon Canal has a significant concentration of listed pillboxes, most of them owned by British Waterways and associated with other listed canal structures such as bridges and locks. Recent research by volunteers and British Waterways staff has led to interpretation of a number of these wartime structures, like those at Pewsey Wharf. Others are being safeguarded where possible. An example of this is the anti-tank pillbox at Tyle Mill, towards the western end of the Kennet and Avon Canal.This was refurbished in 2006 as part of a project to upgrade an adjoining boating service point. The work involved the removal of unsightly white paint and an infill that obscured the machine gun loop facing the canal. The Kennet and Avon defensive structures are for the most part visible (although a number stand on private land). Elsewhere, concrete pillboxes, tank traps and trenches lie hidden or obscured by dense vegetation in forgotten corners of the land. They represent a part of our history that is still remembered, and the landscape is given added meaning by their presence. Now that the 20th century’s wars and emergencies are long past, it is essential that the best of these minor, easily overlooked heritage assets are given due recognition and are conserved to allow future generations to appreciate their history and function. After 20 years experience of working for various public sector bodies, Simon Loaring is a freelance historic buildings consultant. David Hunt, a retired army officer, is a member of the Pillbox Study Group. Further reading Babtie Public Services Division, Bastions of Berkshire: pillboxes ofWorld War II, Royal County of Berkshire, Reading, 1993 Foot,W, Beaches, Fields, Streets and Hills: the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940, CBA, York, 2006 Hardie, ES, Building Pillboxes: a personal story, Loopholes No 8, online at http:// homepages.nildram. co.uk/~loebar/ buildingpillboxes.htm Lowry, B (ed), 20th Century Defences in Britain: an introductory guide, CBA,York, 1996 Sanders, I, Pillboxes UK, online at http:// S134542708. websitehome.co.uk/ pillboxes/html/ ellastone_1.html Saunders, A, Fortress Britain, Beaufort, Liphook, Hampshire, 1989 Schellenberg,W, Invasion 1940, St Ermin’s Press, London, 2000 Wills, H, Pillboxes: a study of UK Defences 1940, Leo Cooper, Trowbridge, 1985 Refurbished anti-tank pillbox, Tyle Mill, Kennet & Avon Canal (Photo: Simon Loaring)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=