2014
SU1578 : Pillbox (1) Beranburh field, Wroughton, Swindon
taken 12 years ago, near to Overtown, Swindon, England
Pillbox (1) Beranburh field, Wroughton, Swindon
This Type FW3/22 pillbox is one of several dotted around the former RAF Wroughton WWII airfield as part of the ground defences of the facility. From the Archaeology Data Services website:
"Hexagon pillbox with 6 embrasures. It is well constructed of concrete with brick shuttering and external cement cladding (now partially eroded). All the embrasures and the door have been fully blocked up. The ground is level with the bottom of the embrasures, and the roof has a lip around it with drainage holes. In the centre of the roof is a 2.5ft deep square hole [possibly an anti-aircraft or antenna mount?]. Access is by an offset half doorway protected by semi-sunken exterior blast walls. The main arc of the pillbox is N to NW."
"Hexagon pillbox with 6 embrasures. It is well constructed of concrete with brick shuttering and external cement cladding (now partially eroded). All the embrasures and the door have been fully blocked up. The ground is level with the bottom of the embrasures, and the roof has a lip around it with drainage holes. In the centre of the roof is a 2.5ft deep square hole [possibly an anti-aircraft or antenna mount?]. Access is by an offset half doorway protected by semi-sunken exterior blast walls. The main arc of the pillbox is N to NW."
Pillboxes around RAF Stations
Compiled by Brian Robert Marshall
Numerous pillboxes were installed in Britain during the Second World War, mainly to help defend the country in the event of invasion by Axis forces. These were placed alongside or in the vicinity of lines of communication such as railways, canals and rivers. Others, like those at Wroughton and Yatesbury, had a different although related purpose - to protect the airfields against enemy forces. Thankfully, the German high command decided against invading England in 1940 so these defences were never tested in battle. They remain as mute witnesses to the state of the nation's mind at the time they were constructed.
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TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
- Grid Square
- SU1578, 14 images (more nearby 🔍)
- Photographer
- Brian Robert Marshall (more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Tuesday, 29 July, 2014 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Wednesday, 30 July, 2014
- Subject Location
-
OSGB36:
SU 156 789 [100m precision]
WGS84: 51:30.5451N 1:46.5448W - Camera Location
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OSGB36: SU 156 789
- View Direction
- Northwest (about 315 degrees)
