Favourite Fortifications

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Add your pics of places you've been to which caught your mind for one reason or another. I'll start the ball rolling with a few.

 

Tynemouth Battery. (Also got a castle and priory - these lads dont do things by halves !)

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Fort George. The best preserved artillery fort in Europe. Nearly caused a divorce when I got in here (on my honeymoon).Pic courtesy of Google Earth. I'll put some of my own up if I get them scanned.

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The Gloucester AAA battery at Blyth. Fantastically well preserved with most of the support structure still surviving. I'd really like one in my back garden.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

I have been thinking of starting a thread on this as i have been in,out ,sailed around.flew over most of the Solent areas defences,some you can get in a lot you cant:whistle:theres a couple of forts on the engine rebuild video.When i finish the Africa trip(soon)I will join in.Have collected a lot of stuff allready.Cheers CW.:-D

[Snapper]

Great idea. Brilliant snaps. Especially like the grave of Corporal Rollo. I've been to Fort George as well. The old Cameron Highlanders were in situ, since amalgamed away into the Highlanders and then the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Grimmer John and I risked life and limb visiting a heavy AA site in Essex recently. It was like an episode of Last of the Summer Wine, but the differences were a) we are funnier; b) there was no bath or sofa going down a hill and c) no ghost of Thora Hird. Just the thought of it makes me reach for my stairlift instruction manual. We'll post up our adventures shortly once Jack is back from making whoopee or whatever in an un-named location with un-named others.

 

Keep going lads. And Catweazle, look out for those militants from Bryant and May.:captain:

[Tony B]

Got to be my favorite, even if a lot is underground. Batterie Lothrign.

[Mark]

Where is Fort George ?

[Joris]

Near Inverness, Scotland. The wife and me visited it 2 years ago, amongst loads of distilleries and breweries

[Tony B]

Didn't work then! The original idea was to keep forigner's out, and the Scots in! :-D

[ford 369]

Got to be my favorite, even if a lot is underground. Batterie Lothrign.

 

Battery lothringen is a great place but for quality restoration in the area you really need to see Corbiere m19 mortar bunker ,I am sure Tony would agree the resto there is fantastic ,particularly as it is all voluntary

Nigel

[Lauren Child]

Eastbourne Redoubt always has a soft spot for me. We had several family days out there, but the one that sticks in my mind was a wargaming event. I was amazed at a battle of britain game that filled one of the casemates with little aircraft on bamboo canes.

 

Then to top the day we had a living history group do a german drill, and then one of the cannons was fired for the first time in donkeys years. Everyone was warned that it was going to be very loud, and my brother and I sat cowering with hands over our ears, as did half of the audience. Those of an elderley or nervous disposition were moved back. The parade ground fell silent in anticipation, and then..... my dad clapped his hands. People all the way around raised there heads, uncovered their ears, in shock. "Was that it?" one said, murmuring went all around the arena and My mother turned a shocking shade of red while pretending not to be with us. A very annoyed gentleman who didn't see the funny side announced "That was NOT the gun gun going off", and the process started again.

 

It is a great place to visit though, and really captured my imagination, as you can probably tell by my still being interested in military history today.

 

Alas I can't find my pics at the moment, but there are some at http://www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk/index.htm and http://www.martello-towers.co.uk/bicentenary/redoubt.htm

Edited March 2, 2009 by Lauren Child