A gentle introduction to pillboxes
12:04
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@swell_tuna
@swell_tuna 7 күн бұрын
Used to play armies up there as a kid.
@5134SW
@5134SW 16 күн бұрын
I was station at Saxa 97/98 as a stacker, worked at Middle and Top Site. Best Tour I ever had. I remember putting in the SSSB cabins under slug on Chinook. So many days drunk in the Pengie
@adamjmacrae2715
@adamjmacrae2715 16 күн бұрын
Good video, couple of corrections - 1 There was mess accommodation for non married personal at the lower site 2- The site you were filming at was the mid site and not the lower site as you kept quoting it as
@madbrowndog4887
@madbrowndog4887 18 күн бұрын
I can't help thinking about the Roman Empire.
@stevealker7316
@stevealker7316 18 күн бұрын
I was there 87 to 88
@TurtleKing-lol
@TurtleKing-lol 18 күн бұрын
Great video and it took me right back to when I served there as a “scopie” (Trade Grp 12) between 1992 - 1993. I remember that daily walk down that long corridor (38:50s) to the Ops Room (40:20s) to begin my stint. I think in the first room as you enter was secure comms but the Ops Room itself was up the small staircase (40:45s). That room had about 4 radar consoles in. There was hatch in the light-coloured part of the floor, on the RHS immediately in front of you when you walked in. Underneath the floor was kept an old sponge mattress - this could be folded away quickly, if you get my drift! 🤣 Very fond memories of my time there and the guys I worked with! Your video showed me areas I wasn’t aware of. Btw - the room with the door with the hatch was the ComCen - a highly restricted area. Signals were passed through the hatch. Only ComCen staff were allowed in there. Thank you 😉👍🏻
@DaveFaraday-b7s
@DaveFaraday-b7s Ай бұрын
Hi I was there in 1958 with the opening of base camp ,cook in Sgt mess & officers mess sac Joe Friday.Happy Memories
@pmcg97
@pmcg97 Ай бұрын
Worked there during construction
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Thanks, I visited here when on holiday in Gib'.
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Thanks. I thought we had visited the tunnels when we were on holiday in Gibraltar but it seems we 'only' visited the Great Siege Tunnels and World War 2 tunnels.
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Thanks + the other 100 ton (not tonne) Armstrong gun, that is in Malta, also has a museum with historical rifles and very knowledgeable guides, at the same location.
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Thanks. If you haven't visited the Needles battery (old battery?) on the Isle of Wight, it is worse a visit.
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Many thanks. I saw all of these guns in late 1985 and I think the guns from HMS Hood could be traversed at that time. HMS Hood was sunk by the Bismark but these were Hood's previous guns, not the ones she was sunk with, having been 'up-gunned'.
@Daniel-S1
@Daniel-S1 2 ай бұрын
Thanks + The Fort name from Cockburn to Thornton was named after Admirals of the same name. Cockburn actually took Napoleon to St Helena.
@Kevin-mx1vi
@Kevin-mx1vi 2 ай бұрын
When I was at school in the 1960's, we had a maths teacher (a horrible sadistic bully who wouldn't get into education today) who had spent the war as a naval signaller at Scapa Flow. I would assume that he worked in this building.
@gregdavis48
@gregdavis48 2 ай бұрын
Very interesting I learned a wee bit more about the defences. There are some closer to my home at Tentsmuir forest in Fife I often go and look at 🙂
@1960totnes
@1960totnes 2 ай бұрын
Thank you for posting this excellent little video. I'm not usually a fan of art installations, but in this case, I love the period photos of the people who worked here.
@1960totnes
@1960totnes 2 ай бұрын
I had a look about this place about thirty years or more ago. Unfortunately, with no torch or lights of any kind, so I nearly shat myself when a pigeon launched itself into the air in one of the darkened rooms, nearly giving me a bloody heart attack! It's an amazing spot. Back then I noticed, among stuff lying on the floor, one or two 1940s era women's shoes.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
The pigeons are a feature now! On my first visit a few years ago they could be heard scuttling in the vents above my head. Combined with the creaks and groans of the building it was definitely an eerie atmosphere!
@CanleyClassics-n3o
@CanleyClassics-n3o 2 ай бұрын
That's survived quite well considering the passage of time.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
I think the remoteness has helped reduce vandalism over the years, and it’s such a solid structure even despite the inclement conditions there aren’t many routes for wind and rain to get in. Hopefully some work can be done to restore or at least stabilise the building before it deteriorates beyond repair.
@stevecook1190
@stevecook1190 2 ай бұрын
I grew up just down the road - we used to goto into the tunnels and explore - there's was full military base further back linked to the fort - most has been reclaimed by the sea.
@nathantorresstanevil6958
@nathantorresstanevil6958 2 ай бұрын
Was the guide Peter Jackson?
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
Not on this occasion, we had a military guide.
@nathantorresstanevil6958
@nathantorresstanevil6958 2 ай бұрын
Tf? Is this Gibraltar?
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
Northern Scotland outside Inverness at a place called Inchindown.
@jeffreycarson3183
@jeffreycarson3183 2 ай бұрын
These loopholes are of better design than those used in the pillboxes.
@TheVigilant109
@TheVigilant109 2 ай бұрын
Very interesting. Thank you
@TheVigilant109
@TheVigilant109 2 ай бұрын
Very interesting. I flew out of Lossiemouth and Kinloss many times and never noticed these.
@CanleyClassics-n3o
@CanleyClassics-n3o 2 ай бұрын
Really enjoyed thar. Bring on the next one.
@jeffreycarson3183
@jeffreycarson3183 3 ай бұрын
I presume the loops on top of the blocks were for steel rope or barbed wire connecting all the blocks. With such open embrasures maybe they originally had armoured plates on them and maybe the witness marks on the outside are signs of the plates?
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
So that's an interesting observation. Some of the cubes on the beach had remnants of barbed wire, even a wire tensioner still attached to the loops. The loops themselves are almost superficial, not being connected to the internal steel frame of the obstacle. They certainly wouldn't have been capable of lifting the completed cubes! I have looked in a few contemporary engineer pamphlets and there is no mention of wire obstacles being fixed to the cubes. Many obstacles elsewhere don't even have the loops. If you look on the Imperial War Museum collections section www.iwm.org.uk/collections and search for " H 11554" you can see the closest I think these defences would have looked like.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
As for steel plates over the loopholes, I don't think they were a feature of these defences. It's possible they were constructed sufficiently early in the conflict so as not to have had them fitted in the design, and as the defensive plan changed throughout the early years of the war, it's possible that this line was practically abandoned and resources focussed elsewhere. If shutters were fitted, given the demand for steel, I think they would have been as small as possible. The loopholes are very large compared to later designs, and the wall thickness suitably thin to only make them reisstant to bullets and shrapnel. The defences exposed on the beach would not have lasted very long at all in my opinion.
@thisisus1307
@thisisus1307 3 ай бұрын
My home turf 😊
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 2 ай бұрын
A stunning part of the country with such a rich and varied history!
@stuartgorman8150
@stuartgorman8150 3 ай бұрын
Google , Cromarty firth coastal battery , you will find it every bit as interesting if not more so , it is more intact than this one ,
@stuartgorman8150
@stuartgorman8150 3 ай бұрын
The chicken wire is of WW2 vintage as were the large gun emplacements who were also covered with it with the accompanied running trenches , when I first started paying a visited to them in the mid 1950s everything was pretty intact as they had been when given up by the MOD .
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Incredible! That’s great to know, thank you. It’s sometimes hard to believe seeing positions so intact, it’s a really special site.
@stuartgorman8150
@stuartgorman8150 3 ай бұрын
@@frontlineulster There are also the remains of a small arms and a grenade range up there , I have a small plan of the site , unsure how to send a copy to you .
@johnreilly4533
@johnreilly4533 3 ай бұрын
Another great video mate 👍🏻 looking forward to the next
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Awesome, thanks John! Next week you have a tour of the coastal battery along this line!
@lizlawrence4553
@lizlawrence4553 3 ай бұрын
You're videos are always well researched, very well presented.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Thank you ☺️ I try to keep them varied and it’s an excuse to travel to some interesting parts of the country!
@colintinker7778
@colintinker7778 3 ай бұрын
I've learnt a lot about these types of forts since watching your videos. It all makes sense now, the little alcoves for the lamps and the narrow passage ways to access them being separate from the room being lit. I had previously been puzzled when seeing these features at forts on the Isle of Sheppey and Minorca. Your explanations have solved the mystery. There's Fort Manoel in Malta. I used to explore this as a kid. It's riddled with tunnels underneath. Some of it from WW2 with huge oil storage tanks. I went back to Malta about 5 years ago and wasn't allowed onto the fort. It was sealed off... I think for restoration. Would be a great explore if accessible! I enjoy all your videos. Excellent!
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Thank you! I’m learning and sharing as I go, and the more sites I visit the more details I learn about. I’ll try to keep it up!
@colintinker7778
@colintinker7778 3 ай бұрын
@@frontlineulster Much appreciated. Thank you.
@TheVigilant109
@TheVigilant109 3 ай бұрын
Very interesting series. Many thanks
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Glad you like them! Thank you.
@rogerarnold7262
@rogerarnold7262 3 ай бұрын
Didn’t even know there was guns on ascension, thanks for another great video.
@dogzero1
@dogzero1 3 ай бұрын
I was stationed there in the 80's.
@andrewcodes
@andrewcodes 3 ай бұрын
Hello, local here - I’m fascinated with the history in these tunnels although I have found most to have been sealed off. From the location that you exit this tunnel it has now been completely sealed, do you happen to know if there are other entrances to this tunnel and or better tunnels? Such a shame that they have sealed them instead of clearing them and being able to do controlled paid tours.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Thanks for your message, but unfortunately my visit was in 2023 and we only spent a short period of time on the Rock. I am sure much has changed in that time. Perhaps in time the tunnels will be cleaned up and open for tours or put to another use.
@tonycardall7334
@tonycardall7334 4 ай бұрын
I went there over the weekend,I walked a total of 11 miles and climbed 220 steps .
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
It’s certainly not an easy walk to get out to the fort! But apparently exercise is good for us 😍
@MOUDY73
@MOUDY73 4 ай бұрын
looks like their building a new one closer to the launch pad
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 3 ай бұрын
Not a new radar station, that’s still on top of the hill. I wonder what new buildings and communication structures will appear to support the launch site, I imagine they’ll have their own radar to track the objects.
@MOUDY73
@MOUDY73 3 ай бұрын
@@frontlineulster i didn`t mean a new radar station i meant a new bunker
@paulwalker4763
@paulwalker4763 4 ай бұрын
I was stationed there in the early to mid 80s. Fab place.
@peteryates1208
@peteryates1208 4 ай бұрын
For those Alumni not aware of it I reccomend a visit to: ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2012/03/contents-list.html It was all a Cold War front to hide the existance of Shetrad!!!!!!!!!!!!
@fraggit
@fraggit 5 ай бұрын
The biggest clue to what that area may have been used for, are the large circular clearings around it on Google Earth. They look like a defunct Circularly disposed antenna array site, nicknamed "elephant cages", look up "AN/FLR-9". The only problem is that the only one documented in the UK was at RAF Chicksands. What you were looking at looks like a VHF antenna array, pointing North, where coincidentally there was another "Elephants cage" in Alaska. Just speculation, so no taking the mickey if I'm way off, lol..
@stevecowham1017
@stevecowham1017 5 ай бұрын
My father was stationed at Bawdsey. We lived in Alderton, where I was born. His name is Alan Cowham, a Flight Lieutenant, fighter controller. I think he was stationed there in the early 60's and early 70's.
@Gazzab6
@Gazzab6 5 ай бұрын
I really enjoyed watching the video. I was a radar operator at RAF Buchan 1979 - 1984 in Aberdeenshire North East Scotland. Many of my friends were stationed at Saxa so thank you for posting - very informative.
@TheVigilant109
@TheVigilant109 5 ай бұрын
Fascinating. Never knew that pill box was there. Thank you
@buzzabuzza3494
@buzzabuzza3494 5 ай бұрын
Many thanks for sharing a interesting video, and it’s great to see there’s no vandalism 👏👏
@jeffreycarson3183
@jeffreycarson3183 5 ай бұрын
Rails notsleepers
@timothyfricker7413
@timothyfricker7413 5 ай бұрын
A colleague at work was married to the bloke in charge Of the tunnels I've been told. That that there are tunnels that no one is allowed into.
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 5 ай бұрын
Oh nice! Yeh there are lots of tunnels either still owned by the MOD, or in private hands and in use as wine cellars, data storage facilities or just owned and not in use. Probably a lifetime’s work to see them all!
@stevegeorge6479
@stevegeorge6479 5 ай бұрын
OMG it's so big , you could get lost there 👏👏👏guys 👍
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 5 ай бұрын
Thankfully the layout is very straightforward, but without a torch and backup torch, you’d be scrabbling about for hours to get out 🤣
@colintinker7778
@colintinker7778 6 ай бұрын
An interesting and educational explore. Shame about the weather!
@frontlineulster
@frontlineulster 5 ай бұрын
Thank you. I appreciate it’s north-Wales and it’s not always sunny but we did get an unfortunate mid-May week to visit! The rain did help with the atmosphere at least.