Pillbox, Greatham, Hartlepool Oct 09

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

I dont know anything about Pillboxes, although i know a lot of you do. Does anyone know what that large concrete table like thing is? For a Pillbox it seems quite big. I think Greatham Airfield used to be next door so it may have had someting to do with that.

Jack

cptpies · Oct 28, 2009

Great find Jack.

I've never seen a gun table that large before. The size of the embrasures would suggest this a Vickers Machinegun post so maybe the table was built this big to allow it to be tripod mounted rather than bipod or turnbull mounted. These are a variant unique to this airfield .

Cheers

Steve

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

There was another room about the same size but i couldnt go wide enough to get a good shot.

cptpies · Oct 28, 2009

Yes, looking at the external shots the embrasures are much smaller so my guess is it was an infantry room, for rifles or Brens only. Theses are a bit like Type 28A AT pillboxes but with a Vickers instead of a 2pdr. It's a really good find, there are 5 of these extant around Greatham and maybe more hidden in the undergrowth.

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

cptpies said:
Yes, looking at the external shots the embrasures are much smaller so my guess is it was an infantry room, for rifles or Brens only. Theses are a bit like Type 28A AT pillboxes but with a Vickers instead of a 2pdr. It's a really good find, there are 5 of these extant around Greatham and maybe more hidden in the undergrowth.

I did see another one wich was in the middle of a farmers field but really couldnt be bothered after all the cycling and walking i had done. I might go on friday to find the rest of them.

cptpies · Oct 28, 2009

Krypton said:
I did see another one wich was in the middle of a farmers field but really couldnt be bothered after all the cycling and walking i had done. I might go on friday to find the rest of them.

They are all marked up on my GE Overlay. If you could check out the ones that are not visible in GE and let me know if they exist I'd much appreciate it.

cptpies · Oct 28, 2009

BTW if you really want to see something special check out the section posts around the bridge on the A178 South East of Greatham these are extremely rare and I'd love some piccies of them. There are a couple just to the South of the bridge, three to the West and four to the East.

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

Could you send me some flash earth links please? Your Google Earth Dooda just crashes my computer so i cant use it

jonney · Oct 28, 2009

Cheers Cptpies for giving the game away. Me and Daddybear have been trying to get here for some months now. I was just telling Nightcrawler about them. I new someone would get here first. Krypton there are 3 of these pill boxes left around Greatham its self along with some tank blocks. The section posts are along the A178 Tees road mate near the creek. there is also a decoy site just next to the road down there

Black Shuck · Oct 28, 2009

jonney said:
Cheers Cptpies for giving the game away. Me and Daddybear have been trying to get here for some months now. I was just telling Nightcrawler about them. I new someone would get here first. Krypton there are 3 of these pill boxes left around Greatham its self along with some tank blocks. The section posts are along the A178 Tees road mate near the creek. there is also a decoy site just next to the road down there

There was one very much like thie at an Ex American Airfield in Suffolk.

jonney · Oct 28, 2009

Section posts:

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.617654&lon=-1.213066&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.620409&lon=-1.217142&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl

have a look about down here there is alsorts littered about mate but flash earth is pretty poor. Try google maps

Cheers Jon

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

Ah. Tees Rd may be a bit far to cycle - but i might give it a go Friday. I have passed the tank blocks without a camera. They are on the north bound slip rd down the greatham back rd. There is a pillbox right in the middle of a farmers field - i think that is another one like this.

jonney · Oct 28, 2009

Krypton said:
Ah. Tees Rd may be a bit far to cycle - but i might give it a go Friday. I have passed the tank blocks without a camera. They are on the north bound slip rd down the greatham back rd. There is a pillbox right in the middle of a farmers field - i think that is another one like this.

The three of them are the same type mate. The main airfield is under corus steel works and these are all thats left of that part. The rest of the good stuff is down greatham creek mate on seaton carew road

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

jonney said:
The three of them are the same type mate. The main airfield is under corus steel works and these are all thats left of that part. The rest of the good stuff is down greatham creek mate on seaton carew road

Il have to have a look at my OS, but i think if you head down the public footpath ajacent to cerebos past the big tanks you might get to the creek.

jonney · Oct 28, 2009

Krypton said:
Il have to have a look at my OS, but i think if you head down the public footpath ajacent to cerebos past the big tanks you might get to the creek.

Thats the place mate. Me and DB just don't seem to get the time to get out and about these days. We have been planning to do this place for about 4 months now. There are also some barrage balloon tethers down there

Krypton · Oct 28, 2009

jonney said:
Thats the place mate. Me and DB just don't seem to get the time to get out and about these days. We have been planning to do this place for about 4 months now. There are also some barrage balloon tethers down there

We seen it just by chance actually. It would have been a shame to just leave it!

jonney · Oct 28, 2009

It's one place I've just got to do. I've seen photo's of the section posts (google them and they will appear) but need to get inside them and take my own pics. Have a look at the website www.hidden-teeside.co.uk

cptpies · Oct 29, 2009

jonney said:
Cheers Cptpies for giving the game away. Me and Daddybear have been trying to get here for some months now. I was just telling Nightcrawler about them. I new someone would get here first. Krypton there are 3 of these pill boxes left around Greatham its self along with some tank blocks. The section posts are along the A178 Tees road mate near the creek. there is also a decoy site just next to the road down there

Sorry Jonney. I was so glad to find someone near them with a camera I ubknowingly jumped the gun. Thanks for the link. I'd love some internal shots of these babys.

The other four posts are here.

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.621306&lon=-1.208257&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.620497&lon=-1.201433&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.618884&lon=-1.201879&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.616313&lon=-1.202707&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl

jonney · Oct 29, 2009

cptpies said:
Sorry Jonney. I was so glad to find someone near them with a camera I ubknowingly jumped the gun. Thanks for the link. I'd love some internal shots of these babys.

The other four posts are here.

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.621306&lon=-1.208257&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.620497&lon=-1.201433&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.618884&lon=-1.201879&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.616313&lon=-1.202707&z=18.7&r=0&src=msl

Cheers mate and I forgive you lol...

Some internal shots are on flickr

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...s&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_en-GBGB274GB276&sa=N&um=1

Sorry had to post the address as I'm on the works computer and it won't let me post photo's. Over the other side of the estury in Redcar there are some nice finds as well (on your DOB overlay) seen some pics of them but never got down there as yet

pollen101 · Nov 1, 2009

check out the ones down at the South gare too,as well as the 1 at cemetery corner nr Guis

Pillbox, Greatham, Hartlepool Oct 09

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