History and info
Taunton Stopline
“A World War 2 anti-invasion stop line, facing west, built between July and November 1940. The stop line runs for approximately 50 miles from the mouth of River Brue to the mouth of the River Axe in Devon (with some infrastructure in Dorset). Some rear positions were prepared to the E of line. It connected to the ‘GHQ Line Green’ running East along River Brue.
The line followed the River Parrett to Bridgwater where it joined the Bridgwater to Taunton Canal. From Creech St Michael it followed the old Chard Canal until SW of Ilton where it joined the Great Western Railway. The line left the GWR to the north of Chard Junction from where it followed the Southern Railway and River Axe running south into Devon.
The planned infrastructure (most of which was built) included 233 pillboxes, 61 medium machine gun emplacements, 21 anti-tank gun emplacements, 83 road blocks, 22 railway blocks and 46 demolitions.
The anti-tank obstacle consisted of about 24 miles of waterways, 7 miles of improved water obstacles, 11 miles of anti-tank ditches and 8 miles of artificial obstacles (eg cubes).
From autumn 1940, twelve locations were prepared for all-round defence as ‘anti-tank islands’ of which 9 were in Somerset - Bridgwater, Durston, Creech St Michael, Wrantage and Crimson Hill, Ilton, Ilminster, Chard, Forton and Perry Street.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
My thanks and acknowledgment once again to Krela for providing the photos of the original construction plans and other 1940/1941 documentation included in this report.
The focus of this report is the western flank of the Anti tank island at Ilton in Somerset. The defences consisted of a mixture of both Stopline defences and later additions forming the ATI’s. All ATI serial numbers have a ‘T’ prefix, everything else was originally built for the Stopline and is prefixed ‘N’, ‘M’ or ‘S’ depending which sector they’re in.
The headings contain the original 1940 serial numbers for each installation along with its type and grid reference (for GPS). DOB numbers are also given for reference where available.
Defences as at 7th March 1941
GE map shots
GE map shots legend
Orange – AT ditches
Yellow – Scarping
White – AT posts
Blue – Barbed wire
Black – Railway
Light blue - Canal
T 46 – PB type 24 – S0006780 - 50°57'2.32"N, 2°56'16.50"W
T 45 – PB type 24 variant - 50°56'57.49"N, 2°56'9.26"W
Double decker Type 24 footprint. One on top of the other.
Anti tank Posts – S0026433 and Cubes – S0016432 running from just north of M RD 29a to T 45 and south to T RL B 9. The posts are mislabelled as Anti landing poles on the DOB overlay. Another one for the capn.
M 11 – PB type 24 modified – S0006786 - 50°56'55.68"N, 2°55'59.02"W
The porch was added later and the PB disguised as a bus stop shelter. The porch is coming away from the main construction.
T RL B 9 – Rail block, Salisbury type, S0016278 - 50°56'51.72"N, 2°56'3.34"W
I suspect this to be a ‘Salisbury’ type . There are AT cubes running up and over the trackbed and there are no signs of slotted blocks. Also, being a later ATI rail block and the presence of possible unearthed or unused socket castings suggest this is a hairpin/ vertical rail array rather than the earlier rail gates (HR type). It’s entirely possible that if I’m right and the array was actually built rather than just ‘proposed’, that excavation might yield previously undiscovered remains.
M 35 – PB type 24 – S0016292 - 50°56'41.02"N, 2°55'54.33"W
Concrete casting found nearby
M RL 13 – Rail block, HR type – S0016266 - 50°56'35.44"N, 2°55'51.71"W
AT cubes are present to either side of the block and both rail supports are extant
M 12 – PB type 24 – S0016391 - 50°56'24.17"N, 2°55'45.76"W
M RD 30 – Road block, HR type – S0016270 - 50°56'23.88"N, 2°55'46.38"W
Both sides are there but one is so covered I couldn’t photograph it.
Okay that's it for now, hope you enjoyed and my apologies to oldscrote for not getting this up in time for his Sunday fry-up.
Taunton Stopline
“A World War 2 anti-invasion stop line, facing west, built between July and November 1940. The stop line runs for approximately 50 miles from the mouth of River Brue to the mouth of the River Axe in Devon (with some infrastructure in Dorset). Some rear positions were prepared to the E of line. It connected to the ‘GHQ Line Green’ running East along River Brue.
The line followed the River Parrett to Bridgwater where it joined the Bridgwater to Taunton Canal. From Creech St Michael it followed the old Chard Canal until SW of Ilton where it joined the Great Western Railway. The line left the GWR to the north of Chard Junction from where it followed the Southern Railway and River Axe running south into Devon.
The planned infrastructure (most of which was built) included 233 pillboxes, 61 medium machine gun emplacements, 21 anti-tank gun emplacements, 83 road blocks, 22 railway blocks and 46 demolitions.
The anti-tank obstacle consisted of about 24 miles of waterways, 7 miles of improved water obstacles, 11 miles of anti-tank ditches and 8 miles of artificial obstacles (eg cubes).
From autumn 1940, twelve locations were prepared for all-round defence as ‘anti-tank islands’ of which 9 were in Somerset - Bridgwater, Durston, Creech St Michael, Wrantage and Crimson Hill, Ilton, Ilminster, Chard, Forton and Perry Street.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
My thanks and acknowledgment once again to Krela for providing the photos of the original construction plans and other 1940/1941 documentation included in this report.
The focus of this report is the western flank of the Anti tank island at Ilton in Somerset. The defences consisted of a mixture of both Stopline defences and later additions forming the ATI’s. All ATI serial numbers have a ‘T’ prefix, everything else was originally built for the Stopline and is prefixed ‘N’, ‘M’ or ‘S’ depending which sector they’re in.
The headings contain the original 1940 serial numbers for each installation along with its type and grid reference (for GPS). DOB numbers are also given for reference where available.
Defences as at 7th March 1941
GE map shots
GE map shots legend
Orange – AT ditches
Yellow – Scarping
White – AT posts
Blue – Barbed wire
Black – Railway
Light blue - Canal
T 46 – PB type 24 – S0006780 - 50°57'2.32"N, 2°56'16.50"W
T 45 – PB type 24 variant - 50°56'57.49"N, 2°56'9.26"W
Double decker Type 24 footprint. One on top of the other.
Anti tank Posts – S0026433 and Cubes – S0016432 running from just north of M RD 29a to T 45 and south to T RL B 9. The posts are mislabelled as Anti landing poles on the DOB overlay. Another one for the capn.
M 11 – PB type 24 modified – S0006786 - 50°56'55.68"N, 2°55'59.02"W
The porch was added later and the PB disguised as a bus stop shelter. The porch is coming away from the main construction.
T RL B 9 – Rail block, Salisbury type, S0016278 - 50°56'51.72"N, 2°56'3.34"W
I suspect this to be a ‘Salisbury’ type . There are AT cubes running up and over the trackbed and there are no signs of slotted blocks. Also, being a later ATI rail block and the presence of possible unearthed or unused socket castings suggest this is a hairpin/ vertical rail array rather than the earlier rail gates (HR type). It’s entirely possible that if I’m right and the array was actually built rather than just ‘proposed’, that excavation might yield previously undiscovered remains.
M 35 – PB type 24 – S0016292 - 50°56'41.02"N, 2°55'54.33"W
Concrete casting found nearby
M RL 13 – Rail block, HR type – S0016266 - 50°56'35.44"N, 2°55'51.71"W
AT cubes are present to either side of the block and both rail supports are extant
M 12 – PB type 24 – S0016391 - 50°56'24.17"N, 2°55'45.76"W
M RD 30 – Road block, HR type – S0016270 - 50°56'23.88"N, 2°55'46.38"W
Both sides are there but one is so covered I couldn’t photograph it.
Okay that's it for now, hope you enjoyed and my apologies to oldscrote for not getting this up in time for his Sunday fry-up.
ps give my love to Michael lol
