Llanberis Pass

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RichCooper

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Well its been a while since I posted and after an enquiry on an old post I realised its time to quit being lazy put something on here.
So this is the defences at the eastern end of Llanberis Pass.It seems to have been covered by 4 pillboxes and a Spigot mortar (anyone knows of more please shout out :) )

Starting with the Spigot Mortar emplacement on the slope east of the road junction
26743175622_e7d4284da0_c.jpgE35599 (2) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26743177882_e3fbd67670_c.jpgE35599 (4) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26769432981_506e3dd40a_c.jpgE35599 (7) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

Below this is a stone clad type 22 facing the road junction
26038491314_cccd3e4f27_c.jpgE06155 (2) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26038495084_97c8ff2cde_c.jpgE06155 (4) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26038522284_ac9aea3a2b_c.jpgE06155 (14) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26550926002_9a3c516f47_c.jpgE06155 (15) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26550912772_6091a9ba29_c.jpgE06155 (10) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

Covering the road to the north a stone built type 26
25417732106_98e9587bbe_c.jpgE06154 (2) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

25417739656_c5287930ea_c.jpgE06154 (4) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

25148305610_651f85f3e8_c.jpgE06154 (6) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

To the south another stone built type 26
26617691896_a4f4f38f56_c.jpgE06153 (3) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26617700176_03fbb4ee43_c.jpgE06153 (5) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26644395105_16cef9c7e3_c.jpgE06153 (7) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

26038426604_d07b502bc3_c.jpgE06153 (8) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

Finally over the road into the pass
25325289192_99ee54c0ef_c.jpgE06156 (4) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

24813138754_a46c2dfd6a_c.jpgE06156 (7) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

25443715595_1457e4a94a_c.jpgE06156 (11) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

25076136129_06fc816b4b_c.jpgE06156 (19) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr

24813221794_b3d5991904_c.jpgE06156 (32) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr
 
Some lovely World War Two goodies there rich.nice to see you posting again.missed your stuff.
 
Amazes me how wet it is on the hillside where that spigot mortar position is. In theory there should be two more defensive positions just down the road there but I've not found anything (neither are in the original DoB Project data but were surveyed in 1940). There were some AT blocks down the Llanberis road up until a few years ago. Despite driving down there four times in the past fortnight I didn't look to see if they are still there. There is still a spigot mortar position down there - road is a clearway so you need to walk to it (easiest from Llanberis end)...though I suppose you could get your Maud to kick you out of the car, turn round at the end and pick you up again on the way back.

Steve has photos of four more infantry position/sangars down Nant Ffrancon as well as the photos of the three misplaced spigot mortars. I've never managed to find out what the defences were at Ogwen Bank.
 
Amazes me how wet it is on the hillside where that spigot mortar position is. In theory there should be two more defensive positions just down the road there but I've not found anything (neither are in the original DoB Project data but were surveyed in 1940). There were some AT blocks down the Llanberis road up until a few years ago. Despite driving down there four times in the past fortnight I didn't look to see if they are still there. There is still a spigot mortar position down there - road is a clearway so you need to walk to it (easiest from Llanberis end)...though I suppose you could get your Maud to kick you out of the car, turn round at the end and pick you up again on the way back.

Steve has photos of four more infantry position/sangars down Nant Ffrancon as well as the photos of the three misplaced spigot mortars. I've never managed to find out what the defences were at Ogwen Bank.

You can see that other spigot on streetview but like you say its a walk back
26040679023_c776d03880_c.jpgE08086 (2) by Rich Cooper 2012, on Flickr
 
The Defence of Britain Project data is, sadly, pretty poor. Poor recording, too much done from the desk, lots of transcription errors (being generous...quite a few are just figments of someones imagination!).
Steve T's WWII Google Earth overlay is better with it's corrected positions and additions. It's far from perfect but is probably a good 'finding aid' for things that are known.

Back to this area.
The original DoB Project has a duplicate pillbox to the west of the one that protects the lake (just in case the enemy were taking a bath). The old boathouse would have made a better defensive position (the ruins of it are still there).
Spigot Mortar bases were issued in threes. If the pointless one Rich has photographed above is one of three and the one down Llanberis Road is the second of that three (conjecture , no record to say it was) ...then my guess is that the third will be (or have been) near the Pen Y Pass Hotel (and the surveys do say there was something around there). It's quite possible that those two aren't related...in which case there are four missing ;-)
 
The Defence of Britain Project data is, sadly, pretty poor. Poor recording, too much done from the desk, lots of transcription errors (being generous...quite a few are just figments of someones imagination!).
Steve T's WWII Google Earth overlay is better with it's corrected positions and additions. It's far from perfect but is probably a good 'finding aid' for things that are known.

Back to this area.
The original DoB Project has a duplicate pillbox to the west of the one that protects the lake (just in case the enemy were taking a bath). The old boathouse would have made a better defensive position (the ruins of it are still there).
Spigot Mortar bases were issued in threes. If the pointless one Rich has photographed above is one of three and the one down Llanberis Road is the second of that three (conjecture , no record to say it was) ...then my guess is that the third will be (or have been) near the Pen Y Pass Hotel (and the surveys do say there was something around there). It's quite possible that those two aren't related...in which case there are four missing ;-)

Agree totally Steves database is the best thing available and theres quite a few of us adding pics and corrections for him so it can only get better :) Wales locations seem a bit vague in some parts though :) but it all adds to the challenge.Spigots being one of the hardest to pin down lol
 
Agree totally Steves database is the best thing available and theres quite a few of us adding pics and corrections for him so it can only get better :) Wales locations seem a bit vague in some parts though :) but it all adds to the challenge.Spigots being one of the hardest to pin down lol

Probably not helped by the fact it's a lot easier to move/relocate a spigot mortar base than it is a pillbox. ;)
 
Is that the edob database ? Some on that are duplicates and one is a drain
Not sure who di dit for me, I think it's a KLM from Steves overlay or the DOB databaase, most likley the latter. I admit a lot are out as I have found errors in it but it usually has them in the right vasinity.
I agree with what Druid said because there are a few dubious postions long the Thames and talking to the perosn who lived near where ne was suppostto be I don't think one was ever built. Others on the DOB say esitant but condition unknown, I'll say so because they never visited it.
 

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