# RAF Peterhead (Longside) Visited March 2008



## Bax__ (Apr 23, 2008)

Visited RAF Peterhead mid March- [url]http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=57.51....7&r=0&src=msa[/URL] -sorry there is pretty bad coverage of this area..

It was built originally in 1915 as RNAS Longside which was a base for Airships. It was officially opened as RAF Peterhead in 1941 it was closed in 1945 and auctioned off in 1959. Part of the base is used for private planes and part is owned by CHC Scotia as a support base for the Helicopters used to ferry oil workers offshore. I didn't try and enter the main area of the base as there were plenty planes taxiing etc...Although the Control Tower has been demolished I believe there are still some substantial buildings on site... I previously posted this on 28dl but I thought you guys would like to see it..




















































Andy


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## Bishop (Apr 23, 2008)

Woah! That pillbox is absolutely fantastic, that does look as though it's a very interesting place for a wander. The air raid shelter in the mound of earth looks to me like a dispersal pen for fighter aircraft, basically a W shape that would have housed two aircraft with an emergency shelter for ground staff to avoid attacking enemy aircraft.

Plan of a dispersal pen.






Thank you for posting Bax__.

B


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## Bax__ (Apr 23, 2008)

Bishop said:


> Woah! That pillbox is absolutely fantastic, that does look as though it's a very interesting place for a wander. The air raid shelter in the mound of earth looks to me like a dispersal pen for fighter aircraft, basically a W shape that would have housed two aircraft with an emergency shelter for ground staff to avoid attacking enemy aircraft.
> 
> Plan of a dispersal pen.
> 
> ...



Bishop,

That is correct there are a few intact dispersal pens and pillboxes. I need to go back to find the Battle HQ and some of the other buildings

Andy


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## zimbob (Apr 23, 2008)

Nice one - there's a few good 'uns like that in this neck of the woods 

*Bishop* thanks for posting that dispersal plan, I've been in a few of 'em, nice to see what they would have been like before nature took over.


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## Bax__ (Apr 23, 2008)

Hey Zimbob!

Is Bryag going to be joining us on here? If you two are ever heading east and want to meet up give me a shout!

Andy


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## Bishop (Apr 23, 2008)

Hey Bax__ good luck in finding the Battle HQ I know from experience that they can be a bit of a bugger to track down. Now in theory they should be fairly close to the control tower but the location of Battle HQs was decided by the base commander so sometimes they can be a fair way from where you'd expect.

Zimbob. Glad you dig the Dispersal Pen pic.

B


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## Foxylady (Apr 24, 2008)

Nice report and pics, Bax. That pillbox really is good...great to see the brickwork so clean and ungraffed too.
Cheers


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## Bax__ (Apr 27, 2008)

I went back here today just to try and find the Battle HQ and see what else was on the go, I also wanted to confirm the Op's block had gone.

First disapointment was that there was a big modern house on the site of the Op's block..The Battle HQ was quickly located but in a field full of sheep with young lambs so that will have to be visited again in the future. The farmer was in the next field so I didn't want to disturb his animals...

Battle HQ....





Strange building with internal store...





I don't think this interal structure is originally part of the outer walls but I'm will to be wrong!





Other stuff....





















Another decent pillbox this makes 4 on the site so far..






Then home to watch a rather boring Grand Prix....

Andy


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## Bryag (Apr 28, 2008)

BAX......I'm Here!

Sounds like a damn fine plan. We have still to conquer the tower at Boyndie yet, so a trip out east soon is definitely on the cards. As soon as Zimbob and I can co-ordinate our days off, we will give you a shout!

That last pic shows some serious fence action. I am disappointed the security sheep beat you this time!


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## Bax__ (Apr 29, 2008)

The sheep wouldn't have bothered me but the fact the lambs were there and the farmer was in the next field that did. I'm sure he wouldn't want me worrying his sheep - No I'm not an Aberdeen supporter!

I've not done Boyndie yet so that would be good for me too.

The fence action is only around a small company so most of all the intact features are easily enough accessed.


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## Bryag (Apr 30, 2008)

Cool we'll keep you posted!



Bax_ said:


> The fence action is only around a small company so most of all the intact features are easily enough accessed.



Ahhh! That's good, it looks like a ministry of "D" fence


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## Seahorse (Sep 11, 2008)

Ah, yes. April thread. No wonder I missed it. No need for my piccies then.

I believe the security fence is because the small factory makes explosives. Hence the earth banking. I'm sure that's what was in the planning application anyway.


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## Bryag (Sep 12, 2008)

Everyone has a different take on it. Post away, Seahorse. I will get some of mine up too, if I ever get around to it


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## zimbob (Sep 12, 2008)

Bryag said:


> Everyone has a different take on it. Post away, Seahorse. I will get some of mine up too, if I ever get around to it



Yay! Post up the freaky dogging front-bottom woman


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## Bax__ (Sep 13, 2008)

zimbob said:


> Yay! Post up the freaky dogging front-bottom woman



I think that's part of Bryags "private" collection I'm sure he regrets showing us that one!!


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## Bryag (Sep 13, 2008)

Really! (shakes head slowly from side to side)

Anyway, scary front-bottom woman was at RAF Banff, as Bax will remember, they already had a run in with the highland coos, and been snared up by the electric fence, by the time we happened upon them


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## Seahorse (Sep 14, 2008)

Bax__ said:


> Andy



Compare that, with this...






From yesterday's post at http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=6040

Similar? Or is the one at Longside actually a pig shelter as I first thought until I saw Bignickb's thread?


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## Foxylady (Sep 14, 2008)

Seahorse said:


> Similar? Or is the one at Longside actually a pig shelter as I first thought until I saw Bignickb's thread?



 Certainly looks like a ruck pillbox (or possibly part of a stanton shelter), especially as it's built using concrete. All the pig shelters I've seen in that kind of shape are made from metal. A good use for it though!


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## Neosea (Sep 14, 2008)

Foxylady said:


> Certainly looks like a ruck pillbox (or possibly part of a stanton shelter), especially as it's built using concrete. All the pig shelters I've seen in that kind of shape are made from metal. A good use for it though!



Are you sure it's not a ruck shelter or a stanton pillbox?


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## Foxylady (Sep 14, 2008)

Neosea said:


> Are you sure it's not a ruck shelter or a stanton pillbox?



   Could be! They mix and match well.


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## Seahorse (Sep 14, 2008)

I'll have a look at them all when I get home and get more pics.

It's not exactly pig country around there, and what there is tends to be all done in sheds. There used to be plenty of sheep roaming around though, but I'd hardly think they'd need wee huts to shelter in.


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## Bryag (Sep 16, 2008)

It is definitely the remains of a Stanton shelter. Whether is stood there originally or was moved there by the farmer is anyones guess. Here are three pics of two of several remaining Stanton shelters in a field at Longside.

Can you see what it is yet?






Another oner





Inside


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## Seahorse (Oct 9, 2008)

I was on the heliport side of the site getting some pics of a farm that has work underway, so took the opportunity to grab some quick shots of the other two pillboxes that are over that way.

*The first one, beside the farm...*

















*T'other one...*

























Sorry to hi-jack yer thread, but it didn't seem worth starting my own for just the 2 pilboxes.


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## smiffy (Oct 9, 2008)

Those pill boxs are really great....A very unusual 'lid' on them ..........what kind/type are they someone????...
Not seen any with a shaped roof like that...especially seeing as they are 'tactical' pillboxs presumably built soley for the protection of the airfield rather than as 'strategic' boxs that were built as part of a stop line defence and therefore would have been built with the expectation that they'd probably have to stand up to armoured assualt .............whereas an airfield defence pillbox was only perhaps gonna get attacked by summat like a paratrooper attack which would have been 'lightly' armed...............Assumption formed by guessing that if a 'full ground force' was approaching the airfield with intent on attacking............ all the airbase personnel/ aircraft spares etc and ground engineers etc would be evacuated ASAP and the airstrip would probably be destroyed/mined/sabotaged to prevent/delay its use to the enemy ????)...........I dunno.... all speculation????............ Krela has done a lot of research into stop lines and 'home' defences in general...maybe he knows what the various 'defence policies' may have been regarding certain locations such as airfields ?????


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## Seahorse (Oct 10, 2008)

There ones at least face the runway, so I assume the idea being to hammer an attacking force coming into the airfield itself. I'll have to go back and check the orientation of the other 4, but I assume the same.

Although, if I'd been planning an attack, I'd have dropped the guys way off the airfield and have them tab in and attack from behind. I'd imagine the somewhat substantial walls around some of the farms in the area would have made for wonderful cover while the lads banged a few covering mortar rounds off. And if they could have got as far as the farms and cottages bordering the place, they would have made a heck of a mess.

A long way to come though. Somewhat risky having paratroopers in the air for a couple of hours flying in from Norway.


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## smiffy (Oct 10, 2008)

Yeah the whole policy of defending airfields is a bit weird ain't it ???.......
I 've always been a little intrigued as to why exactly airfields had such heavy duty 'static' defences such as pillboxs at all....some entrenched positions would serve just as well cos any attacking force would (cos of the very nature of the ground an airfield is always on ...ie: very flat ground with no 'hills' usually in the vacinity) simply manouvere around the airfield to attack from where they pleased rather than just from the direction they had approached the airfield from.................. And as I said...if it was a 'major ground force' that had already fought its way through the country then the shit had already hit the fan in some order ..so.......... if you had any sense you would evacuate the base and fiight from a lot better position to defend than a flat field in the middle of very flat surrounding countryside....Well ...thats how I would have seen things anyways...
Tactically speaking an airfield is almost impossible to defend...whereas say.......a narrow road going through a valley is a lot better prospect for snaring an enemy and holding them up..........
Sorry to ramble probably off topic


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## Bax__ (Oct 13, 2008)

Finally got around to it!!! Here's some photo's of my return visit with Bryag....

The thing for aligning the guns (sorry can't remember the technical name tonight!)











Rifle range...











Building next to the control tower - looks like some sort of admin building...











The Control tower...






Fire Station and adjoining buildings...


























Store Building...
















A little surprise inside that made us s**t ourselves as we heard it priming itself for action....






Thats all folks...


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## Bryag (Oct 13, 2008)

Bax__ said:


> A little surprise inside that made us s**t ourselves as we heard it priming itself for action....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, well if you had told me what was about to happen instead of running off, I might still have my hearing

I totally shat it when that went off! I have heard them before but never seen, so I had no idea what it was. I thought I was dead!

Nice pics Bax__, If I ever get around to it, I will try to get some of mine up. Last time I tried my hard drive crashed and I had to reinstall Windows

It was a good day out, though!


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## Seahorse (Oct 13, 2008)

HAHA. Yes! Seeing as how there's an explosives factory in the vicinity, I think I might have needed a new pair of kecks too had I been there. 

I'll need to remember that next time I visit. 

I didn't know about the range. It looks like it's still in use.


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## smiffy (Oct 13, 2008)

Bryag said:


> Yes, well if you had told me what was about to happen instead of running off, I might still have my hearing
> 
> I totally shat it when that went off! I have heard them before but never seen, so I had no idea what it was. I thought I was dead!
> 
> ...



Hah ha hah.... the old gas gun hey???? yep ...
Sure is a good bang ain't it????
A very similar effect can be had by filling a black bin bag with a mix of propane and oxy (snuff out a cutting lamp and then hold the nozzle in a bin bag with yer hand clamped around the nozzle to stop the gas escaping)..........when the bag is nice and full....about the size of a big beach ball ............. fold the top of the bag over and slip an elastic band around the top of the bag nice and tight to stop the gas mix escaping..........next............ attach a length of paper masking tape or baler twine or parcel string (summat that burns well and easily but not too fast...... just like an old style dynamite fuse basically)............ to the bag for your fuse...............at least 3 feet or so.......settle bag against summat to stop it blowing away and also to stop the 'fuse' accidentally touching the bag before you want it to*.......(very important that bit!!!!) *...........light 'fuse' with fag lighter and retire to safe distance (at least 100 feet or so for one of this size).......cover ears and enjoy......................


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## RichardB (Oct 14, 2008)

When I was at school there was an explosion at a hotel in the local news. Our chemistry teacher explained how just the right (or wrong, if you happened to be near it) amount of gas had escaped to make the most explosive gas/air mix.

He then proceeded to demonstrate with a balloon. The bang was heard all over the school.


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## smiffy (Oct 14, 2008)

RichardB said:


> When I was at school there was an explosion at a hotel in the local news. Our chemistry teacher explained how just the right (or wrong, if you happened to be near it) amount of gas had escaped to make the most explosive gas/air mix.
> 
> He then proceeded to demonstrate with a balloon. The bang was heard all over the school.


....replace the 'air' with oxygen and the noise is really summat else I can assure you heh heh!


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## RichardB (Oct 14, 2008)

smiffy said:


> ....replace the 'air' with oxygen and the noise is really summat else I can assure you heh heh!



I think he did.


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