Llanbedr pillbox

[jindivik]

This one is quite strange as it only has one embrasure with a turnbull mount just visable although bricked up it has five sides but has no ricochet wall inside, you also have to climb down into it, any ideas of the type, could be a good one for ctpies?

internal

 

[krela]

It looks like a home made box lol. I don't think this has a type it would be a 'bespoke' one.

 

[cptpies]

Definitely a bespoke job, and it looks like Bob the builder put it together after working his way through all those empties in the last picture. Is it on the DoB?

 

[jindivik]

I dont know steve cant seem to open DoB, as for the empties, its next to a vineyard and still has a wine bottle rack inside, is that still a turnball mount inside? which points out to the road to the airfields main gate

 

[Jimthething]

Looks like there's only one pillbox near the airfield. It's on DOB overlay but I don't think it's the builder-bob box. The one on GE is quite clearly 6 sided and the roof is clear of turf. It's marked as a Type FW3/22. No others near Llanbedr airfield on DOB.

Nicely photographed though

 

[Munchh]

Yeah, that's a turnbull mount (frame only) which fits if this is an airfield box. Looks like Heath Robinson built it. I know the Air Ministry had their own ideas about building PB's but this is unlike anything I've seen.

 

[night crawler]

Not on my maps but the airfield is, which side of the railway is it on.

 

[jindivik]

Its on the eastern side of the railway,here SH 58082,26763 or 52-819687,-4, 107454

 

[jindivik]

Looks like there's only one pillbox near the airfield. It's on DOB overlay but I don't think it's the builder-bob box. The one on GE is quite clearly 6 sided and the roof is clear of turf. It's marked as a Type FW3/22. No others near Llanbedr airfield on DOB.

Nicely photographed though

Hi jimthething
There are two boxes near the airfield, first next to No 2 site
First here SH,,57819,26249

second here SH56274,25860

 

[night crawler]

Found it not only does it point to the road but the station is in the way and the bridge past that. I think it is nothing to do with the airfield but more likely guarding the rail bridge.

 

[leftorium]

Unsupported (hanging perhaps) ricochet walls? Are they common in that part of the world? Or on airfields. I have to admit I've never been too excited about airfield PBs apart from picket Hamiltons of course... Who could fail to be excited about them?

 

[Munchh]

Unsupported (hanging perhaps) ricochet walls? Are they common in that part of the world? Or on airfields. I have to admit I've never been too excited about airfield PBs apart from picket Hamiltons of course... Who could fail to be excited about them?

I'm fairly sure that I've seen these PB's on here before. My theory is that the turnbull mounts are relevant to the foreshortened wall. If Vickers were intended to be mounted in the embrasures and the internal wall was full height, it might hinder operation of the weapon ie space to the rear being insufficient? The required space to the rear of the embrasure for a Vickers on a Turnbull is 4' 9" so a simple measurement on site would reveal whether this is a factor or not.

They may have considered that as long as the wall reached to below the level of the embrasure it could prevent the ricochet effect as much as if the wall went right to the floor. The gun crews would have the best of both worlds ie - room to move plus ricochet protection. Just a theory.

PS: There's a nice accessible Pickett Hamilton at Worthy Down. Hydealfred reported on it here a while back and was good enough to take me for a looksee. Fantastic.

 

[jindivik]

I'm fairly sure that I've seen these PB's on here before. My theory is that the turnbull mounts are relevant to the foreshortened wall. If Vickers were intended to be mounted in the embrasures and the internal wall was full height, it might hinder operation of the weapon ie space to the rear being insufficient? The required space to the rear of the embrasure for a Vickers on a Turnbull is 4' 9" so a simple measurement on site would reveal whether this is a factor or not.

They may have considered that as long as the wall reached to below the level of the embrasure it could prevent the ricochet effect as much as if the wall went right to the floor. The gun crews would have the best of both worlds ie - room to move plus ricochet protection. Just a theory.

PS: There's a nice accessible Pickett Hamilton at Worthy Down. Hydealfred reported on it here a while back and was good enough to take me for a looksee. Fantastic.

You have Munchh, i put them on a while ago, i was just showing which PB belonged to which grid ref, sorry for the duplication

 

[Munchh]

You have Munchh, i put them on a while ago, i was just showing which PB belonged to which grid ref, sorry for the duplication

Ah thanks jindvik, and I don't mind the duplication at all, nice to have an update. We're all repeating stuff

 

[cptpies]

It's not on the DoB so great find, I think it's probably an Air Ministry special guarding the road in to the airfield.

 

[night crawler]

That is not the first hanging ricochet wall I've seen, there is another up the road from Builth whch I posted on here a while ago.