Pickett-Hamilton Fort - Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 50° 46.788 W 001° 05.355
30U E 634705 N 5627078
Outside the entrance to the D-Day Museum is a Pickett-Hamilton Fort.
Waymark Code: WMFRNV
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/24/2012
Views: 5
The fort is located in the ground and has an information board describing its history which reads:
'Pickett-Hamilton Fort
Pickett-Hamilton Forts were retractable pill-boxes, specially designed for the defence of airfields in the Second World War.
When Britain faced the threat of a German invasion in 1940, airfields were regarded as prime targets for an assault by enemy airborne troops. In July 1940, two engineers, Francis Pickett and Donald Hamilton, patented a "disappearing pill-box", which could be constructed on and around airfield runways.
Normally the top of the fort was left flush with the ground. When danger threatened, the centre of the fort could be raised from within by means of compressed air or an hydraulic pump, so that the defenders inside were ready to open fire on the attackers. Some 300 Pickett-Hamilton Forts were constructed on military and civilian airfields in 1940-41.
This rare surviving example of a Pickett-Hamilton Fort was one of three such pill-boxes built to defend Portsmouth airport (seen below in situ). It was removed to its present location in 1984, at a time when its existence was threatened by development work at the former airfield site.'
On the information board is a drawing of the raising mechanism and a photograph of the recovery of this fort from Portsmouth airfield.
Related Website: [Web Link]
Admission Fee: Free Access
Opening Days/Times:
Available at all Times
Supplementary Related Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Posting a picture(s) of the location would be nice although not required.
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