does anyone have any info on the boxes at either end of "the white bridge" between port sunlight and bromborough (new chester road)? i cant see them on google maps which is strange, i was sure they were still there lol
I was told they where meant to protect shipping that came in from the mersey directly to levers in sunlight.Under the main building (lever house) there was an munitions factory and they used to assemble american jeeps at levers as well and then ship them back out.Lever bros had it`s own wharf.
They are pill boxes to defend the bridge. Anyone invading from the shore at New Brighton or Moreton would have to come along certain roads before breaking out into open country and these were put at strategic points. There is one on Brimstage road as well plus of course the one where that woman was murdered back in the fifties by Woodchurch road. That would protect the bridge over the road because the Germans could and would have used rail bridges if road bridges were blown up. They would have machine guns in them and possibly have a mine field in front to deter tanks.
When I was a lot younger, on the Leasowe embankment there were quite a number of these pill boxes plus "tank teeth". i.e. concrete pyramids to stop tanks.
Given that we are on the wrong side of the country, an invasion here was unlikely but they had to take precautions just the same.
Using the 8 figure (very accurate) grid reference, here's a map of the location. The yellow pin points at the gap where the entrance would have been, which is still in the hedge on Red Hill Rd. & the red pin is where the battery was. It might be interesting to go & see if there's any evidence left, but looking at the photo, I think not.
I've just come back from here, well Storeton woods, I went for a quick wander along the old tracks to the tunnel under the road. I actually drove past this on the way home, if I would have known I would have stopped and had a gander whilst there was still some light left.
I may have the location wrong but my father once told me they had dummy sites around Bidston where they lit fires to mislead the Germans into dropping their bombs on waste land. That seems a bit close to the docks and built up areas for my liking even if there wasn't as much there as now?
Your father was right. Here's an extract from "Up Our Lobby", talking about the West Cheshire Golf Club.
Nice one Chris. Thought he was telling tall stories but no! Okay I thought I had posted this yesterday but can't find it so don't know what happened.
He also reckoned one of our planes either Spitfire or Hurricane ditched in the docks and before the pilot could get his feet wet they had hooked it up to a dockside crane and lifted it out of the water.
Even for my father I find that a bit of a tall tale. For one the pilot would have got out rather quickly I would have thought in case it sank and for another it isn't so easy just to hook onto an aircraft. If anyone can prove otherwise I will apologise to the old man even if he is dead and gone.
My folks often told me of the gun site in Holm Lane, Prenton. Our lounge ceiling in Ennerdale Rd. was supposed to be badly cracked by the gunfire from Holm Lane. I recall them claiming under the "War Damage Scheme". We got a new ceiling out of it anyway !! The phrase "milking the system" springs to mind. The nearest bombs to us landed in Northwood Road, which is a fair distance away.
Looking at maps and aerial photos for Storeton AA Battery, just southwest of where Chris marked there is some interesting marks on land in the 1970 aerial photo, these have gone by 1997 aerial photo, but the wooded area doesn't appear on maps before WW2. Some current maps include the road/paths through the wooded copse even though they stop dead at the open fields.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
Sorry to disagree Pinz, but a number of houses opposite the Holm Lane AA site got damaged on 7/8 April 1941, I don't think there was a direct hit though.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
This is a 1946 aerial photo of New Brighton. If you look in the bottom left you will see a white round circle. This is Vale park and it was the site of a barrage balloon.
I hope it comes out okay as I have had to resize it. If you look closely you can see missing houses where bombs have dropped. Vaughan road and Dalmorton being good examples.
Theres a BIG AA site in Puddington, near where the old pig farm used to be! In the middle of a large field, there is a small cro of trees and based inside was a large AA battery, complete with concrete bunkers, ammo bins and dugouts! We used to use it as our base / training ground, when i was in a paintball team years ago. Should still be there, bit overgrown by now tho!
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