Free Day Saturday 25th February The Commission (Hoo Shoot)

February The Commission (Hoo Shoot)

Today I visited three of the bunkers that I had researched on Thursday (and last night). This involved a trip from Dartford to the Hoo Peninsular and thankfully the preparation worked well and I was able to locate the bunkers.  The long walk to remote locations was made easier by the fact I was assisted by a good friend (Jenna). I shot using my Mamiya RZ67 on a 90mm and 65mm lens using colour film. Blog images were taken (As usual) on the G11 just to record events.

1st Bunker which is a Type FW3-24 is three quarters of the way down this road, Kingsnorth Power Station in the distant background.

1st Bunker three quarters of the way down this road, Kingsnorth Power Station in the distant background.

Close-up of the Type FW3-24 Pillbox

Opposite side of the Type FW3-24 (complete with plenty of litter). Image Care of Jenna Williams

Image Care of Jenna Williams

Image Care of Jenna Williams

Inside First Bunker/Pillbox Type FW3-24, with an idea of how trashed these bunkers generally are.

Second and third bunkers on the 'sea wall' Hoo. this is in fact the Medway rather than the sea. Image Care of Jenna Williams

Bunker two (Type 28 pillbox and anti-tank cubes), this is an anti tank bunker that would have housed a six pounder anti tank gun (this image is the rear of the bunker). Image Care of Jenna Williams

Inside Bunker two (Type 28 pillbox and anti-tank cubes) showing opening for anti tank gun, the inside was full of litter. Image Care of Jenna Williams

Me inside bunker two (Type 28 pillbox and anti-tank cubes), complete with litter. Image Care of Jenna Williams

Bunker three which is a Type 24 (complete with more litter!) Image Care of Jenna Williams http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-505302-type-24-wwii-pillbox-on-seawall-of-river

Bunker three (Kingsnorth Power Station in the background) Image Care of Jenna Williams. http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-505302-type-24-wwii-pillbox-on-seawall-of-river

Image Care of Jenna Williams

After the shoot i decided to visit the Royal Engineers museum in Chatham http://www.re-museum.co.uk/ to see if they had any information on display about local fortifications. They had a display on Upnor Castle, and a nice model of a German Atlantic wall bunker as seen in my previous blogs. But nothing specific to the type of bunkers I'd been photographing today. What they did have was a rare weapon used in Cliffe Fort, one of the initial locations I researched, the 'Brennan torpedo'. Interesting that the weapon itself should be in a museum but the fort itself has been left to decay.

Brennan torpedo as used at Cliffe Fort

Brennan Information

German Bunker

German Bunker design

Upnor Castle