Building record MAB24002 - PERSLEY BRIDGE

A World War II pillbox, hexagonal in plan, was constructed of concrete with a flat roofed.

A World War II pillbox, hexagonal in plan, was constructed of concrete with a flat roofed. Its exterior walls are painted green and it has a modern wooden door in the south wall. Each of the other walls has a loophole. These horizontal slits were designed to take rifles or light machine guns. Within the pillbox is a Y - shaped wall designed to stop the ricocheting of bullets. From 1941 there was a direct threat from invasion from Nazi occupied Europe and pillboxes were widely constructed in Britain as defensive structures. The first recorded use of the word 'pillbox' was to describe British defences in World War One. The name 'pillbox' describes the structure's similar appearance to a small container for carrying medicinal pills. While some pillboxes were located along the beaches of one Aberdeen this was situated at another defensive position inland. It is on the south west side of Persley Bridge and on the south bank of the River Don. Strategically its line of sight would cover both the south of the bridge and the River Don. Had an invading force made it past the coastal defences this pillbox would slow their progress. The location was further defended by the loop holed building 70 metres east of the bridge (see NJ90NW272). The Polish campaign in 1939 had highlighted some of the flaws of pillboxes. The loopholes restricted the defenders' vision creating blind spots. For this reason pillboxes were rarely positioned on their own. Today this pillbox sits within a caravan park.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2014, ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL SMR ENHANCEMENT PERSLEY BRIDGE TO GRANDHOLM BRIDGE, SOUTH SIDE OF THE RIVER DON (Bibliographic reference). SAB7056.

ARCAHEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2015, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 15, 2014, p. 11 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5542.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2019 2:32PM