Big Guns

Monday, 8th January 2001, West Yorkshire

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WHEN I'M WALKING with different people, I get to see things that I wouldn't have noticed myself. Someone mentions that there are the remains of World War II anti-aircraft gun emplacements here in Newmillerdam Country Park, near Wakefield. With this in mind, a few minutes later, when we come to a couple of nondescript concrete plinths a few yards from the track I decide to take a closer look.

The main plinth is about the size of a door, 6 feet by three feet, and about a foot deep. It is constructed around a natural outcrop of sandstone. Two small ramps at the back would have been used to wheel the gun into place. Eight iron pegs stick up from the plinth. They seem to be positioned to provide some kind of clamp around each of the wheels of the gun.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@willowisland.co.uk'

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