Somerset and the Defence of the Bristol Channel

in the Second World War

 

In June 1940 Britain was in deep trouble, the British Expeditionary Force had been driven from Europe in a very poor shape militarily. The Germans were going to invade within a very few weeks. and we had almost nothing with which to stop them. Decisions had to be made as to how we would disperse our meagre forces. The big question was, where would they come from?

The Pas-de-Calais was of course obvious, so major efforts were made there to fortify the coast and hinterland But what else would they do? We did not have the resources to fortify the entire country, so where do we concentrate our efforts?

A great many questions that bad to be answered very quickly indeed. The government considered that one of the other high priority possibilities was for a German force to invade from Ireland. Though a neutral country, the Republic of Ireland was naturally seen as being anti British.

It was with this strongly in mind that massive defences were put in place in Wales and Somerset. This book deals with the later defence works. When I read this book for the fIrst time I have to admit that I nearly filed it in my library without finishing it. One of the most important things to a historian is sources. A serious study stands or falls on its sources. I was therefore dismayed to read that the authors had stated that “little use has been made of the internet .... as there is a growing number of amateur and enthusiast websites ...... which often propagate theories which do not stand up to closer examination”.

My immediate thought was that it is a good job the authors were not writing this book as their degree thesis, today they would be lucky to get a pass without quoting sources from the internet! However, I am glad to say that it was worth carrying on because this book turns out to be unique in terms of WW2 local history, at least in my experience.

Using a vast amount or primary material from the National Archive and the Somerset Records office, the authors have put together a great study, no, not great, an essential study to own if you are at all interested in the defence of the British isles during WW2. What makes this book so different is that it mainly deals with the strategy of defence rather that the tactical defence usually found in local histories. This is the thing that makes this such an important book for everyone. The strategy for Somerset gives a clear insight to government thinking regarding the whole of Britain.

There are chapters covering all the important area including Naval, anti-invasion, coastal artillery and air defence. There is no gazetteer as the authors probably saw no need as all the Somerset sites are covered in the Somerset Sites and Monuments Records. 112 pages filled with hundreds of references, colour and monochrome pictures and many excellent maps and plans. Not only a fascinating read but so much data that you will be returning to its pages again and again.

ISBN 978 0 90215223 6

£14.95                                                               John Hellis July 2012

Church Bells of Somerset

This is yet another landmark publication for SANHS and the history of Somerset. Edited for publication by David Bromwich, this volume contains research undertaken by George W. Massey over a period of 40 years chronicling Somerset’s church bells. Covering the whole of the ancient county of Somerset , the bells of each of its parishes are described in detail, along with illustrations and references from parish accounts, some dating from the medieval period. This is a monumental reference work painstakingly compiled over four decades. 800 pages, 111 black and white illustrations, hardback, ISBN 078 0 902152 24 3.

New Publication for October 2011

SOMERSET AND THE DEFENCE OF THE BRISTOL CHANNEL IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR by David Dawson, David Hunt and Chris Webster





With the outbreak of the Second World War, it became increasingly obvious that Somerset was in a key location to ensure the forward and coastal defence of the Bristol Channel and its associated ports and industries. This book gives a unique overview of the naval and maritime activities on the waterway and explains their significance to the national war effort.

Somerset’s contribution to the Bristol Channel defences are explained in depth bringing the interpretation of archaeological evidence together other documentation and the wealth of records in the National Archives. Not only are the anti-invasion defences, like the pillboxes and barbed wire on the beaches or coast artillery are discussed but also the activities like the denial measures and saboteurs and spy systems that were set up in case the Germans managed to occupy coastal areas. The threat from the air is covered in some detail and includes RAF Fighter Command activities, radars, searchlights, anti-aircraft guns and rockets together with the secret electronic warfare activities including radio counter measures against Luftwaffe bombers, bombing decoys and camouflage. The numerous other wartime military activities along the coastline are also discussed.

In this volume, the three authors, all members of the Society,  have for the first time brought together not only the archaeological interpretations of the surviving infrastructure but have blended it with the documentary evidence of the perceived threats, the organisations, plans and procedures that were implemented, many of which were secret, and added both technical and military expertise to explain in simple terms with pictures, maps, diagrams and glossary just how much Somerset contributed to defending the Bristol Channel in the Second World War.

112 pages, 64 maps, diagrammes and illustrations, many in colour. Fully indexed with a comprehensive glossary of terms. A4 format.
ISBN-10: 0 902152 23 8; ISBN-13 978 0 902152 23 6
Price: £14.95 + £5.00 p&p
Purchase on-line from www.sanhs.org
Or from Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society, Somerset Heritage Centre, Brunel Way, Taunton, TA2 6SF Tel 01823 272429
October 2011

1787 Survey of Somerset

Edmund Rack's Survey of Somerset
Published by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society (SANHS), this is a monumental volume covering almost the whole of the ancient county of Somerset. The volume contains 440 pages, 34 black and white illustrations and a colour full size map of the county from the mid-eighteenth century.
In 1781, Edmund Rack collaborated with the Reverend John Collinson in preparing the History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, to which his major contribution was the ‘Survey’. His principal task was to carry out a survey of the county hundred by hundred, which involved personally visiting each parish as well as collating information supplied by others, such as clergymen, including responses to questionnaires. The survey was undoubtedly an arduous physical undertaking, causing Rack to travel for days at a time, presumably in all weathers. On 10 January 1787 he informed Collinson, in handwriting fainter than usual, that for ten days he had been so ill that he could scarcely hold a pen, writing ‘I must resign myself to the fury of the storm which will soon hide me for ever’. Unfortunately Rack died shortly afterwards and his death prevented his work from being completed. This left Somerset with a unique collection of material on almost the whole of its ancient county. The Society hopes it will be used by generations of historians as a standard work on the ancient county of Somerset.