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