FORTRESS STUDY GROUP

ISSN 1367-5907

Bull Sand Fort (1915-19), Humber estuary (George Dawes) Main picture: Scarborough Castle keep, 1159-69 (Charles Blackwood); Thumbnails from from top left: 1: Fort Hahneberg, near Spandau, main gate. (Bernard Lowery) 2: 9.2 in. BL Mk X gun on Mk IX mounting, Apostle Battery, Llandudno, Cape Town. (Bill Clements) 3: Le Quesnoy, citadel walls. (Les Villes Forts en Nord) 4: LNER District Control, Cambridge. (Guy Bettley-Cooke) 5: Oscarborg, 30.5cm Krupp, Model 1877. (Svein Wiiger Olsen) NOTE: Any picture with a red border will expand with a click, maybe twice.

(photos: Charles Blackwood, see News, for report and plans.)

Autumn Conference and AGM 2005, 2 - 5 September; Hull. The Group at Pickering Castle.

(Charles & Erik Blackwood)

Fort Tourgis, Alderney; insensitive development proposals:

A glass roofed structure for the redan.

A sort of kiosk on top of the south tower.

West wall, indicative roof line. (David Thornburrow)

From the Editor

Now we have two more pages of colour I aim to use the inside rear cover as a sort of member’s gallery, for those who would like to send in a photo they are particularly pleased with, along with an informative caption, but do not necessarily want to write an article. Only two per issue are likely to be published, but contributions will be welcome – preferably via email or CD, and hard copy will be returned.
The ‘NEWS’ item tends to be very UK orientated, plus regular contributions from the US, so I would very much welcome more items from around the world.
Please Note:


• When submitting material via email, CD or floppy, please always send illustrations as separate attachments, preferably in Jpeg format, never in the text.

• This is your magazine, so response to, and comment on, the contents, style and presentation are always welcome. Charles Blackwood, Editor.

 

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OFFICERS OF THE FSG

Chairman: David Bassett, 11 Fordwell, Llandaff Village,Cardiff CF5 2EU. Email: dave.bassett@ons.gov.uk
Secretary: W H Clements, 6 Lanark Place, London, W9 lBS.
Treasurer: T H Bell, 12 Castle Close, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE3O 3EP.
Editor of FORT: To be announced.
Editor of Casemate: Charles Blackwood, Braemont, Cilcain Road, Pantymwyn, Mold, CH7 5NJ. Tel: 01352 741556, Email: charles@braemont.freeserve.co.uk
Librarian and Reviews Editor: G Dowdall-Brown, 1 Pelican Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1NU. Email: dbrupert1@btopenworld.com
Webmaster: Richard Clisby, email: richard.clisby@btopenworld.com
Our Website address is www.fsgfort.com Please send contributions to, and questions on, the website direct to Richard.

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE.

FORT: HONORARY EDITOR. Dr Athanassios Migos ceased to be the Honorary Editor of FORT by resolution of the AGM, in September 2005. Members will be well aware of the difficulties that the FSG has encountered in producing our journal in recent years. Dr Migos, owing to ill health, very substantial pressure at work and family commitments, has been able to produce only one of the six volumes that should have been published since 1998. It was considered only fair to both his family, and Members – many of whom have expressed their concerns, both in writing and orally to the Committee – that this responsibility should be lifted from Dr Migos.
FSG members at the 2005 AGM thanked Dr Migos warmly for his Herculean efforts over the past 15 years in producing at least ten editions of FORT, with minimal assistance, whilst raising production standards to a high level. Dr Migos took over editorship from Quentin Hughes in 1991, having already assisted Quentin with FORT production for a number of years.

I believe that the FSG’s high standing in academic and other circles is due substantially to the efforts of Dr Migos over many years. As editor, his tireless and persuasive search for suitable authors, and his professional approach to assisting authors to improve and raise the quality of articles, has ensured FORT’s consistent and high academic standard. FORT’s presentational standard over that period is due to his ability as production designer, and insistence on quality. Dr Migos also used his role of editor, and the evidence of FORT, to publicise FSG constantly through his many contacts and activities.
I personally hope and trust that Dr Migos will continue to offer his valued assistance to the Fortress Study Group in general, and by taking some well-earned rest from directing the publication of FORT, assist authors who have submitted articles to see their work in print.

FORT 2005 (No. 33); final proofs are with the authors for approval; dispatch is scheduled for the New Year.
FORT 2006 (No. 34); the editorial team holds sufficient articles for this edition, and will be appointing a guest editor soon.

Please submit all material for publication in FORT to Bernard Lowry, The Severals, Bentleys Road, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 1LL, UK

Material for Casemate should reach the Editor by the of end October, February and June, at least 2 months before the next issue is due. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the Editor or individual contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Fortress Study Group. Bound back numbers of Casemate 1-10, 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40 are available from the Editor of FORT, Dr. A. Migos, 9 Rock Park, Rock Ferry, Wirral, CH42 1PJ, UK, as are back numbers of FORT. Early numbers of Casemate are available from Bernard Lowry, The Severals, Bentleys Road, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 1LL, UK. Casemate 71 and later are available at £2 + p&p from: Charles Blackwood, Editor, Braemont, Cilcain Road, Pantymwyn, MOLD, Flintshire CH7 5NJ, UK. Email: charles@braemont.freeserve.co.uk

FUTURE EVENTS

FSG: Members' Day 2006: Saturday 11 March, from 11 am, at Fort Nelson, Portsdown Hill Road, Fareham, Hants;


£5 each on the day (room hire); Facilities: Projector for CD images and slides, screen (a laptop will be needed, let Keith know if you can bring one); Food: Powder Keg Café in the fort; sandwiches and basic meals plus soft & hard drinks. Getting there:


Road: leave M27 at J 11, follow signs for Portchester, Royal Armouries Museum (in Ft Nelson); car park opposite fort.
Train; either to Fareham, (nearer, several taxi firms inc. 'A-2-B Taxis', tel: 01329 825825 (£4.50/5.00 single); or Havant (Havant Cabs; 023 92 474444, further, bit more expensive).

Programme: Up to you. Let me know if you can bring/ make a small presentation; Nick Hall is keen to offer something and might fire the Trafalgar gun for us. If we run out of pictures, there is a lot to see in the fort.
Contact: Keith Phillips: tel: 01329 289480, e-mail: kjp22@supanet.com, post: 22 Exton Gardens, Portchester, Hants, PO16 8EB

FSG: CONFERENCES AND AGMs:


2006. Sep 1-4: Weymouth (Alistair Graham-Kerr)
2007. Orkney & Shetland (Doreen Grove)





OVERSEAS TOURS:


2006. May 12-21: Brittany (Nicolas Faucherre, Tom Bell, Keith Phillips); kjp22@supanet.com
2007. April: Eastern Germany, start at Berlin. (Hans-Rudolf Neumann); hrv.neumann@t-online.de
2008. Slovenia (Aleksander Jankovic Potocnik)

OTHER GROUPS, 2006:


Feb: New Orleans; Annual Conference; Civil War Fortifications Study Group; TBA; info@cwfsg.org
Feb 25-Mar 7: Manila Bay; Special Tour; CDSG; Glen Williford; williford15@ameritech.net
May 10-14: Chattanooga, USA; Annual Conference; CAMP; Herb Hart; camphart1@aol.com
May: Marseille; Annual conference; Association Vauban; Robert Delorme; robert.delorme.3@wanadoo.fr
27 Aug-14 Sep: China/Vladivostok; Tour; Hans-Rudolf Neumann; hrv.neumann@t-online.de
Sep 27-Oct 2: San Francisco; Ann. Conf; CDSG; John Martini; jamartini@earthlink.net
Oct: Les Invlaides, Paris; Ann Meeting; IFC; Carlos Scheltema; carlos@scheltema.org
Oct 8-9: Chateaux, France; Congress; IFF; Regis Berger; fort@villey-le-sec.com
(Thanks to Terry McGovern for list. Ed.)




For members who would like to do some reading-up before the Brittany Tour, Svein Wiiger Olsen has sent a selected list:


• Association Vauban. Vauban et ses successeurs dans les ports du ponant et du Levant: Brest et Toulon (2000).

• Bo, Patrick Andersen. Le Mur de l'Atlantique en Bretagne 1944-1994 (1994)

• Boulard, Emmanuel. 'Les défenses du Goulets de Brest: les points d'appui de Portzic et de la Pointe des Espagnoles' in Histoire et Fortifications Magazine No. 8/9/10 (2002)

• Boulard, Emmanuel. 'Les défenses immédiates de la base sous-marines de Brest: les Stützpunkte Marineschule et Ölberg' in Histoire et Fortifications Magazine No. 7 (2002)

• Chazette, Alain. 'Les défenses allemandes du vestibule et du goulets de Brest. 1re partie le secteur Nord' in 39/45 Magazine No. 167 (2000)

• Chazette, Alain. 'Les défenses allemandes du vestibule et du goulets de Brest. 2e partie le secteur Sud'in 39/45 Magazine No. 169/170 (2000)

• Le Berre, Alain. L'enfer de Brest

• Malchair, L. Le petit Brest fortif - de Vauban a 1914 (2003)

• Pallud, Jean Paul. 'U-Boat Bases in France' in After the Battle No. 55 (1987)

• Pallud, Jean Paul. 'Les Uboote! Les sous-marines allemandes 2: Les Bases: Brest - Lorient - Saint-Nazaire - La Pallice - Bordeaux' (nd.)

• Peter, Jean. Vauban et Brest (1998)

• Peter, Jean. Vauban et Saint-Malo (1999)

• Schmeelke, Michael. Deutsche Küstenbefestigungen in der Bretagne - St. Malo - Brest (2000)




More on the China tour: 19 days; 1 day fly to Beijing; 2 days Beijing and Great Wall; train to Qinhuangdao; 2 days Great Wall and train to Tianjin; 1 day fortress of Huangdao; 1 day Taku forts, fly to Qingdao; 1 day 1905 Ft Bismark (1905), coach to Yantai; 1 day 1876 Ft Xi Paoti, boat to Dalian; 1 day Lushun (Port Arthur), Dalianwan batteries, fly to Kharbin; 1 day fly to Vladivostok, video of Fortress Vladivostok (English); 7 days Vladivostok, loads of forts, guns and batteries; 1 day fly to Beijing; 1 day fly to home.
Cost about €3000 + flights to/from Beijing. Contact Hans-Rudolf for full details.À

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