Casemate 77

Alderney may be a small island but it looms large in the fortification world. Recent times have seen some significant changes locally, not the least being the reprieve of Fort Tourgis from unsympathetic conversion into luxury apartments.
The Fort Tourgis proposals probably fell apart for several reasons, not the least being the slow pace at which the local States authorities appeared to be moving. The developer claimed that progress was so slow and negative that it was not worth proceeding further and withdrew. However, the States Committee in charge of planning applications asked for more detailed plans, but the developer refused and withdrew his application. The Fort Tourgis saga continues as there are still a couple of hopefuls who want to take on the fort, one of them for a conference centre. Watch this space.

Tourgis is not the only fort undergoing possible development. Fort Corblets has been sold and the new owners have made an initial application to have several separate dwellings within the Victorian fort. Permission, if given at all, is a long way away so once again, watch this space. Another local fort on the market is the barrack block of Fort Quesnard, expensively modernised and refurbished to a high standard some years ago; once a ruin, Quesnard could now be yours for just £2.9 million.

Work on restoring Widerstandnest Dohlenfeste next to Fort Doyle is held up at present by the absence of Trevor Davenport, the main driving force behind the project. He is currently working away from the island but the project will continue on his return. The trench network is now almost complete and the internal refurbishment of the central personnel bunker is well advanced. The partially restored Dezimetergerät bunker on the south coast of the island continues to thrive as a local attraction and Wild Life Trust activity centre.

Finally, two of the island's German towers have a new purpose. Both the Luftwaffe HQ tower in the centre of St Anne and the MP3 Marinepeilstand MP3 - Naval direction-finding tower at Mannez in NE Alderney (the 'Odeon'), now sport mobile telephone masts. One result of this is that access can now be gained to the cleaned up interior of the MP3, although a key is necessary which can be obtained from the local Tourist Information Centre.
The mast is on the roof but it is impossible to photograph without a long lens as it is in an odd place. The MP3 was originally built as one of six such towers. Each of the three floors above ground level was originally intended to assist the fire of a medium coastal battery working on the long base range-finding principle. The other five towers were never constructed and optical range-finders were used instead. The command post and range-finder of the adjacent Flak battery were transferred to the MP3 from their original positions. One floor, however, was used as an OP for Batterie Blücher along with five other much smaller HKB OPs at various points round the island.

Luftwaffe HQ and listening post in St. Anne (Terry Gander)

MP3 (Marinepeilstand 3) Naval direction-finding tower at Mannez. (Terry Gander)