Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7




Depends which way round London they were going. One of the problems in
1939-1940 was the British assumption that the Germans would invade East
Anglia as it was good tank country with good beaches for delivery of
troops and materiel, so the original layout of defences was done with
that in mind. The logic of the pill box at Cockfosters was that the
Germans would try to encircle London round the north side. Then it was
realised that the Germans envisaged the invasion as a (wide) river
crossing as they had done successfully in France and Belgium and would
opt for the shortest route via the Dover Straits.

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read.

On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

That looks like Type 27, with the hole in the middle for an
anti-aircraft gun. Would that perhaps have been useful in context?


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On 23/06/2019 18:17, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military
expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

That looks like Type 27, with the hole in the middle for an
anti-aircraft gun. Would that perhaps have been useful in context?

Also, is it close enough to the POW interrogation site at Trent Park to
perhaps be linked to activities there?


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On 23/06/2019 18:21, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 18:17, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military
expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube
and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

That looks like Type 27, with the hole in the middle for an
anti-aircraft gun. Would that perhaps have been useful in context?

Also, is it close enough to the POW interrogation site at Trent Park to
perhaps be linked to activities there?



Unlikely, the committee that decided where to position such things
wouldn't have known about interrogation sites. An anti-aircraft site to
protect the depot is more likely

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read.

On 23/06/2019 18:27, Graeme Wall wrote:
On 23/06/2019 18:21, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 18:17, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never
noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military
expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the
tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

That looks like Type 27, with the hole in the middle for an
anti-aircraft gun. Would that perhaps have been useful in context?

Also, is it close enough to the POW interrogation site at Trent Park
to perhaps be linked to activities there?



Unlikely, the committee that decided where to position such things
wouldn't have known about interrogation sites. An anti-aircraft site to
protect the depot is more likely

Presumably someone would have known it was being used for some kind of
military purpose (if it was at the time).


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 20:46:45 +0100, Arthur Figgis
wrote:

On 23/06/2019 18:27, Graeme Wall wrote:
On 23/06/2019 18:21, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 18:17, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never
noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military
expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the
tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7

That looks like Type 27, with the hole in the middle for an
anti-aircraft gun. Would that perhaps have been useful in context?

Also, is it close enough to the POW interrogation site at Trent Park
to perhaps be linked to activities there?



Unlikely, the committee that decided where to position such things
wouldn't have known about interrogation sites. An anti-aircraft site to
protect the depot is more likely

Presumably someone would have known it was being used for some kind of
military purpose (if it was at the time).

Military sites were hardly uncommon during the War!

On 23/06/2019 13:44, wrote:
Saw this as I took a rare trip up to cockfosters today, never noticed it
before - must have been behind vegetation. There's very little about in
online other than it was meant to defend the depot. I'm no military expert
but I can't really see what its purpose would have been. If the germans
had got to cockfosters then it would have been game over for the tube and
probably the country so what was the point?

Anyway here's a google maps link:

https://goo.gl/maps/i4A26d931KctSoVy7




I doubt that it was railway-related. There were many pillboxes nearby,
forming part of a defensive ring around London. Tank traps, too. There
were three in nearby Trent Park, alone. The one you've seen's only
railway link is probably that, because it is surrounded by railway
tracks, it hasn't been demolished !

PA