Moir Pillbox discovered at Botany Bay

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Fig 6: Moir machine gun pillbox awaiting reconstruction

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Figs 7–10: Reconstruction of World War One dugout, plus internal views of dugout

MOIR PILLBOX

DISCOVERED AT BOTANY BAY

By Phil Hodges

I was initially made aware of the WW1 Moir pillbox when a friend who runs a social media page called ‘Thanet Hidden History’ told me that a ‘pillbox type structure’ had been found on a beach close to where I live. I was a little confused at first as the area that this was reported to be at was an area of beach that had been the site of a WW2 fougasse pipe. The fougasse pipe had initially been run along a section of concrete segments out to sea. It was intended to carry a petroleum/ oil mix to flood the sea and be lit if the Germans had attempted a seaborne invasion during WW2.

The pipe had long disappeared, but I was very familiar with the concrete segments that still lay in the sand.

Upon visiting the site, I was amazed to see that some of the loose concrete segments had been lifted and placed into a circular shape. It soon became apparent that it did indeed look like a pillbox and a familiar one at that! After a little investigating online, it was discovered that the segments were indeed a WW1 pillbox called a Moir (after its inventor Sir Ernest Moir). The following is a passage by the South East History Boards provides details of the Moir pillbox trials:

Designed and patented by Sir Ernest Moir, Minister of Armaments, the original design for the Moir pillbox gave it a mounting for a Vickers machine gun. Neither the Lewis or the Hotchkiss machine gun could be mounted, but it was found to be practical to fire these from the shoulder with the gunner leaning against the Vickers mounting.

The Vickers gun would (in ideal circumstances) have been fitted with a ‘muzzle cup’ to deflect the gas from the muzzle forwards and out of the pillbox. However, during tests at Shoeburyness in early 1918,

the firer taking part in the trial was overcome from the gases when using nitro-cellulose ammunition after firing 1500 rounds. No ill-effects were found with cordite ammunition. The three other occupants of the Moir pillbox were less affected than the gunner, but were stated to have been ‘by no means happy’. After a short pause, a Lt. Colonel Clarke went in with the original occupants and fired the gun himself, letting off around 500 rounds. The three soldiers that accompanied him were badly affected again, and Lt. Col Clarke said that he did not think he could have fired another 250 rounds.

Soldiers had utilised the blocks during WW2 for the fougasse pipe. It was a familiar pillbox to me as there are two such pillboxes on the ramparts at Ypres, Belgium; an area I visited a lot and, of course, is infamous for its destruction during the First World War.

Myself and Andy (Robertshaw) revisited the beach on several occasions and managed (quite literally) to piece the thing together. Andy confirmed the find, and despite the weight of approx 75-80 kilos per concrete section (48 sections

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Fig 1: Moir Pillbox at Botany Bay

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Fig 2: Andy Robertshaw (l) and author

(r) with the ‘original’ beach pillbox

make the pillbox), we tried to secure the pillbox for use within the trench as rumour had spread that the local council saw the construction as a health and safety risk and were to remove it to a ‘place unknown’.

After contacting the local authorities and making several enquiries, we were reassured we could preserve the pillbox by moving it to the Detling site as the pillbox would remain in Kent. With the provision, we could arrange transport.

Unfortunately, for reasons unknown and after some time, the council removed the pillbox, seemingly disappearing! It looked like we faced a brick wall suddenly ...or indeed one made of concrete!

After further research, I found out the pillbox segments were originally made at nearby Port Richborough in 1918 and myself and Andy decided to look again. Using Andy’s seemingly endless list of contacts, a local historian and author, Colin Varrall, managed to locate some blocks on a farmers field at Port Richborough! It seemed probable that some segments had never left for the Western Front. Colin and Andy tirelessly searched for the landowner, and eventually, after making contact, we agreed on a deal to purchase 48 blocks to make a pillbox. After two working weekends with a group of volunteers, we cut back and access the blocks. Removal was awkward due to the weight of each block but also the combined weight.

After pulling in a huge favour from my Uncle, who works at the building merchants Travis Perkins head office in Northampton, we were very kindly offered the use of a Travis Perkins lorry and its driver for a day from their Margate branch, free of charge! After a mammoth effort and a seemingly endless number of dedicated volunteers and WW1 enthusiasts, we finally lifted the blocks back in May of this year. They were delivered to the Kent Showground and the WW1 trench ready for assembling.

Assembly will probably take place in late Summer/ early Autumn.

The pillbox will need a roof to complete it, and we are also in discussions about this, though this will probably be a modern remake. We understand that the

completed WW1 Moir pillbox will be the only one in the UK and certainly the only one sited in its intended environment. A Great War trench.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to South East History Boards, Howard Hodges, Gary and Steve at Travis Perkins, Thanet Hidden History and Chris Smee for reporting on the story locally.

Colin Varrall for searching tirelessly and all the other volunteers and enthusiasts at CEMA for their grazed knuckles and bad backs in helping with the uncovering of the pillbox.

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Fig 3: The Moir pillbox awaiting loading at the Port Richborouh site

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Fig 4: Moir pillbox segments being loaded onto the lorry