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MAINTENANCE BUILDING 58 –
To the rear of building 62, and separated from it by an earthwork traverse, is building 58 (Drg No. 1244/53) it is designated Storage Building 'C-D'. It is approached along paths which lead back towards the bomb stores and the main gate, the entrances to the store are shielded by freestanding breeze block walls. The construction of the building is similar to the non-nuclear component stores, buildings 59-61, being formed from reinforced concrete columns and beams infilled with block work. It is, however, taller than the stores, buildings 59-61 and stands 23ft 11i from floor to ceiling. The main central section measures 70ft by 30ft, at each end of which are air lock porches 20ft by 15ft, while to the rear is plant and dark room 34ft 5in by 20ft. The root is a 5½in thick reinforced concrete slab, with a coating of bituminous felt. The building is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
▪︎RARITY – It is a rare building in a national and international context. Designed in the 1950's for storing innovative nuclear technology, RAF Barnham is the only such surviving facility in England.
▪︎HISTORIC INTEREST – A unique building surviving from the Cold War, designed to accommodate Britain's first nuclear weapon, the ''Blue Danube''.
▪︎GROUP VALUE – Building 58 has strong group value with the other buildings at RAF Barnham, both in terms of their function and historic significance.
▪︎INTACTNESS – Building 58 is a largely intact, bespoke structure.
Maintenance Building 58 was probably one of two buildings on the site (the other being the much altered Building 62) used for the inspection of the bombs brought from the airfields. Documents record some movement of bombs between the site and airfields and indeed pantechnicons designed to carry a complete weapon were known to have visited the site. It is now used for light engineering.
▪︎MATERIALS – Building 58 has a reinforced concrete frame and blockwork walls, over-painted at the east end, and is shielded by freestanding blast walls.
▪︎PLAN – The building has a rectangular plan, aligned approximately east-west.
▪︎EXTERIOR – The building has projecting entrance bays to the east and west, which contained airlocks internally, both of which have double height steel doors through which the bombs would travel. To the north are attached single storey toilet blocks and a store room with replaced fenestration.
▪︎INTERIOR – The central section of the building is largely featureless except for a runway beam which originally supported four hoists. The airlocks in the porches have been removed.
Although the site was used for storage of Mustard Gas and explosives during World War II, it was not until after the end of hostilities that the depot was constructed in its current form. In the early 1950's, the Air Ministry had a continuing need for high explosive bombs and storage facilities for them in anticipation of a future war in which atomic and thermo-nuclear weapons would be used by both sides.
It is within this historic context that the Special Storage Unit at RAF Barnham was constructed following the issuing of ''Blue Danube'', Britain's first nuclear bomb, to the RAF in November 1953. The bombs were held in clutches in V-bomber airfields such as RAF Scampton and RAF Wittering and the purpose of the store at RAF Barnham, and the almost identical site at RAF Faldingwoth in Lincolnshire, was to provide maintenance and refurbishment to support the airfields and hold spare warheads.
The Air Ministry plan for the Store is dated May 1953, although planning for the facility almost certainly had started before this, and it was fully operational by July 1954. In the first phase of works, the fences, earthworks, fissile core storage hutches, inspection buildings and gantries were built by August 1955. The small arms and pyrotechnics store, barrack accommodation, gymnasium, telephone exchange, meat preparation store and dog compound were erected shortly after to strengthen security. By mid 1955 the double fence was in place, later augmented by the current observation towers erected in early 1959 replacing smaller structures.
The Special Storage Unit remained the main holding place for the Mk. I atomic bomb, under control of Bomber Command until November 1956 when an independent Unit (95 Commanding Maintenance Unit) was formed. During the operational life of the site, second and third generation British nuclear weapons such as ''Red Beard'' and ''Yellow Sun'' were introduced and stored there. By 1962, the site was in decline and the Maintenance Unit ceased to exist on 31st July 1963. The closure of the station is probably linked to the operational deployment of ''Blue Steel'' from late 1962.
The site was sold to the current owners in 1966 and later let out for light industrial use. Some of the buildings have been altered and significantly, one of the Non-nuclear stores burnt down in the 1980’s, but there has been an on-going maintenance and repair programme agreed with English Heritage resulting in the preservation of the site.
Information sourced from – historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1402411
English Heritage.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the last week of September 2012, tracking the on-going river bank alterations and excavation of the river bed.
In preparation for the river-bank strengthening/protection along this stretch of the river, a 2nd channel was created -- with the intention of diverting the river.
Having endured a similar flooding only days earlier, another heavy fall of rain caused the channels to fill up again.
It meant starting all over again - draining this road/bank side channel, cutting a release channel near the bridge to release the volume, and activating pumps to assist with the repeated drainage.
Matters were never helped by the overflow pipe which siphoned run-off from the adjacent motorway!
Always quite amazing to see how water levels could drain away within a few days.
The question would always be -- how much work could be completed before the (inevitable) next run of water?
As we can see, one or two day's intense rain could produce rapid flooding of channels, swamping on-going works, and causing temporary vehicle access paths to have to be repaired.
And these access ramps were proving difficult to navigate for the fully-laden dumpers/trucks.
The A250 Volvo truck are now bringing soil down to the riverside, to continue the repair work on the river bank/shelf.
One hell of a wet and messy place to be working, especially for the guys on foot.
Another factor in its design was that it could be easily defended. These gaps could be blocked to defend from, or trap, enemy invaders.
Nowa Huta - Near Krakow, Poland.
Reconnaissance Platoon Trains in combat
The Reconnaissance Platoon of the 601st Brigade is a small unit in the Combat Engineering Corps. Last week, they held an exercise in a densely wooded area, where they practiced combat fighting, reconnaissance and evacuating injured soldiers. They also practiced fighting underground. February 6, 2013
Photo by Sgt. Shay Wagner, IDF Spokesperson Unit.
No 9. līdz 11. decembrim Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes (RTU) Zinātnes un inovāciju centrā notika aizsardzības industrijas hakatons “Defence Makeathon Riga 2022” ar mērķi veidot ekosistēmu jaunu aizsardzības tehnoloģiju un risinājumu izstrādes veicināšanai.
Foto: Gatis Dieziņš, Aizsardzības ministrija
Israeli Soldiers from the NAHAL Brigade during a large scale Field Training Exercise – May/June 2012
Israeli Soldiers from the 435th "Rotem" Infantry Battalion, Givati Brigade, during a field training exercise - 2011
Israeli Soldiers from the Caracal battalion during a field training exercise 17th December 2011
Photos: Israel Defence Force
The so-called "Torre di Cicerone" and the ancient polygonal wall circuit.
Arpino (FR), Lazio, Italia
This defence boom was built right across the Thames Estuary from Minster on Sheppey to Shoeburyness in Essex. You can find more detail about it on this website.
Israeli Soldiers from the 435th "Rotem" Infantry Battalion, Givati Brigade, during a field training exercise - 2011
Given to my grandfather, James Cross, for his work during WWII. He was a volunteer fireman (or something like that) so he wasn't called up.
According Wikipedia, this probably isn't the original ribbon.
Mass Die-In by anti-DSEi Arms Fair protesters BAE Systems HQ - London
On 13/09/2011 as part of this week's London-wide campaign of protests against the presence in East London of the DSEi (Defence & Security Equipment International) arms fair, activists from the 'Stop the Arms Fair' coalition - comprised of Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), Food Not Bombs, the Green Party, and various Christian groups - congregated outside the London headquarters of weapons manufacturer BAE Systems and held a mass Die-In on the road to a loud soundtrack of falling bombs, explosions, machine-gun fire and screaming, watched warily by a large number of police.
Earlier in the day several protest actions had been held at the ExCel Centre in Dockland in East London where the DSEi Arms Fair is held every two years. This year the Arms Fair has received £320,000 of British taxpayer's money in subsidies provided by the government, and policing the event is costing up to £4 million. Meanwhile, the borough of Newham where the Arms Fair is held, and is one of the poorest boroughs in the UK, is being forced by the government to make £118 million of savings, which will be taken from essential frontline services.
The protesters particularly object to the presence of representatives from many states where the populations are regularly repressed, imprisoned without trial, tortured and killed by dictatorial or military regimes, and it is not right, say the protesters, that these regimes should be invited onto British soil with open arms by Her Majesty's Government who seem to turn a blind eye to their crimes against humanity just for the sake of profit.
During the DSEi event, thanks to the diligence of the protesters who had infiltrated the Arms Fair, the Pakistani Defence Export Promotion Organisation pavilion and the Pakistan Ordnance Factory had to be suddenly excluded from the fair because they were exposed as openly selling cluster-mines and bombs banned under UK export controls and International Law (http://twitpic.com/6lc7mz/full), and one British company, Beechwood Equipment - which has recently been awarded a £5million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence caught was selling items specifically for torture.
Before the die-in the crowd were entertained briefly by activist Charlie Veitch, who cranked up the volume of the portable PA in a converted ice-cream seller's tricycle, spoke to the crowd and danced crazily to drum 'n bass tunes, dangerously close to the assembled police whilst videoing himself and them.
After the die-in the crowd simply got up off the road and left quietly, heading towards Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery where a reception dinner was being held for delegates and politicians involved in the Arms Trade, and where the mood got much angrier, but that's another story...
All photos © 2011 Pete Riches
Do not reproduce, alter or reblog my images without my permission.
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Israeli soldiers take part in an urban warfare drill simulating a battle with Hezbollah in a mock village at Elyakim military base near the northern city of Haifa July 11, 2013. Israel is worried Hezbollah is making initial preparations for future confrontation with it on a new front with Syria and is accruing valuable combat experience on the Syrian battlefield.
The winning DCD unit that came First place in the Regional Civil Defence Competition, Cavan, 16th October 2011
Royal Military College staff cadets move through the urban operations training facility at Mt Bundey, Northern Territory, clearing buildings of 'enemy' as part of Battle Group Eagle.
Mid-caption: Staff cadets from the Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon, are currently in the Mt Bundey training area, south of Darwin, as part of a three-week (31 August – 21 September 2011) training exercise to better prepare them for their Army careers.
The exercise tests and reinforces the skills they will require as officers leading soldiers on complex war-fighting operations (such as Afghanistan, East Timor and Iraq), when they are working in conjunction with armoured vehicles, artillery, aircraft and other assets to achieve their mission.
During the exercise, the staff cadets are being integrated into 1st Brigade’s ‘Battle Group Eagle’, which combines Australian Light-Armoured Vehicles (ASLAVs) from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, M1A1 Abrams tanks from the 1st Armoured Regiment, M114AS4 armoured fighting vehicles from the 5th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, forward observers from the 8th/12th Regiment, and elements from the 1st Combat Signal Regiment and 1st Combat Service Support Battalion.
The 165 staff cadets are in the final phase of their 18-month training course at Duntroon, Canberra, and will graduate in December 2011 as part of the Royal Military College’s centenary celebrations.
The Royal Military College prepares cadets for careers as officers in the Army by promoting leadership and integrity, high ideals and the pursuit of excellence, and by inculcating a sense of duty, loyalty and service to the nation.
Photograph by Leading Seaman Andrew Dakin
1st Joint Public Affairs Unit
Israeli soldiers patrol during a military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron, early Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired a barrage of rockets and mortars on southern Israel early Sunday, striking an empty school and a dozen other targets, as U.S. and Egyptian diplomats were scrambling to keep the new convulsion of Israeli-Palestinian violence from escalating.
Israeli Soldiers from a number of Different Infantry Brigades training with the TOW Anti-Tank Missile System – 3rd October 2011
Now I'm ready to close my eyes
And now I'm ready to close my mind
And now I'm ready to feel your hand
And lose my heart on the burning sands
And now I wanna be your dog
And now I wenna be your dog
Now I wanna be your dog
Well c'mon
I Wanna Be Your Dog - Iggy Pop
Exper - www.hobosedizioni.it
Pitstone Hill Iron Age Hillfort, Chiltern Hills, Hertfordshire,
Looking up along one of the ditches from the downhill side parapet.
Soldiers from the Israeli Army Nahal Brigade during a large scale training exercise on the Golan, November 2010
Defence Forces Triathlon took place in Lilliput Adventure Center in Mullingar on the banks of Lough Enell
Military Parade on Dame Street in front of Trinity College Dublin c.1940.
Can you help us to identify any details of this photograph?
The Perimeter of the US 1st AIrborne Camp
Barrystown Town Castle Medieval festival
Minolata Autocord TLR with Kodak Portra 400 : Straight Negative Scan
Israeli Soldiers from the elite palsar zanhanim , the Paratroops Reconnaissance Unit - During internal security operations in Hebron