Gretna, Hm Factory, Eastriggs Explosives Factory, Pillbox

Canmore ID 374112

NY26NW 46.14

NY 27169 64612

This pillbox is situated about 65m ESE of Nissen Hut magazine W34 (NY26SE 16.6) and 6m N of the modern road which encircles the nitroglycerine hills. It measures 2.55m square on plan within brick and concrete walls 0.35m–0.4m in thickness and 2.12m in height. It is crowned by a flat reinforced cast concrete roof below which is a rectangular gun loop protected by a moulded rainguard on each elevation. These splay inwards and measure 0.6m in length by 0.3m in width. There is an entrance porch attached to the NE elevation, which has a concrete downward-sloping roof. Both the interior of the porch and the pillbox have been whitewashed. Within the pillbox and below the gun loop on the SE side, two metal supports sitting 1.3m apart, extend from the brick wall 0.4m above the concrete floor. These may have supported a wooden bench.

This pillbox formed part of a zig-zag planned system of defence (NY26NW 46.15, NY26NW 46.16, NY26NW 46.17, NY26NW 46.18) which guarded the Nissen hut magazines (W1-W34) during the Second World War. Aerial photographs indicate that this system was introduced between 19 August 1940 (M/124/13 04134) and 13 October 1942 (CAM/061 6211).

Visited by HES Heritage Recording (MMD and ATW), 12 May 2022.