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Barry Links, Barry Buddon Military Training Area

Bunker (Second World War), Pillbox (Second World War), Trench(S) (First World War), Trench (Second World War)

Site Name Barry Links, Barry Buddon Military Training Area

Classification Bunker (Second World War), Pillbox (Second World War), Trench(S) (First World War), Trench (Second World War)

Alternative Name(s) Barry Ridge Trench Complex

Canmore ID 262097

Site Number NO53SW 91

NGR NO 5431 3259

NGR Description Centred on 5431 3259

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/262097

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Angus
  • Parish Barry
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District Angus
  • Former County Angus

Archaeology Notes

NO53SW 91 centred on 5431 3259

A series of training trenches extends NE-SW, from Barry Ridge (NO 5493 3284) to Barry Links (NO 5375 3234).

The trenches probably date from WW1 and were probably modified for training and local defence during WW2.

Although the trenches appeared substantially intact on immediate post-war photography, since the 1970s there has been significant colonisation by vegetation.

Information from RCAHMS (GDT) June 2004

The trenches are clearly visible on vertical air photographs taken in 1946 (106G/Scot/UK 55, Pt.1, 5033-5035, flown 8 May 1946). The photographs show the box system of trenches.

Information from RCAHMS (DE), October 2005

An Allan Williams turret is situated at the SW corner (c.NO 5479 3287) of the rectangle formed by the trench system. About 100m SW of the pillobx within a small group of trees is a shuttered concrete bunker within trees with two observation slits and entrance to rear.

Information from RCAHMS (DE), November 2006

Activities

Project (March 2013 - September 2013)

A project to characterise the quantity and quality of the Scottish resource of known surviving remains of the First World War. Carried out in partnership between Historic Scotland and RCAHMS.

Trial Trench (28 August 2017 - 8 September 2017)

NO 54796 32758 A programme of trial trenching was undertaken, 28 August – 8 September 2017, on land at the Barry Buddon Training Centre. The work targeted sections of a trench network which survives as upstanding earthworks. These features were assumed to be WW1 practice trenches which continued to be used for military training through

much of the 20th century. The remains of an armoured dome, assumed to be an Allan Williams Turret was also investigated. A total of five trenches, which ranged in depth from 0.3m below the current ground surface to

>1.5m, were excavated. Evidence of trench furniture in the form of the remains of sandbags, timber and wire revetments, stakeholes for revetments and fire steps, were recorded. The trenches demonstrated a range of military trench construction techniques, including the use of breastwork style parapets which have not previously been recorded in the UK.

The overall complex appears to have been carefully designed to allow multiple training activities to be undertaken concurrently, or at least within the area of the complex. These activities included the defence and attack of frontline trenches, machine gun target practice, attacks on machine

gun pits, possibly bomb/grenade training and the movement of troops around communication and support trenches.

The excavations recovered surprisingly few finds dating prior to the 1950s, with the majority of munitions dating to later in the 20th and 21st centuries. The presence of revolver bullets in the frontline and machine gun pit trenches, along with a quantity of bullet fragments suggests that these

positions were not only used to train troops in defence but also in attacking defensive positions with live ammunition during WW1 or during the inter-war period. Evidence of the training of rifle troops during the second half of the 19th century was also recovered from the trench fills, with bullets and cartridge bases from Snider, Martini-Henry and Enfield

rifles all being present. It is considered that these finds were from secondary contexts. Only one cartridge case dating to WW1 was recovered, although there were some examples dating to the years just prior to the conflict.

Excavation of the purported Allan Williams Turret suggested that this structure was in fact an armoured observation point and not a machine gun position as had been previously thought.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: LandMarc Support Services Ltd

Chris Swales and Ben Saunders - WA Heritage

(Source: DES, Volume 18)

OASIS ID: waherita1-298752

Trial Trench (2 September 2019 - 13 September 2019)

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Landmarc Support Services Ltd to carry out a programme of archaeological trenching on land at the Barry Buddon Training Centre, Angus. The archaeological trenches targeted sections of a trench network surviving as upstanding earthworks.

The archaeological works were undertaken by a mixed team of Wessex Archaeology staff, DIO archaeologists, Breaking Ground Heritage staff and injured veterans.

Four archaeological trenches were excavated during ten days of fieldwork between 02/09/2019 and 13/09/2019. These trenches investigated a different area of trench training features, to the immediate east of Spion Kop road, approximately 0.5 km to the west of the similar trench system investigated in 2017 and 2018.

Trenches two and four both contained similar features to the sandbag-revetted trenches seen in the trench complex uncovered further to the east, with a crenelated frontline form trench running roughly north-south. The edges of this were lined with 1.2-1.5 m of degraded sandbags, sitting within a wider cut into the sand dune natural around. The upcast from this cut was piled on top of the old land surfaces to the east and west behind further sandbags, forming the parapet and parados behind the lines. The base layer within the trenches was a hardened trample layer, suggesting that there had been some movement of people through the trench system when it was open, but the vast majority of the infill was windblown sand and slumping from the redeposited dune sand. Within trench four, there was evidence for repairs and reinforcing works being competed on the sandbag revetments due to slumping, which would suggest the trench was open and in use for a more extended period than previously thought. This would also tie in with the deeper trample layers within the bases of the trench in trenches two and four. Additionally, there was some evidence of damage to the trench system after it had fallen into disuse, with one wall of sandbags collapsed within the trench, which may relate to later training activities as evidenced by WWII cartridges and grenade pieces found within the upper fills.

Trench one was located over a roughly circular feature which may have been an example of a strong point with a central cut. Neither of these features produced any dating evidence and both were very shallow, suggesting that similar to the trench complex to the east investigated in 2017 and 2018 some features were laid out to show their shape but not fully excavated.

Trench three was located over a wider trench to the east of the main front line complex and demonstrated that the trenches further towards the “backline” (i.e. further east) were not revetted with sandbags and were in fact just dug into the dunes, with more sloping sides, similar to those investigated in trench two in 2018.

Throughout all the trenches, evidence for grenade training was found, with the springs and handles of Mills bombs being present within the windblown sand fills. These would have accumulated after the trench system had gone out of use, and so it would suggest that the system may have been used for grenade training in a later period, potentially during WWII. A small number of .303 cartridges (live blanks), including one dated 1943 were found within the upper layers of the trenches, giving further evidence for some training being conducted within the trench system during WWII.

Information from OASIS ID: waherita1-369355 (B Saunders) 2019

Archive: NHRE (intended)

Funder: Ministry of Defence

Ben Saunders – Wessex Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 20)

Condition Survey

NO 54 32 A baseline condition survey was carried out of all recorded archaeological and historical sites and

monuments. The training camp lies in an area containing a rare and important (SSSI designated) sand dune system. Cartographic evidence suggests that the land was not permanently settled until the late 18th century and that military use began c100 years later. A total of 46 sites were recorded, 24% related to the early civilian settlement, the remaining 76% consisting of military sites dating from the mid 19th to mid 20th centuries. Most of the military sites are shooting ranges, some of which are still in use. There are also several trench systems dating back to WW1 which were used for trench warfare training. Some of these were re-used during WW2.

The coastal dune landscape suggests that the sites are under threat from coastal and wind erosion. These threats have to some degree been addressed and most sites, were in a surprisingly stable condition, considering the highly dynamic environment. Only four sites seem to require urgent attention, a collapsing listed lighthouse keeper’s building at Buddon Ness and three Allan Williams Turrets from WW2.

Archive: Defence Estates

Funder: Ministry of Defence – Defence Estates

Magnar Dalland (Headland Archaeology Ltd), 2008

References

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