by Colin Jones, Bernard Lowry and Mick Wilks 176 pages with over 125 black and white photographs, drawings and plans ISBN: 978 1904396 99 4 £9.95 This is a comprehensive guide to twentieth century military and civil defence sites in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands conurbation. As well as catering for enthusiasts of local and military history, it has also been written for all those who have an interest in the many sites that played such an important part in our recent history. The book sets out the context of the various types of sites and gives details of those remaining. The fifteen detailed chapters include, as well as the army, air force and (surprisingly) naval sites, those associated with the Home Guard and anti-invasion defence, war production, the wireless war, prisoner of war camps and many sites used for the treatment of the wounded. The detailed text is supported by many photographs and detailed plans and maps. A comprehensive site gazetteer and bibliography complete the book. The three authors have been researching modern military defences for many a year. Bernard Lowry is the author of several books on modern fortifications and with Mick Wilks co-authored The Mercian Maquis, The Secret Resistance Organization in Herefordshire and Worcestershire during World War II. Mick Wilks has been working as a part-time volunteer researcher with Worcestershire County Archaeological Service and is also the author of The Defence of Worcestershire and the southern approaches to Birmingham in World War II. The Defence of Worcestershire and the southern approaches to Birmingham in World War II by Mick Wilks Paperback, 256 pages, 60 drawings/maps; 150 photos ISBN 978 1904396 80 2 £14.95 In the summer of 1940, an invasion of Britain by the apparently invincible forces of the Third Reich was widely expected. In the time-honoured fashion of the British, preparations to meet the invasion were left almost to the last moment. This book attempts to tell the story of how Worcestershire was prepared for defence against both ground and air attack by the enemy. The county was the chosen location for both the Government and Royal Family had it been necessary to evacuate them from London, and the county occupies a crucial location on the southern approaches to Birmingham and the Black Country, whose industries were then busily producing aircraft and munitions The opportunity is also taken in this volume to bring up to date the research into the covert forces recruited in the county. After a career in town planning, but now retired and working as a part-time volunteer researcher with the Worcestershire History Environment and Archaeology Service, Mick Wilks has been researching and recording modern defence sites in Worcestershire for over 12 years. |