
Building for War
from Shadow Factories to Cold War Bunkers
Bob Clarke(Author)
Amberley Publishing
Will be published approx. on 23. November 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-84868-112-5 (ISBN)
Description
Britain was unprepared at the start of the Second World War for what it was to endure. Bombed mercilessly during the Blitz and under threat of invasion, all sorts of defences sprang up around the coasts and along 'stop lines' such as canals and rivers. But Britain was also building to supply its armed forces with equipment and men and by 1943 for the invasion of Europe once more. From pillboxes and shadow factories to airfields and military installations, Mulberry harbours and pipe lines the needs of war changed from the defensive to the offensive. Bob Clarke tells the story of Britain's building for war, something which continued after 1945, and indeed until the late 1980s, as the Communist scourge behind the iron Curtain threatened peace and nuclear oblivion. The post-war story is one of bunkers, cruise missile bases and observation posts. Using archive images and a lifetime spent studying Britain's Cold War heritage, Bob Clarke shows how Britain prepared for war, and the logistics of building everything needed to keep Britain at the forefront of both the Second World War and the Cold War.
He shows us what still survives today and how otherwise innocuous buildings were built or converted for wartime use.
He shows us what still survives today and how otherwise innocuous buildings were built or converted for wartime use.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
30 colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 172 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84868-112-5 (9781848681125)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bob Clarke is an archaeologist, who spent much time at Porton Down as on site archaeologist. He has written extensively on the Cold War, including Armageddon, The Story of Britain's Cold War for Amberley. He lives in Wiltshire.