Monument MPM1204 - Pickett Hamilton Fort, D-Day Museum

Pickett Hamilton Fort, built c.1940-1. The fort was one of three constructed to defend Portsmouth Airfield in the north of the City during the Second World War. It was moved from its original location in the south-west corner of the Airfield and re-installed in ground outside the D-Day Museum in 1984. The fort has now been removed from the D-Day Museum site and is currently in storage. The 'disappearing pill-box' was specially designed for the defence of airfields during the Second World War.

Pickett-Hamilton Fort (retractable pillbox) built c.1940-41 to defend Portsmouth Airport. This type of fort was specially designed so that it's centre could be left flush with the ground until danger threatened, and then raised by means of compressed air or hydraulic pump to enable the fort's garrison to open fire on the enemy. The idea behind the design of a 'disappearing pillbox' was that it could be constructed on and around airfield runways and would not present a hazard to friendly aircraft. This fort was originally located at the south-west corner of the former Portsmouth Airport site (1), and was operated by a hydraulic pump. (2) It was moved to it's present position outside the D-Day Museum in 1984, after being threatened with destruction when the airport site was redeveloped. (1) The fort has now been removed from the D-Day site and is currently in storage.

This example is one of three forts that were originally positioned at the north-east, south-west, and south-east corners of the airport site. The fort to the south-east was destroyed during works at the airport site in 1982 (see MPM1205). The fort to the north-east is the only one that remains in it's original position, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (see MPM208).

The fort has now been removed from the D-Day Museum site and is currently in storage.

<1> Portsmouth Museum Service, 1980s, Portsmouth Museum Service Military History Collection Correspondance File (Unpublished document). SPM179.

<2> Cobb, Peter, 2014, A Pickett-Hamilton Fort Excavated (Bibliographic reference). SPM180.