Bembridge WWII Alan Williams Turret (north)

3D Model

One of two surviving Allan Williams Turrets on the ramparts of Bembridge Fort.

A total of 199 turrets were ordered and built during the Second World War, but the post‐war salvaging of metal means that few now survive. The survival of two examples within the military context of a 19th‐century Palmerston Fort further increases their significance.

Allan‐Williams Turrets had a pre‐fabricated steel rotating dome, mounted over a pit, and entered by a short tunnel, manned by two men. It was designed to allow the top part of the turret to rotate through 360 degrees for all round field of fire. Opening or sliding shutters in front and in the roof enabled a light machine‐gun to be mounted as either a LAA weapon, or against an attack at ground‐level. One man could rotate the cupola which is on roller bearings and requires 15lb of force to move it.

National Trust Page: https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA129073

Captured by James Brown using Polycam