Defences Collection

American soldiers from Company E, 358th Infantry, 90th Division, move through the concrete Dragons Teeth of Siegfried line near Habscheid, Germany, as they move up to the front. 12th February 1945

Piers Corbyn, brother of Labour Politician Jeremy Corbyn, pictured in Maida Vale, West London in 1975. Piers Corbyn was a member of The Young Liberals

Anti Aircraft Defences, Birmingham, 10th May 1941. World War Two Air Raids, Birmingham

These girls in an Essex coastal town have joined a roof spotters corps and are offering their services to any organisation or company that requires a spotter

A party of six Canadian members of Parliament Messrs. W Ross Macdonald, A. G. Slaght, A. Fournier, H. Jackman, H.J. Coldwell and J.H. Blackmore recently saw the cross channel guns

The staff of a Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) Barrage Balloon depot at Caerau, Ely, Cardiff during the Second World War. Circa 1941

How to extinguish an incendiary bomb. If a stirrup pump is unavailable, a half-filled sand bag should be held up to protect the face and upper body

How to extinguish a fire bomb. A man crouches in the doorway of a smoke filled room and aims his stirrup pump around the edge of the door in an attempt to extinguish the fire. January 1941

To counter possible attempts by the enemy to land troops on Scottish lochs, by seaplanes, armed motor boat patrols have been established

An Ack-Aok gunner manning a twin Browning gun, brought down one 51 the pilotless planes during a recent raid over Southern England. The P Plane was sighted

General Sir Bernard C. T. Paget, the Commander In Chief of the Home Forces
General Sir Bernard C.T. Paget, the Commander In Chief of the Home Forces, accompanied by the General Officer Commanding In Chief of Scottish Command Lieutenant General Sir A. F. Andrew N

Defences of the East Coast of Great Britain during the second World War. Picture shows the battery firing. July 1940

Round the coasts of Britain a ceaseless watch is maintained by men of the Royal Artillery Coastal Defence Regiment.Shore based RA personnel work in co-operation with units of theRoyal Navy

At a Battle school in the Western Command, students undergo a course in modern battle tactics on Commando lines. Charges are fired during practice assaults to give added realism

A British cross-Channel gun in action on the South Coast of England, during the Second World War. These guns are manned by gunners of the Royal Marines

A gun from the rear turret of a Heinkel aircraft of the German Luftwaffe, brought down over Kent, is remounted in a position held by a company of the Somerset Light Infantry

Home Guards, well entrenched, with a bombing post in the background, guarding a road in the English countryside during the Second World War. August 1940

More and still more guns are being mounted around the coast of Britain to give an invader a warm reception should he attempt a landing

To counter possible attempts by the enemy to land troops on Scottish lochs, by seaplanes, armed motor boat patrols have been established

A two storey house was brought down by explosives to reproduce the collapse caused by a heavy bomb falling nearby. The debris support erected-was in one of the ground floor rooms

The Royal Navy Hunt class destroyer HMS Meynell conceals herself behind a smoke screen of her own making during exercises at sea in the Second World War. November 1943

General Alan Brooke, The Commander in Chief, Home Forces, visited the Northern Command, and was accompanied on his tour by the Commander In Chief of Northern Command, Sir Ronald Adam

A few miles out to sea "somewhere in the Northern Command", is an island fort
A few miles out to sea " somewhere in the Northern Command", is an island fort, manned by batteries of an Royal Artillery Coastal Regiment who receive a rigorous training

Constant exercises by night and day keep the coastal defence batteries of the Royal Artillery in a high state of efficiency Pictures taken somewhere on the South coast of England showing a sentry

True to their motto "Unique"meaning everywhere
True to their motto " Unique" meaning everywhere, the Royal Artillery are to be found all round the coast of Britain

At a Coastal Artillery school in the Western Command, the men practice night and day. Shoots are carried out in the darkness to accustom the gunners to the difficulties of night time firing

Leningrad inhabitants, including women of all ages, under the leadership of Petrov, a munition worker, take shovels and picks to help construct anti-tank ditches in answer to the call to defend their

British Balloon Command was established to protect cities and key targets such as industrial areas, ports and harbours. Balloons were intended to defend against dive bombers flying at heights up to

Before a paratroop jump there is a great deal of the most careful preparatory work to be done. Men cannot jump and land safely carrying guns and other heavy equipment

Sandbagging operations in progress at the childrens hopsital in Gateshead shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War. 7th October 1939

Redcar sea wall. 18th October 1983

Anti Aircraft Sound Locator Units in South Wales. March 1940. The operators are listening out for engine noise, to determine direction and elevation information

Anderson Shelter decorated by the house holders. Circa 1940. P009204

A blaze near St Andrews Church, Newcastle, was a test for auxiliary firemen on duty during a pre Second World War exercise on an early Sunday morning. 8th May 1939

An ATS woman using a pair of binoculars on searchlight Battery January 1943

ATS women on searchlight Battery during the second World War January 1943

ATS on searchlight battery take a tea break during the Second World War January 1943

An ATS woman using a pair of binoculars on searchlight Battery January 1943

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill with his daughter Mary and General Sir Frederick Pile (GOC Anti-Aircraft Command)

Marines seen here in their bomb proof shelters at the last line of defence on the Lierre Road, the key to the defence of Antwerp, which is only about two miles distant

Barbed wire entanglements seen here around the Belgian city of Antwerp. October 1914

Earthwork defences and bomb proof shelters being built by the Belgians and the British Naval Brigade as the last line of defence on the Lierre Road, the key to the defence of Antwerp

Earthwork defences and bomb proof shelters being built by the Belgians and the British Naval Brigade as the last line of defence on the Lierre Road, the key to the defence of Antwerp

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping