Two WWI Sentry Posts

The sentry posts are one or two-man concrete shelters which are approximately 2.5m high and polygonal (11-sided) with a shallow domed roof. They may have originally had an interior lined with metal sheet, as the other examples have. The one to the south shows evidence of this lining in fragmentary remains and stains on the concrete, but it survives essentially unlined. The one to the north was not inspected internally. They are accessed from the east through a small but heavy hatch-doorway with a steel bar-handle and external hinges. There are five observation apertures, located on alternate sides, which could also have served as small arms embrasures given their size, but presumably only for hand guns as the interior space would be too restricted to use a rifle. The walls are approximately 30cm (1 foot) thick and have been constructed in sections using poured concrete. Information provided by the MoD indicates the walls were poured in approximately 60cm (two feet) sections and that the roofs were constructed using corrugated formers - the corrugations can be seen on the inside of the roof.

The sentry posts would have functioned as points of refuge under fire rather than being permanently occupied.