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Pill boxes
There are three pillboxes located within the Wick Country Park. These were built during the early 1940s as part of the country’s anti-invasion defences. The name pillbox was first described in the Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology (1887) as a “small, round emplacement for housing a machine gun”. The name most likely comes from the shape of the pillbox when viewed from above; they look like the containers that used to hold pills!
The pillboxes in the park are part of a defensive static line that runs northwest from the coast, through the county and up into Cambridgeshire. They were usually constructed of concrete and brick (as ours are) and used to house infantry. There are three types on site; Type 22, 26 and 28a. The type 22 and 26 housed only infantry. The type 28a is the larger one near the Pavilion with an opening at the front for an anti-tank gun. There is also a wide entrance at the rear to get the gun into place or removed quickly with an additional chamber to one side to hold infantry.
For more information about pillboxes try the following websites:
http://www.pillboxesuk.co.uk/
http://www.pillbox-study-group.org.uk/sitemappage.htm