FORTRESS STUDY GROUP - SECRETARY'S REPORT

FORTRESS STUDY GROUP - SECRETARY'S REPORT
2001

In September 2000 the Group held a successful and well-supported Conference in Plymouth. Sadly, Freddy Woodward, who had done so much to preserve and publicise the area's fortifications, died shortly after attending the Conference.

Contacts with overseas bodies continued: the Group is represented on the International Fortress Council and in the Spring Tom Bell led a study tour of the Low Countries where further contacts were made. In addition, Alistair Graham Kerr represented the Group at a fortification day at Antwerp's Fort IV.

Peter Cobb organised an enjoyable Members' Day at Fort Purbrook and in April the Group was well represented at a Defence of Britain seminar in Cardiff.

We have seen CASEMATE grow and now it is enhanced by improved paper quality. A special vote of thanks is, I think, due to Margaret Pinsent who, despite pre and pest-operative difficulties, has striven to produce CASEMATE on time. And FORT 27 maintains the same high standards of quality seen in previous editions of the journal.

The number of enquiries received by the Secretary has been high: many, unfortunately, emanating from the delay in the appearance of FORT 27. The Editor has explained in a separate letter sent to members the reason for this delay. I hope that FORT 28 will prove to be less of a problem. Many other enquiries continue to come from the public or organisations and these range from genealogical enquiries (relatives who served in forts) to particular fortifications in many different parts of the world. If I cannot give an immediate reply I pass the enquiry to a member who, I believe, can help.

The FSG Library is now in HM Armouries, the Tower of London awaiting cataloguing and a. final location within the Tower. Details of progress will be given in CASEMATE. Our new Librarian, Gil Dowdall-Brown, together with Philip Clifford, has put in a great deal of time into making the movement of the library as smooth as possible: Alistair Graham Kerr helped with the physical transfer of the books.

I have mentioned only a small number of people but there are many more of our members who are also involved in many types of work in the field of recording and preserving fortifications for the greater benefit of the public.

Bernard Lowry

FSG Honorary Secretary

September 2001