The decoy Bristol on a Mendip hilltop made from light and fire
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Black Down, the highest point of the Mendip Hills, hosted one of Britain's first Starfish sites: a beyond-top-secret WW2 programme of decoy cities intended to lure Luftwaffe bombers into dropping their payload on empty countryside.
Your ability to channel a self aware Eyore with your commentary just makes these fascinating videos all the more enjoyable. I am hoping the sun comes out over Bristol.
self aware Eyore hahaha brilliant. it's a bit sunny today actually, but only literally.
"The reality of my existence often falls short of my aspirations" is a real mood lmao, some good info and pretty scenary nevertheless thank you!!
I remeber walking over this site on numerous occasions when I was a kid. It didn't take much imagination to recognize it as a decoy for Bristol back in those days (the 1970s)
with how grim the weather has been some lovely footage of the mendips is a fair trade off for WW2 remnants
I remember being told (by someone who would definitely be well-informed in these sorts of things) that Black Down did actually receive one bomb. Just one though. And it was after a bombing raid had taken place on Bristol so was most likely a German aircraft letting one loose to lighten the load for the return flight home. So, even with the decoys, the ONE bomb that Black Down had was down to sheer mis/fortune! If I find a more reliable reference for this I'll return to comment again.
My mum was a Bemmie girl during the war. I remember her saying that she would see the fires on the hills.....and the raids.....
Very interesting. We had similar sites to the east of my home city of Hull. They mimicked the docks, with large pools of water and strategically placed lamps. They were not full size however. It was deemed that the shapes and lights would be enough to fool the Luftwaffe. They are still visible on Google maps if you know where to look on the north bank of the Humber. Subbed.
Thanks
Very interesting.
Thank you
2:36, that's a nice view of my Grandma's house right there.
nice place
Fascinating, I'd never heard of this before. Thank you 😊
Video posted on a day when the weather in the west has improved. I look forward the a deluge of videos. 😀
yeah actually finished filming the next one this morning. and i suppose i need to do something this afternoon, too, but i dont know what the next one after that is yet
Cosmic! 🤓👍
Very interesting, thanks for your efforts!
There's a multitude of small mounds all over the hill and I was told that it was a concern that the Germans may use the area as a landing place for aircraft as part of an invasion (due to the large area of flatness on the top) - the idea was the mounds would cause the planes to crash land and break the wings etc. I don't know if this idea was part of the Starfish project or came before it and later incorported into the decoy layout. Cheers.
i think i read the same about maes knoll. edit: well apparently that was covering it in stone cairns rather than turning the earth into mounds
Fascinating, never knew that. Can you do a video about the likes of Mary Carpenter, Sir Bernard Lovell, Septimus Severus slave, or Bristol Workhouses and the Coalfields of Bedminster and Kingswood? 😂
Mary Carpenter, I talked about in my Rammohan Roy vid. Not sure I have enough extra to say to make another. Lovell- i'd prob need to go Jodrell Bank for visuals! Bristol area coalfields was always on my list, again hard to think of much to film though.
There's the remains of a coal "dramway" over by Siston Common I think...
@@iyers The bandstand in Dean Lane Park was the head of the Bedminster Coal Pit. We lived in Murray Road, and the working class houses were built over the workings. The floor in our front room had collapsed in one corner, and I was not allowed to go in there. Scary!
I grew up in Kingswood - random holes appeared in peoples gardens on a regular basis!@@MJM-BS3
Oh! That Blackdown Hill...... for a moment I thought I must have missed you by a few hours as we were visiting the Wellington monument on the Blackdown Hills (south west of Wellington, Somerset) only a couple of days ago...... I was hoping there would turn out to have been a potentially legendary 'cloak' on said monument to resemble St Mary Redcliffe. But apart from that silly idea of mine, thanks for yet another enlightening 'short'. 😉
haha nice idea. I did intend to do a vid on the wellington monument, and still might, but i was told you have to book timed slots etc and i'm rarely on that sort of level of organisation
It IS well worth visiting just to see it especially on a good day i.e. clear and not too strong a (cold) wind. Very impressive... I won't spoil your possible future film by mentioning its history/story. We live fairly close and did manage to be there on a day last summer when National Trust volunteers open the spiral stairs up to the public - three at a time as there are no passing places and the top landing is very tight - I wear my resultant "I've been to the top!" with great pride 🥱😜@@PedestrianDiversions
I was told Crook Peak (overlooking the M5) is the highest point in Somerset, nevermind the Mendips - was I dumped?!
*duped
only 191m according to t'internet. it may have the most prominence perhaps?
@@iyers No where near the tallest but when you stand up there it feels like it ought to be. It's got the feeling of a bigger hill, like something from the peak district.
These pretend versions of the cities no doubt gave succour to the residents.