In Flying Fish Cove there is a World War 2, English archeological gem and yet it remains invisible to all even though it is in plain sight! Many pass it and have no idea what is hidden. Yet, once known about , it seems quite obvious. Thanks go to Razad Arshad and the late Dean Shaw as it was their discussion on a Facebook page as to the fate of the pillbox that alerted the Archives to its existence.
And, with many thanks again to Razad Arshad for kindly taking the following photos and sharing them here, you can see the site yourself.
Photos © Razad Arshad
Is the pillbox still intact? What lies beneath? There is a long straight stone wall that runs on either side of the pillbox site and the only time its line deviates is to go around the pillbox. So this indicates that it wasn’t demolished; the circular outline of its top can be seen.
Update: How fortuitous that Teresa Barlow has recently come across photos of the pillbox! These photos were taken by her late father, Harry Vogelsang, in 1971 after a serious rock fall that partially destroyed the original boat club. You can see its concrete circular structure next to the boat club.
Photos © Honorah Vogelsang
There was another pillbox too in Flying Fish Cove but it was demolished.
Explore Further
- Read more historic Christmas Island WW2 newspaper articles and stories.
- To discover WW2 and Japanese artefacts and other historical finds from Christmas Island, visit the Christmas Island Virtual Museum.