Brilliant talk 🗣 by @ckolonko.bsky.social at March #Museum last night on pillboxes 🪖 Putting pillboxes into their proper context in the landscape and as part of Regional Defence Plan 🗺 As of 2002 6000 #WW2 #pillboxes remained but only 100 are 'listed' 🤔 A familiar but misunderstood part of #Heritage

If you're out in Dereham today, be sure to pop in. We're out with Allied Star Reenactment Group and the Royal British Legion for the town's heritage open day.

On Saturday the 13th I'll be at the Dereham memorial garden pillbox, near the station, for the town's Heritage Open Day from 10am to 4pm. I'll be joined by reenactors from the Allied Star Reenactment Group and we'll be doing guided tours of the pillbox.

Yeah, I don't like jam either.

Here's 16 minutes of me talking about books and websites- youtu.be/aLhsbyo7cEs

Think I've found an easter egg in HE's chronology guidance... heritage-standards.org.uk/chronology/

This is what happened to my Great-Grandad. Would very much like to see this exhibition. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

New Remember The Regulars YouTube video. Lets take a look at the molotoff cocktail and how modern mythology hampers our understanding of who used it and how it was used. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdLD... #History #SecondWorldWar #WW2 Not the #homeguard.

Given today is VJ Day, my offering for #histbookchat is this Army Manual of Hygiene and Sanitation. It came with a letter announcing VJ Day by the Captain of the Empress of Australia, a troop transport ship actually on the way to Okinawa with airfield construction companies when Japan surrendered.

The witch trials of 1612 still cast a long shadow.

I've bought some old and cheap acoustic guitars recently to do up. This is a Hondo H117 from 1981. It had barely been played, probably because the action too high. After properly setting up the bridge and putting on my favourite string gauge, it doesn't sound too bad. The singing is another matter..

ANECDOTE TIME I was given the role of Adolf at the Duxford Sealion war-game in the late 200s, umpired by the late Paddy Griffith. Knowing how this would end I overruled my generals and commanded a landing at the Norfolk coast which surprised everyone including Paddy. 🧵

The key evolutions of the .303 bullet during the 20th century.

I've been given what may be a super rare .303 MkIV bullet 😀 It's far from pristine but very hard to find.

Interesting stats for the allocation of Blacker Bombards to specific units of the Regulars and Home Guard in January 1942. I was expecting the Home Guard to have been issued with significantly more than the Regs.

Finally getting back into some War Diary defence mapping. This time I've mapped 81 cratered roads as of June 1941. This is significant as it adds additional depth to the defences I've already mapped, in particular the bridges prepared for demolition.

We had 90 people turn up last night to hear @ckolonko.bsky.social talk about WW2 pillboxes. If you want to come to our talks in the New Forest on wartime history, drop me email address in a message and will add you to the mailing list. Forthcoming talks in next tweet.

Another excellent talk booked by @newforestramble.bsky.social I shall never look at a pillbox the same way again, nor will I ever allow anybody to call one a bunker.

All set up for tonight's talk :D

Well.... that's a new one 🤣🤣🤣

New on the #WatchingBrief YouTube Channel The full background to this weeks announcement by Historic England of the bulk listing of WW1 Pill Boxes in Norfolk and what lessons can be learned from the process? With guest conflict archaeologist @ckolonko.bsky.social whose work led to the listing.

You may have seen the fantastic news about the WW1 pillboxes along the River Ant in Norfolk being awarded Grade II listed status For #ADayInArchaeology, @ckolonko.bsky.social takes us behind the scenes of the research and application that made it happen 👉 shorturl.at/Bba0W

Oh dear ITV... I got a mention as a 'member of the public' from HE.

Today in the #FestivalOfArchaeology it's time for #ADayInArchaeology... ... and here's mine! ❤️ (... and if you want to write your day in archaeology, there's plenty of time!) #Archaeology 🏺 www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/i-m...

Behind this announcement is a backstory about what can happen when the listing process is undertaken effectively and with imagination. @ckolonko.bsky.social, whose work was central to the listing of this rare WW1 Stop Line, will be joining us on the #WatchingBrief to talk about it.

Huge well done to Chris for getting this done. If you don't know Chris's work, he's at the forefront of finding, recording and contextualising the physical remains of the world wars in this country - we don't call him Concrete Chris for nothing! 😁 #Archaeology 🏺 chriskolonko.wordpress.com

This was meant to go out at 10am today. Here's the big announcement! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Watch this space 10am tomorrow :D

There are now just 10 seats left for the talk; “What We Can Learn from Pillboxes” - I've been informed by Chris @ckolonko.bsky.social that he will be including the Beaulieu Dairy House - Britain's best disguised WW2 pillbox. (Saturday 2nd August in Dibden Purlieu) - tickets in tweet 2.

🪖 What’s Not to Treasure? Meet Chris Kolonko Chris is an archaeologist specialising in the First and Second World War Home Front. Chris’s collection reflects a deep connection to this heritage and the importance of remembering it. 👉 shorturl.at/uRZYe

Further good news. I've had another successful grant application and will be receiving some more vital funding for my research. This latest funding from the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society will help me to fund a bespoke database which I can use to sort and analyse my War Diary data.

Tickets now on sale for this talk. You might recognise the disguised pillbox... ticketsource.co.uk/nfhwa/t-zzvr...

I've got some super exciting news but can't say anything until the end of this month. Can't wait!

According to a book I'm reading, there is mention of a Norfolk merchant family of the surname "Keynfford" in the Paston letters. However, the book has no sources for this and I cannot find any mention of this name (nor variations that I've tried) in the letters. Can anyone clarify for me?

Pushed myself to do a book review. I'll get back to having no energy now 🤣 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00A...

Getting really frustrated with burnout at the minute. I've got so much I want to do, alongside the day job, but have no energy to get it done.

Archaeologists have just made a fascinating discovery. They found a Mummy, perfectly preserved but wrapped in chocolate and nuts instead of the usual embalming methods. It's believed to be the long lost Pharaoh Roche.

Currently playing Decisive Campaigns Blitzkrieg, which features a Op. Sealion scenario. While nota totally accurate depiction of the defending units, one thing is really standing out. And that is logistics.

Grant funding application submitted to fund a database to allow me to fully analyse Home Forces info. Here's hoping!

@ckolonko.bsky.social and I had a fantastic time attending last night!

Well this is odd!

Amazing @greatwarhuts.bsky.social talk tonight as always. Really useful to learn about the evolution of British Army kit and weaponry from before and during the First World War. Helps put Second World War kit into context.

Going to casually drop it here that the majority of the 'Little Ships' were commandeered and sailed by crews from the Royal Navy, with very few operated by civilians 😬 Seeing a lot of duff history online today, but interesting to see how mythologised this event has become.

Joining a Local History Group is a great way to get to know people and learn about your local area.  You can find contact details for the local history groups in York on our website here: https://shorturl.at/YjBPr #Archives #LocalHistory #exploretogether  #LocalAndCommunityHistoryMonth

#HeritageCrime News Archaeologist Win Scutt reports that the scheduled site of Lydford Castle and Saxon Town has been "ransacked" by thieves using metal detectors. Devon and Cornwall Police are investigating.

Really looking forward to next week's @greatwarhuts.bsky.social talk. Be sure to get a ticket if you're in the area. www.greatwarhuts.org/event-detail...

BBC News - Norwich castle confirms summer opening after years of delays - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I'm at a point of getting fed up of seeing 'this important wartime thing was demolished and now I'm angry' posts on Facebook. So I've decided to try and educate people by making them aware of the actual situation and that it's not 'councils don't care' or 'are erasing our wartime history'.

I'm on a Facebook group where people post photos of air raid shelters... Apparently, every house would have had a secret Auxiliary Unit, radio communication post, or ammunition store in their garden in the 1940s 😂