Henry Wills

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For United States Army soldier, see Henry Wills (Medal of Honor recipient).
Pillboxes — A Study of UK Defences 1940: Henry Wills most celebrated work.
Pillboxes — A Study of UK Defences 1940: Henry Wills most celebrated work.

Henry Wills (1930– ) was a British journalist and photographer with a passion for local history and archeology. He is best remembered for his writings on British anti-invasion preparations of World War II, his most often cited work being Pillboxes — A Study of UK Defences 1940.

Henry Wills worked for some years as a photographer for the Salisbury Times newspaper. Like many boys growing up in England, Pillboxes dating World War II were objects of curiosity. However, his serious interest in the topic was triggered when, in 1968, he was sent on a journalistic assignment to photograph the demolition of a pill box. His inqiries led him to conclude that there were few official records Britains wartime defences.

After some further investigation and some publicity on radio and in newspapers, he planned and organised the first nationwide survey of Britains defences. With the help of many volenteers, more than 5,000 defence sites were recorded.[1]

The value of Henry Wills work was acknowledged by the British Archeological Trust and the British Broadcasting Corporation which awarded him the Chronical Award in 1979.[2] After 15 years of work, he published Pillboxes in 1985.

Henry Wills work stimulated the interest of enthusiasts and academics including local historians and former soldiers. Their interest was given further impetus by the realisation that these underappreciated remains were disappearing at an alarming rate — mostly because of demolition to make way for new developments. A project to make a comprehensive survey of all 20th century defence works throughout the UK was formed. Between April 1995 and December 2001 the Defence of Britain Project, with funds from the National Heritage Lottery Fund,[3] compiled thousands of records.[4] The project also resulted in the discovery of many previously unsuspected contemporary records.[4]

Henry Wills papers now comprise the Henry Wills collection at the National Monuments Record in Swindon.

Contents

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Wills, 1985, pVi, pVII
  2. ^ The British Archaeological Awards, 1975 - 1996. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  3. ^ Osborne, 2004, p9
  4. ^ a b A Review Of The Defence of Britain Project. Report. Retrieved on 2006-05-30.

[edit] General references

  • Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-53-2. 
  • Osborne, Mike (2004). Defending Britain ... twentieth century military structures in the landscape. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-3134-X. 
  • Wills, Henry (1985). Pillboxes: A Study of UK Defences. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-436-57360-1. 

[edit] External links