Wartime defences on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal were mainly located along the length between Wigan and Liverpool, writes Mark Stevenson.
Part of the defences was the Pill Box, which was meant for rifle and light machine guns. There were six basic designs of Pill Box but many adaptations were made dependent on the materials to hand in the area.
There is said to be a Pill Box set in place at what was then the Aire Vale Dye Works (opposite Fallwood Marina along the canal in Bramley) to help protect the area should the Germans wish to pay a visit.
This is not the only Pill Box left over from the war.
The wall that runs along the length of what was then Kirkstall Forge (now the train station) still has two loop-holed defensive positions (technically not a Pill Box) set at the entrances to Kirkstall Forge on the A65.
The position was on a raised platform with no roof.
Probably more of a security check point than a Pill Box on the other side of the wall false window frames and door were added to fool any German bombers into thinking it was housing and not the Forge itself.
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