Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Vancott huts


Moonraker

Recommended Posts

We've had threads about Armstrong, Aylwyn, Tarrant, Nissen and Adrian Huts, but Vancott huts ...

 

See here

 

I can find no more about them, but I suspect that they were never adopted by the army. I can't see their " very slender timber construction", albeit with "the box-like form giving great strength", surviving the rigours of Salisbury Plain.

 

Does anyone know more?

 

(I'm ploughing through old NZ newspaper, courtesy of PapersPast. Another article for late 1914 announced that George V was considering having a house built within sight of Stonehenge so he could more easily review troops training on Salisbury Plain!)

 

Moonraker

 

Just come across - again - the George V-Stonehenge article here

  (Scroll down.)

Edited by Moonraker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its raining so ...

There is a piece of real estate named Vancott just north of Sirault in Belgium, where 17th Northumberland Fusiliers (52 Div) ended the war. It's opposite a cemetery but no War Graves. 

Not much help, but no other places of that name found, leading me to suspect that if there was such a hut, it might be named after a person.

Acknown

Afterthought: An early name for a type of hut that was replaced by a more common name?

Edited by Acknown
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Admin

Following up on Acknown's suggestion (it is raining here too) the Van Cott's are / were a prominent Mormon family. I have tried searching for Cabins and huts with little success so far....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A wiki page exists  for a John Van Cott 1814-1883 who was a leading Mormon & is said to have trekked across the US plains several times. Its easy to see that a quick to build & assemble hut would have been required in establishing their settlements & the name carried on to a hut design in WW1.

Edited by travers61
missing space
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

this is on display in the RE museum and shows RE postal service staff. The huts in the background look rather flimsy and I couldn’t track down what they were. They match the “slender timber construction and box like form”.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Dave1418 said:

Hi

this is on display in the RE museum and shows RE postal service staff. The huts in the background look rather flimsy and I couldn’t track down what they were. They match the “slender timber construction and box like form”.

Link?

Acknown

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 24/09/2019 at 20:56, Moonraker said:

We've had threads about Armstrong, Aylwyn, Tarrant, Nissen and Adrian Huts, but Vancott huts ...

 

See here

 

I can find no more about them, but I suspect that they were never adopted by the army. I can't see their " very slender timber construction", albeit with "the box-like form giving great strength", surviving the rigours of Salisbury Plain.

 

Does anyone know more?

 

(I'm ploughing through old NZ newspaper, courtesy of PapersPast. Another article for late 1914 announced that George V was considering having a house built within sight of Stonehenge so he could more easily review troops training on Salisbury Plain!)

 

Moonraker

 

Just come across - again - the George V-Stonehenge article here

  (Scroll down.)

Interesting- could Vancott stand for "Van Cottage"? as the description makes them sound like a mobile home

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No  apparent Vancott Huts but some interesting WW1 structures (who woulda fort it the Sun can be useful :-D) https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7692534/world-war-one-hidden-reminders-missed/

 

I could imagine structures like these finding their way into civilian use after the war- but a wooden construction on an iron frame has probably sunk into the ground by now- as collapsed shepherding huts around the downs will testify....

 

The Papers past article appears to be a direct "lift" from the British press- the same article appears on oct 29th 1914 in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette and the Lincolnshire echo Oct 28th (BNA). 

 

And for a different type of "Collapsible Hut" (sounds dangerous :-D ) try The Aberdeen Weekly Journal of 19 Feb 1915 (Tommy's Little Wooden Hut) complete with photo.

 

Edited by Madmeg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Madmeg said:

Unknown U-Boat? Surely one of our experts knows! http://www.medwayyachtclub.com/2015/09/ww1-u122-submarine-wreck-medway/UB 122, it seems.

Acknown

Edited by Acknown
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/09/2019 at 18:32, Acknown said:

Link?

Acknown

6C6094B3-080E-40E8-AB8B-F50FE5771B42.jpeg.332d992ce40d2ce283aac156d3a9b173.jpegD59349C5-CE61-4C58-9FE9-74CBC7539152.jpeg.10871e6025217d488d1d7a40f907377b.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Dave. They are indeed flimsy!

Acknown

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...