Leighton Hill Government Quarters (1st generation) [1921-1941]
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Submitted by Admin on Sun, 2012-12-16 10:42
Current condition:
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed:
1921-02-28
Date Place demolished:
1941-12-16
Tags:
Photos that show this place
 1924 |
 1924 |
 1925 |
Comments
Leighton Hill Officers' Quarters
The annual reports for the Public Works Department report on their construction:
1920:
87. Quarters for European Officers, Leighton Hill. - This work was referred to in paragraph 91 of the 1918 report and paragraph 88 of last year's Report.
By the end of the year, the houses 8 in number were nearing completion.
The buildings are two storeys high and comprise the following accommodation:-
[...]
1921:
86. Quarters for European Officers, Leighton Hill. - The work of the erection of two blocks of four houses each is referred to in paragraph 87 of the 1920 report. These buildings were completed in the month of February.
A Contract was signed towards the end of the year for the rection of two additional blocks of three houses each. Messrs. Denison, Ram and Gibbs are the Architects for this work.
[...]
1922:
88. Quarters for European Officers, Leighton Hill. - The erection of the two additional blocks of three houses each referred to in paragraph 86 of last year's report proceeded fairly satisfactorily during the year and by the end of December one of them was nearing completion and the other one was well advanced.
[...]
1923:
95. Quarters for European Officers, Leighton Hill. - This work was referred to in paragraph 88 of the Report for 1922. The work proceeded satisfactorily during the early part of the year, one of the two blocks of three houses each being completed in May, and the other one in June.
[...]
For now I'll set the completion date to 1921, but once it is clear how they were divided I'll split this into two Places, one for the first two blocks of four houses each, and one for the second two blocks of three houses each.
Demolish Date
These buildings were destroyed in the fighting in 1941
1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment War Diary:
"At about 1430 (16th December 1941) the whole of Leighton Hill was subjected to a very heavy bombardment by high velocity guns which succeeded in setting light to one block which burnt itself out completely, and every other house was hit, Bn HQ miraculously escaping with one casualty RSM Robert Challis. One civilian, a Mr Beddow was blown to bits."
Source