A FAMOUS anti-fascist slogan is among the newly discovered names and drawings left by the builders of anti-tank defences installed at a beach in Fife.
Archaeologists said the newly discovered Second World War graffiti on concrete blocks at Tentsmuir Forest will help shine a light on the “contemporary humour and culture” of auxiliary soldiers stationed in the north-east of Fife 86 years ago.
The concrete blocks at the beach, located near Leuchars, were placed in 1940 to defend the Scottish coast against the threat of a German invasion.
Researchers from the University of St Andrews SCAPE team made the discovery during a recent survey of the Second World War defences in the forest, along with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, by using sensors to locate buried sites.
Only the tops of many of the buried anti-tank cubes are visible, and some of these were marked by their builders, the archaeologists said.
The team recorded initials along with a cartoon soldier, marks left by tools like hammers and crowbars pushed into the concrete when it was still wet, along with various anti-war slogans.
The team followed the line of concrete anti-tank cubes and pill boxes where they found the outline of a monkey wrench, along with the initials AMPC, which stands for the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps.
The cube also has “The Kiddied”, a nickname for the Scots Guards, although researchers are not entirely sure what it could be referencing.
It also has several names on it, including Sgt Ince, T Gates, HB Moss, and Georgina, together with a cartoon face of a smiling soldier in a tin hat.
Archaeologist Prof Tom Dawson said that he was “intrigued” to find one cube with the slogan “No Pasaran” written on it, along with the English translation “You will not pass”.
“Although spelled incorrectly, this is undoubtedly No Pasaran!, the famous anti-fascist slogan from the Spanish Civil War,” he explained.
He added: “There is also the outline of a figure on this cube, shown in profile with a high collar.
“Although uncertain who it is meant to be, it has an uncanny resemblance to Spanish fascist leader, General Franco, although why someone would depict him in 1940 is unsure.”
Scape has been recording coastal heritage sites affected by climate change for the past 25 years.
Dawson said the soldiers creating the anti-tank defences in Tentsmuir were unlikely to think anyone would discover their graffiti.
“The invaluable help from local volunteers has helped us rediscover a secret from the past,” he said.
“The anti-tank cubes were tall and surrounded in barbed wire, and I’m sure that the soldiers building them never expected anyone to discover the marks they’d made.”
Dr Juliette Mitchell from Scape who arranged the survey, said: “Discoveries like this show exactly why Scape’s work with local communities recording coastal heritage matters – every site documented is a story saved.”
Mike Arrowsmith, member of the recording team, recognised the No Pasaran slogan and its association with the anti-fascist movement.
He said: “Many volunteers from Dundee and Fife went to fight in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and it is possible this was written by veterans themselves. It is amazing to find it etched onto a tank cube, and is a remarkable find.”
