Henry Wills

Who is Henry Wills?

Henry Wills was a British journalist and photographer with a passion for local history and archaeology. 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 inquiries led him to conclude that there were few official records Britain’s wartime defences.

After some further investigation and some publicity on radio and in newspapers, he planned and organised the first nationwide survey of Britain’s defences. With the help of many volunteers, more than 5,000 defence sites were recorded.

The value of Henry Wills' work was acknowledged by the British Archaeological Trust and the British Broadcasting Corporation which awarded him the Chronicle Award in 1979. After 15 years of work, he published Pillboxes in 1985.