WW1 and WW2 Defences - Suffolk and beyond

Thought I had posted this already, but  looking back through the blog evidently not! So as I had to revisit the site for another project, seemed a good time to post. Just north of the anti-tank cubes in front of Goose Hill, a series of linear depressions in four rows can be seen (much the same as those at Shingle Street which I know I have posted on!) and are quite possibly evidence of a minefield. Above: Aerial in which the series of craters are clearly visible. Bottom shows a GPS plot of four rows. Documentary    evidence shows minefields in the area from 1940 onwards, but the only document I've found to date which states the type of minefield is from 1942. The extent of the minefields in this area were certainly increased between 1940 to 1942. Above: The craters are in the dunes, just to the north of the line of anti-tank blocks. Middle image shows one of the craters, with the tank blocks in the distance while the crater in the bottom i...

Last week I was up in Lincolnshire on a work related trip and managed a quick 15 mins to visit the Emergency Coastal Battery at Freiston. This battery was manned by 321 Coast Battery. This is arguably one of the best surviving Emergency Coastal Batteries  in Britain. The two holdfasts for the 6" Mk VII guns are still in place as is the overhead cover of the gun emplacements and both Coastal Artillery Searchlight Emplacements. The battery sits on top of a seawall, although post war  reclamation of salt marsh means the seawall the battery sits upon is no longer on the shore line. Other buildings associated with the battery can be found on the rear side of the embankment. Above: The two gun emplacements. Bottom image shows one of the holdfasts for the 6" guns. According to William Foot (Defended England 1940), the emplacements had been disguised by adding pitched roofs to their tops so they looked like houses. This camouflage was still in place into the m...