WW1 and WW2 Defences - Suffolk and beyond

On our recent Somme trip, we spent quite a bit of time walking the fields over which the RND attacked during Nov 13th - 14th 1916 during the Battle of the Ancre, so a post on this seems a good idea. The reason we spent so much time in the area is that it was the first time either of us could remember that the entire area of the RND attack to their first objective, the "Green Line" on Station Road and the slopes behind it, was walkable (i.e no fields in crop). On 13th Nov the attack was launched while still dark and with a thick mist. The Division made gains on the "Yellow Line" (second objective) on both the right and left sides of it's front.  This was largely due to the initiative of the commanders on the ground, Colonel Freyberg (who won the VC for his actions) and Lt. Commander Gilliland. However in the centre, the attack was brought to a complete standstill by a Redoubt between the German first and second line of trenches, both the Haw...

Cheddar Villa was the name given to a farm on the west side of the road from Wieltje to St. Julien.  The area was part of the German gains during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. Part of the defences was a massive concrete pillbox, one of many in which the Germans waited in for the expected assault which began on 31st July 1917 -  the Third Battle of Ypres. Above: The German pillbox at Cheddar Villa. A wide main embrasure would have taken an artillery piece while at least one embrasure for a machine gun can be seen. There are three separate chambers in the pillbox.  The last image shows all types of scrap metal were added to the reinforcement! Cheddar Villa was captured on the first day of the battle - the 13th Royal Sussex captured 17 German officers and 205 soldiers from the dugouts and pillboxes at St Julien. The opening day of the offensive was reasonably successful, due to the heavy preliminary barrage o...

Catching an early ferry gave us time to stop off at a few sites in the Ypres area on our way down to the Somme. One site visited was Polygon Wood. By the time of the Third Battle of Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood was a German Strongpoint comprising of pillboxes and trenches. Above: Two images of the area just after Polygon Wood was captured showing the devastation.  In the top image the Butte (old shooting Butte used by the Belgium Army) can be seen in the background. The second image shows troops of the 7th Brigade holding a series of isolated craters and trenches.  At one corner of the wood a shooting Butte used by the Belgium Army until 1870 had been fortified by the Germans with machine guns, tunnels and dugouts. It was also a key observation point, with the trees gone, shattered by shellfire. As part of Third Ypres, the Australian 5th Division attacked and captured the wood on 26th Sept 1917. This was the one of the Division's best achievements d...

On my way up to Birmingham to meet up with my brother for our annual Somme March Trip, I stopped off at Ixworth, at the kind invitation of Steve Wilson, to view the remaining village WW2 defences. Steve has done an incredible amount of research on the Home Guard at Ixworth, you can see this on http://www.ixworthvillage.co.uk . As Steve has told the story of the Ixworth Home Guard better than I can, this Post will just be some images of the remaining defences, of which I was extremely fortunate to be shown by Steve. Above: Spigot mortar in a private garden, found by the owner with his lawn mower while cutting the rather overgrown grass having just moved into the house!! Above: Spigot mortar on the High Street, now incorporated into a front garden flower bed. Above: The most complete surviving Spigot mortar position in the village, again in private grounds. Although the most complete, not the most surprising survival which is next up: ...