Skip to main content

Mount Bures MG Pillbox - Eastern Command Line, Essex

Had a great day this Sunday exploring the Eastern Command Line between Bures and Sudbury, but started off the day by visisting the bent rail block and pillbox at Mount Bures. The Eastern Command Line in Essex ran from the River Colne to Wakes Colne, when it then followed the railway line to Bures and then from Bures it followed the River Stour to Sudbury into Suffolk.

Parking in Mount Bures the first pillbox I came across was a standard CRE 1094 - a bullet proof infantry pillbox with an open central well for a AA mount. It guards a bridge under the railway line.



Above: CRE 1094 pillbox, Mount Bures

Further along the path  a remarkable survival exists (if a little overgrown!!) in the form of a pillbox complete with bent rail block and concrete tank blocks at a crossing point over the railway line. The bent rails block the crossing on the pillbox side while on the other side of the line, eight concrete blocks in two rows block the crossing. Either side of the block, the railway line is either in a cutting or on a raised embankment.


Above:  Sketch of blocks and pillbox covering a crossing at Mount Bures

The pillbox is unusual in that it is for apparently for a medium machine gun and would appear to be of a unique design.  The design is a  regular hexagon shell proof pillbox with a main embrasure for a medium machine gun and five embrasures for a rifle/light machine gun.  A table is provided for a machine gun tripod but unlike most I've seen before does not have supporting legs. The walls are 42" thick. The entrance is the usual low level covered entrance found on many pillboxes on the Command Line.  It has a "T" shaped anti-ricochet wall. It is the only infantry pillbox built on the Command Line for a medium machine gun that I am aware of; all the other designs were for Bren light machine guns. So why was it decided to sight a medium machine gun at this point?






Above: Interior and plan of a unique pillbox for a medium machine gun, Eastern Command Line - Essex






Above: Top image- the bent rail block - the pillbox can be seen hidden in the scrub to the right of the block.
Second image shows the rear of the pillbox - the bent rail block can be seen in the background.
Third image - the overgrown front of the pillbox.
Forth image - the pillbox would have had a wide field of fire
Bottom image- one of the light machine gun embrasures






Above: The concrete tank blocks. Note the blocks are covering a gap as to the left of the image it can be seen the railway runs through a cutting.

Moving onto nearby Bures, a Type 22 can be seen covering the bridge over the Stour, on the Essex side.




Next post will feature some of the pillboxes from Bures towards Sudbury.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eastern Command Line - a lazy post

As the title suggests, just a lazy post today, a few pics of CRE Colchester design pillboxes in the Sudbury area to round of the thread on this May visit. Also one pic of concrete road block cylinders now being used as part of river bank defences. This is the first time I have come across this type of road block in Suffolk although I suspect it was probably used quite widely on this Stop Line, perhaps I will come across more examples / references in time. These pictures do show a timeless landscape - traditional floodplain meadows still used for grazing, with the Second World War clearly marking its presence. Lets just hope both the pillboxes and  grazing meadows will be preserved.

RAF Hethel Defence Post

At RAF Station Hethel, a remarkable defence post still exists.  Admittedly, RAF Hethel is in Norfolk and not Suffolk, but the records for this site do provide some interest in relation to the defence of airfields in Eastern Command. Work on Hethel began in 1941 and the station was opened late 1942 and was actually one of the RAF Stations handed over to the USAAF for the use of its bomber units. The defence post was constructed in accordance with a new policy adopted by Eastern Command. Previously, airfield defences had been built as a result of the Taylor Report and largely consisted of pillboxes and breastworks which were large and conspicuous and vulnerable to air attack. Experience at Crete had shown the need for small inconspicuous field works. The new defences were to now consist of small two man weapon-slits and small machine gun pits constructed in accordance with “Infantry Training, 1937” Supplement No.3 – “The design and lay-out of Field Defences, 1942”. Above...

Anti-tank ditch

December 31st Decided to visit the anti-tank ditch at Aldringham Walks this afternoon. It was constructed between late 1940 and early 1941 and ran from (north to south) Sizewell to the north of Thorpeness Mere. Some of its length is still visible today (see map and bottom photo)). The war diary of 9th Cameronians (15th Div) mentions the construction of the ditch in Margaret Wood (vicinity of No 12 Platoon, B Coy).  The diary also mentions a pillbox being destroyed by the RE in No 12 platoons area, but no luck in finding any remains this time. The diary would also indicate the ditch was a combined obstacle with Z1 scaffolding. The top left photo shows the remains of a weapons pit/shell slit; six pieces of angle iron revetment still exist - one of the pieces is clearly visible in the photo. Perhaps this is part of No 12 platoons position. Many years ago when beating up the young woodland I found a Yorkshire billhook with the WO arrow dated 1946, so this area would appear to have ...