At high water, the beach at Selsey Bill (including Medmerry) is heave shingle, and at low water hard sand and light shingle. Landings by enemy vessels with a draught of up to 5 feet were practicable. The beach at Medmerry was backed by the Broad Rife. The beaches were classed as suitable for landing heavy mechanised units, although exits were generally poor and onto open fields only, except on the west side from East and West Wittering where there where exits onto main roads and from the Lifeboat House westwards where there was also an exit onto a main road. On the east side, Pagham Harbour provided a small inlet that could be suitable for landing small craft. Following the fall of France, Britain became a theatre of war, and the south coast of Britain was the most likely place for a German invasion. At this time Montgomery’s 3rd Division briefly held the south coast until early July when it was relieved so it could act as a mobile counter-attack force at...