Eastern Command Line - Bures

This post continues on from my last post, following a part of the Command Line north of Bures towards Sudbury. As stated in my last post, the Command Line follows the railway line from Wakes Colne to Bure, with the anti-tank obstacle being an excavated anti-tank ditch. From Bures the Line follows the River Stour to Sudbury, where the river acts as the tank obstacle.

Above: New Popular Edition One Inch OS Map showing River Stour north of Bures

The defences do not seem to be as strong along this stretch of the Command Line as in other parts between Sudbury and Lavenham on which I have already posted some details on. There is only a single line of pillboxes, typically two or three bullet proof pillboxes to every shell proof pillbox. Between Long Melford and Lavenham the typical arrangement is a front line of shell proof pillboxes covering the tank obstacle while the bullet proof pillboxes covered the rear of the front line of pillboxes. This is possibly due to the fact there are no key road / transport junctions on this stretch of the line,as well as the river being a formidable tank barrier with few crossing points Bures and Sudbury.

The pillboxes are all the regular hexagonal type with a central AA well and protected low level entrance typically found along the Command Line (the bullet proof type to drawing CRE 1094 and the shell proof type to drawing CRE 1113).

Above: This aerial photo shows the difference in size between the bullet proof type (CRE 1094) and the shell proof type (CRE1113).

The following images show some of the pillboxes along this stretch of the Command Line, in what is quite a tranquil landscape. The first three images are of the same pillbox.