On the way up to visit family in Yorkshire,
I stopped off in Docking, Norfolk, to view a couple of Tett Turrets discovered
by Justin Aldis. Justin remembers
playing in these turrets as a child, and they are basically the same 30 years
on. They have survived in a strip of scrub between pasture and housing in the
village. As far as I am aware, the only other known remaining examples of
Tett’s are at RAF Hornchurch and on the Isle of Man, so these are an incredible
survival and just illustrate what is still out there to be found.
Above: Location and fields of fire of the Tett turrets. They were presumably located to control the approach to the village
The Tett turret was designed and
manufactured by Burbidge Ltd of East Horsley, Surrey. The specification was a
mounted turret on a sunken concrete pipe. They also recommended siting turrets
in inter-connecting trios (reference: “Pillboxes
of Britain and Ireland”, M Osborne).
Above: Two sketches of the Tett Turret. Top image shows the manufactures specification of mounting the turret over a sunken concrete pipe.
The two turrets are about 12 ft apart,
joined by a concrete tunnel (approx 29” diameter). The turrets are mounted on a
sunken brick structure, the walls being 1 ½ bricks wide (giving an approx 15” thick
wall). The internal dimensions of the
brick structure are 42” wide, 72” long and 53” high. One of the structures has
an apparent entrance, which I assume would have originally opened into a slit
trench allowing access to the turret. A
spur concrete tunnel leads off the tunnel joining the two turrets; I did not
explore this as Justin informed me that it has already collapsed along its
length (where did it lead to - perhaps a third turret??). The turrets are cast concrete and are mounted
on a concrete ring. A 6” thick concrete slab forms the remaining roof of the
brick structure. A metal seat (or step) is suspended from the turret. The
turrets have an 8” wide embrasure and five splayed observation slits.
Above: Plan of brick structures and concrete pipes (with turrets shown) and profile of the brick structure.
The basic design seems similar to the
example at Sudbury (which has sadly now been destroyed) i.e. the turret mounted
on a brick chamber rather than the manufactures specification of a sunken
concrete pipe.
Above: The Sudbury Tett turret (now destroyed), also mounted on a brick structure.
So what exactly was the purpose of a Tett
turret? The following text is from my website:
“An alternative to concrete works capable
of withstanding determined attack was the small steel machine gun post
distributed in depth as found during the last year of the Great War – the Hobbs
casemate. This was basically a steel
cupola mounted over a 3ft 9 in pit with only 18in showing above ground level.
The rationale for this was the age old problem of gun and armour – the gun
would always win in the end. Even the Maginot type of fortification was not
impregnable. These small posts were inconspicuous, easily hidden and were
bullet and splinter proof. It would be hard for a tank to hit except at short
range. GHQ noted that a number of similar designs existed at the War Office and
were worthy of further trial. They would require less steel per weapon to be
protected than reinforced pillboxes. They were designed to fit into a system of
field defences. Presumably the Tett Turret and Allan Williams Turret were
examples of these designs. The idea was never really taken up as so few of
these structures were constructed.
The design for the Tett Turret was a
rotating steel turret mounted onto a sunken concrete pipe but the only known
examples (including one at Sudbury, Suffolk – now destroyed) actually had
concrete turrets. It could incorporate two rifle men or a Bren gunner and his
number two. It was primarily designed to defend road junctions, its lower
profile than a pillbox being its main selling point. It proved too cramped and
it was argued a slit trench would provide similar protection so only a handful
were ever constructed.”
Above:
Images 1 to 5 - the turrets
Image 6 - interior showing suspended seat / step and entrance to concrete tunnel
Image 7 - entrance to concrete tunnel
Image 8 - concrete tunnel (note the spur tunnel running off the main tunnel)
Image 9 - view through the embrasure
Image 10 - observation slit
Image 11 - entrance to the brick structure of the southerly turret
Image 12 - bearings on which the turret rotated on
I must admit I don’t know much in detail
about Norfolk’s defences. Docking was a category A Nodal Point / Defended Place
and also a Brigade HQ. The military seem to have adopted quick and easy
constructed prefabricated structures to defend Docking – a number of Norcon
pillboxes also survive in the village. More conventional pillboxes can be found
in nearby villages and at RAF Docking. Justin informs me there is an active
local history group in Docking, currently concentrating on WW I but hopefully
they will turn their attention to WW II soon, so we may get to find out more
about these amazing survivals and the history of Docking during WW II.
Above: Top - a Norcon pillbox which is nearby to the two Tett turrets. Bottom two images show a conventional Type 22 pillbox at the site of what was nearby RAF Docking.
