Monument record IPS 743 - World War II Anti-tank ditch, Ipswich.

A World War II anti-tank ditch is visible on aerial photographs from 1944 to the north of Ipswich, centred roughly on TM16864642 and visible for nearly 2km. This stretch of anti-tank ditch is part of the World War II defences for Suffolk. This section of the anti-tank ditch defences is made up of two components; a ditched defence, with slight banks on either side. On photographs from May 1944 show the ditch having been recut, with the resultant spoil being piled up to create a bank on the either side. A second 'arm' of ditch runs from circa TM16794656 to TM16404665. This appears to be located to provide an additional element of protection to an anti-aircraft battery (IPS 742). Sections of the anti-tank ditch was excavated as part of an archaeological evaluation of the area (IPS 616). Helen Saunders (Essex County Council), April 2014. (S1-S3)