Monument record LWT 083 - World War II military strongpoint, incorporating pillboxes, trenches and a gun emplacement.

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Summary

A military strongpoint of World War II date on Gunton Warren, incorporating pillboxes, trenches and a gun emplacement

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 6547e 2963e (176m by 234m)
Map sheet TM62NE
Civil Parish LOWESTOFT, WAVENEY, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (5)

Full Description

1940 aerial photographs (S1) show a number of sections of trench, two pillboxes (at TM54669622 & TM54699634) and a gun emplacement (TM54649617) on Gunton Warren. The possible gun emplacement and a stretch of trench, c 30m long, are located to the west of Corton Road, while the other features are on the coast side of the road. There may be other features in the area at this date, but it is not possible to be sure from the photographs. At this date, there is no barbed wire surrounding the features. By 1941, photographs show (S2) that the features to the west of Corton Road have been surrounded by barbed wire, while there are other stretches of barbed wire amongst the features to the east of the road. Later in 1941, more barbed wire has been erected around a section of trench to the east of the road (S3). Aerial photographs from 1944 show broadly the same features, although there appears to be an extra pillbox, c 5.5m across, at TM54729627. By late 1945, vegetation has begun to obscure a number of the features in this area (S4). The function of this strongpoint is unclear; it may have been a practice site, or could have been a decoy site. Neverthless, it would have been a component of the coastal defences of this area during World War II.
Beach scaffolding shown in Figure 30 of the source (S5).

Sources/Archives (5)

  • <S1> Photograph: RAF. Air Photograph. 2/BR236 FrmsA14-A15 19-Jul-1940.
  • <S2> Photograph: RAF. Air Photograph. 2H/BR165 FrmsA9-A10 24-Dec-1941.
  • <S3> Photograph: RAF. Air Photograph. HLA/686 Frm3199 2-Mar-1944.
  • <S4> Photograph: RAF. Air Photograph. 106G/UK930 Frm4242 16-Oct-1945.
  • <S5> Bibliographic reference: Liddiard, R. and Sims, D.. 2014. A Guide to Second World War Archaeology in Suffolk. Guide 1: Lowestoft to Southwold. 1.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Jan 2 2024 3:32PM

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