WWI sea plane landing station at West Beach, Clacton (EHER 19348)
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Summary
Seaplane landing station along the foreshore, operational from 1914 to 1916 as a substation to RNAS Grain and was the home to three seaplanes. The site was located between the two former piers (now gone) and used the nearby Martello tower as its Headquarters.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TM 1724 1413 (684m by 555m) |
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Type and Period
Description
Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import.
A Royal Navy Air Service seaplane station sited on the West Beach, between two former piers, with the station HQ in the nearby Martello Tower.
Operational from 1914 as a substation to RNAS Grain, Kent with three seaplanes it carried on until Autumn 1916, by which time it was operated by two officers. <1>.
The two piers formerly at West Beach did not survive WWII and there is unlikely to be any evidence on the foreshore, where the seaplanes were beached, to suggest its WWI use. The Martello Tower, used as the HQ, which is a Scheduled Monument, does survive. <2>.
The Royal Navy Air Service seaplane station was based on West Beach between the now demolished former piers. It used the nearby Martello tower as its Headquarters. <3>
Sources
- <1> SEX59856 Bibliographic reference: Doyle, P.. 1997. Fields of the First: History of Aircraft Landing Grounds in Essex Used During the First World War.
- <2> SEX59857 DESC TEXT: Pratt, N.. 2001. WWI airfield management recommendations and archaeological potential.
- <3> SEX76093 Webpage: Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, Airfield Finder.
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1513015
- National Monuments Record: TM 11 SE 71