Second World War D-Day embarkation hard, ‘NS Stone Point’, River Blackwater (EHER 20298)

A Second World War embarkation hard at Stone Point on the River Blackwater, known as 'site NS'. It was built by the Admiralty between 1942 and 1943 under the control of Nore Command in preparation for D-Day. This was a four-berth hard for landing craft transporting troops (an LCT hard). It consisted of a concrete loading ramp equipped with steel framed mooring points called 'dolphins'. Embarkation hard sites were built with associated access roads, approach roads, transit areas and accommodation and ancillary buildings. The hard remains at the site and is used as a berthing area by a sailing club. It covers an area of approximately 82 metres (or 90 yards). The mooring 'dolphins' have not survived. This was one of 15 embarkation hard sites under Nore Command.

June 1999. World War Two Defences in Maldon survey: site visit. In preparation for the anticipated landing on the shores of mainland Europe, which became reality with the 'Overlord' operation in June 1944, a program to construct a chain of embarkation hards was set in motion in the summer of 1942. During the following 12 months, 68 of these concrete aprons and their attendant facilities were built around Southern Britain, each capable of berthing between one and five landing craft. One of these was laid down at The Stone, River Blackwater, as the base for four Landing Craft, Troops or Landing Craft transporting troops (LCT’s) and this still survives. Now the berthing area for Stone Sailing club, the hard is situated between the seawall and the river’s edge and covers an area up to 90 yards wide. <1> <2> The relatively flat landward part of the area has been laid down as solid concrete while the seaward sloping run-up area has been formed from individual slabs cast into small squares, presumably to provide traction. No 'dolphins', the steel-framed mooring points, have survived. Behind the seawall, in the garden of a bungalow called 'Espero', is a curved-roof hut made of corrugated-asbestos sheeting. Approximately 42 feet long, this can be seen on 1960 aerial photographs and will have been one of probably several such buildings erected to accommodate the hardmaster and embarkation staff officers, and to act as the central control room, workshops, etc. <2> <3> Seven photos. <4> December 2008. World War Two Defences in Maldon survey: desktop assessment. A report on Naval Control at Southend and The Thames, written in July 1945, includes a chapter on Burnham-on-Crouch. Regarding the hards at Stansgate Abbey (EHER 20299) and Stone Point it states: 'Training Grounds The preliminary boat work was carried out in the River Crouch, where the mud helped to prevent serious damage to hulls and propellers. Later, the classes moved to the River Blackwater, distance 5 miles by road and 20 miles by sea, where two major landing craft hards, at Stansgate and at Stone were brought into use as practice training areas for advanced training. These hards with the close proximity of Osea Island, gave first class training in the actual embarkation of heavy vehicles, guns and tanks, followed by a landing on Osea Island, guided and controlled by Royal Naval Beach Commandos; with attacks on pillboxes erected by the military on Osea Island earlier on, but not now tenanted, followed by an evacuation and return to the hards. These exercises which were organised for every week gave the advanced classes of the pupils a general insight as to how a landing was organised, and what they might expect to find on reaching the enemy shore – realism was given by blank cartridges and thunder-flashes.’ <2> <5> Site Assessment. Nationally, four of the 68 wartime embarkation hards were designated as 'embarkation beaches'. Of the remaining sixty-four, twenty-one have not been traced and three have been destroyed. Just forty are therefore thought to still survive. <6> In Essex, ‘NS Stone Point’ and ‘NM Stansgate Abbey’ (EHER 20299) remain extant while five sites in Tilbury have not yet been researched by the World War Defences in Essex project. The two embarkation hards on the River Blackwater are therefore both nationally and locally important and every effort should be made to ensure their continued survival, ultimately with statutory protection. <2> See also <7>. NRHE data transfer: A Second World War embarkation hard located at Stone Point on the River Blackwater. This was a four-berth hard that was built between 1942 and 1943 for Landing Craft transporting troops (LCT). It was controlled by Nore Command. Further embarkation hards for Nore Command were located at Stansgate Abbey (EHER 20299), Cat House (TM 194 391), two sites at Landguard (TM 282 313, TM 284 320, TM 284 327), Shornmead (TQ 691 748) and Pontoon Hard (TQ 758 701). A further five sites at Tilbury and two sites at Upnor have not been traced. Embarkation hards were built by the Admiralty as part of 'Operation Overlord' to load landing vessels in preparation for D-Day and the invasion of occupied Europe. A total of 68 individual hards were constructed between 1942 and 1944 across the Southern coast of England in every county between Suffolk and Cornwall. There were two types of embarkation hards: LCT hards for landing crafts for troops and LST hards for landing ships carrying tanks. A standard hard consisted of a rectangular concrete apron that sloped down into the water, which was equipped with steel framed mooring points (known as dolphins) to moor the vessels during loading. Hard sites included access roads to link the hards to public highways, approach roads to accommodate the concentrated heavy traffic and transit areas for marshalling troops, vehicles and equipment. Accommodation and ancillary buildings at hard sites would include offices for embarkation staff; a central control room; a workshop for maintenance crew; stores; a watch hut and a latrine. Sites were also fitted with fuel, lighting and utilities. <1> The installation was taken over after release by the navy in 1945 by the Stone Sailing Club in 1949 and is it's headquarters today. The site still contains foundations of the original buildings having been used as part of the Club's new building over the years. The site was also built as a refuelling facility and the river estuary was full of Mulberry harbours and ancillary floating equipment until being broken up on the beach during 1946. The site was built by Prisoners of war mainly Italians who were housed in a camp which were the Oyster cottages and Riverview guest House just close to the Hard. The prisoners were quite free and worked on local farms and mixed quite freely with the locals. The ancillary curved roof building in <3> was 'nothing to do with the site as it was built in the early 1950s by Mr Percy Young for his pig and chickens'. <8>