Second World War military camp, Walton-on-the-Naze (EHER 20833)

Second World War military camp includes home guard training area, decoy and anti aircraft battery.

The Second World War military camp comprises of various features relating to defence and training including Diver sites, bomb craters and possible anti-glider ditches. <1> <3> An aerial photograph taken in July 1946 shows a WWII 'Diver' site at the north end of the Naze at Walton. The number of guns has not been determined as the soil marks from the 'Pile' platforms are intermingled and overgrown by other features, but they are in a straight line pointing ENE. 300 yards to the west at the end of a large field are the accommodation huts; approximately 48. These are mainly curved-roof, probably asbestos. <4> Site visit September by F. Nash in 1999: The area of the gun platforms is now a thicket with grassy paths and nothing can be seen to have survived from the 1940s. The field which held the accommodation huts has not been walked, but from the sea wall it can be clearly seen to have been returned to agriculture with nothing remaining. Site visit by F. Nash, 2005: Second World War military camp at Walton on the Naze. Includes Home Guard training area, decoy and anti-aircraft battery. <7> While some features were mapped as part of the original NMP, further features were mapped as part of the 2009 update programme, including a possible anti-aircraft battery and various banks which are presumed to be part of the military camp <5> - <6>. The 'Diver' site was not obvious on the aerial photograph viewed in 2009. A structure with associated platforms was mapped on the original NMP although it was not classified as a possible 'Diver' site. The individual WWII military features on the Naze now have their own SMR records. The two 'Diver' sites are EHER 21364 (K7) and EHER 21365 (K8).