1930s bombing range, 'Bradwell Bombing Range', off the coast at Sandbeach Outfall (EHER 46141)

Bradwell Bombing Range was built between 1936-1938 just off the coast at Bradwell-on-Sea, East of Sandbeach. It had two functions: one for bombing training and the other for air-to-ground firing. It comprised a bombing range with light railway (EHER 16011); a firing range; lookout towers (EHER 81347 and EHER 81399); and later, wrecks for bombing practice (EHER 81342 and EHER 81343). It was closed in 1962, and the following year the railway and bombing platforms were dismantled. When visited in 2009, very little remained of any of the associated structures aside from the lookout tower near St Peter's Chapel (EHER 81399). Traces of the light railway and pedestrian walkway can be seen on aerial photographs.

'Sandbeach' was the location for the main observation and command centre of the bombing range established in 1937. The tower stood just behind the sea wall from which point a low pier complete with narrow gauge rail tracks (EHER 16011) went out over the mud flats and then divided to reach North and South timber pyramid targets. There was also a saltings-based air-to-ground shooting range on the saltings immediately North of the tower. The wooden tower by St. Peter’s Chapel (EHER 32) is the sole survivor of the bombing range. This was the Northern observation post. Only one of the three direction corrugated iron pyramids now remains on the saltings in front of this tower. <1> January 2009. World War Two Defences in Maldon survey: desktop research and site visit. Bradwell Bombing Range was built between 1936-1938 just off the coast at Bradwell-on-Sea, East of Sandbeach. It had two functions: one for bombing training and the other for air-to-ground firing. It comprised a bombing range including targets, direction markers and light gauge railway (EHER 16011); a firing range including targets, wooden walkway and central control room; a four-storey lookout tower (EHER 82414) and two peripheral lookout towers (EHER 81347 and EHER 81399); and later, wrecks for bombing practice (EHER 81342 and EHER 81343). At the bombing range, the bombing targets were fixed wooden structures, pyramidal in shape. There was one to the North of Sandbeach and one to the South. They were located some way from the sea shore at TM 0456 0361 and TM 0479 0688 and accessed via a narrow gauge railway (EHER 16011), with bogeys. The railway ran across the saltings from the seawall at TM 0338 0520, and branched to both the North and South. Large white arrows were constructed on the land to direct the bombers to their North and South targets. The firing range was a separate series of targets in a line just off the saltings, running from North to South and relatively close to the shore. They were accessed via a wooden walkway which ran from the seawall at TM 0304 0538, to TM 0350 0539, and then Northwards along the target line to TM 0360 0599 (all off-coast NGRs are approximate). A concrete control room stood halfway along the firing line at TM 0355 0526. A large four-storey lookout tower oversaw operations from TM 0332 0517 (EHER 82414). This was connected by telephone to the central control room on the air-to-ground firing line and also to two more lookout towers. These were located at St Peter’s, TM 0317 0826 (EHER 81399), and Howe Outfall, TM 0320 0263 (EHER 81347). Aerial photographs taken in June 1960 show much of this infrastructure. For more detailed information see <2>. In separate undated notes, <3>, the author Doug Joslin states ‘In 1948, the American Air Force, chiefly from Wethersfield, began using the range firstly for air-to-ground firing … and then extensively for bombing and rockets. For this, the wrecks, still to be seen (EHER 81342 and EHER 81343), were sunk near the original target sites. Pyramid shaped direction markers were permanently positioned on the Saltings near St Peter’s Chapel, pointing to the target – these too can still be seen in their original positions.’ An aerial photograph taken in 1960 shows the markers at approximately TM 0330 0822, TM 0326 0812 and TM 0342 0803. <2> - <6> Bradwell Bombing Range was closed in 1962 and the following year the rail trackway and the target platforms were demolished. The area was visited in January 2009. At Sandbeach, nothing survives of the four-storey look-out tower or any of the structures or markers which stood on the land around it. Aerial photographs taken in 2000 and 2008, however, show the outline in the sea, of the wooden firing range walkway. The remains of the concrete central control room can also be seen, as can the faint remains of two shelters or look-out positions at the ends of the walkway, at TM 0353 0566 and TM 0359 0588. <7> <8> At St Peter’s, the look-out tower still survives, maintained and now used for bird-watching. Of the three steel pyramidal structures on the saltings nearby, just one now survives, that at TM 0330 0822. Photographs were taken in January 2009 of look-out tower at St Peter’s and pyramidal structure. <9> In 1993 the look-out tower off Howe Outfall was visited and the outline framework was found to be extant. An aerial photograph taken in 2008 shows this still surviving. <8> See EHER 10018 for 1993 photographs of look-out tower at Howe Outfall.