Site of Second World War anti-invasion scaffolding, Clacton-on-Sea (EHER 21178)

This is the assumed extent of Second World War anti-invasion scaffolding running along the sea front at Clacton from the pier at its north-eastern end to at least the breakwater at its south-west, but possibly as far as Jaywick.

WWII Defence of Clacton survey. A series of ground-level photographs taken during World War Two, in July 1941, shows soldiers working on military defences along the seafront at Clacton. The caption, with the photographs in the Imperial War Museum, states that they are members of 6th Northamptonshire Regiment erecting anti-invasion steel scaffolding at the high water mark. However, it is known that most of Britain’s coastal ‘outer crust’ had been completed the year before. It is probable therefore that either the men are tightening up the scaffolding clamps after gales had worked them loose or, more likely, the photos were taken as a publicity morale-boosting exercise. The photos show very clearly the area of the coast each side of the 'Butlin's' Martello Tower and at least one is taken from the top of the tower itself. The most significant features are the unbroken 'fence' of anti-invasion scaffolding which ran along the beach from, seemingly, a groyne at TM 1656 1361 northwards past the Martello Tower, and a parallel row of staggered anti-tank cubes on the promenade less than 50 metres away (see EHER 21176). <1> Although the north end of the scaffolding cannot be seen on the photos it is known that the fence continued for at least a mile and ended where it abutted the pier at TM 1733 1445. In all this length it was set into the beach just below the high water mark. This is known from a rarely surviving plan of the defences along the seafront at Clacton-on-Sea which now exists in the Essex Record Office. The plan was drawn in July 1944 by the Royal Engineers in Colchester and the War Department Land Agency and shows scaffolding, anti-tank cubes, pillboxes, road barriers, etc. along the stretch of the front from Collingwood Road to Connaught Gardens East. <2> While it is reasonably certain that the north-easterly extent of the scaffolding was at the pier, it cannot be positively stated where the south-westerly point was. From the ground-level photos it appears to have ended at the NGR given but may, in fact, have continued through Jaywick. Nothing of it now survives and aerial photographs taken in 1946 show that it had already been taken up by that date. <3> <4>