Site of Second World War anti-tank cubes, promenade, Clacton-on-Sea (EHER 21176)

This is the site of Second World War anti-tank cubes. Interestingly, although nothing now survives of the cubes in situ, some of the broken-up remains still survive, cast into a retaining wall behind beach huts opposite Collingwood Road.

WWII Defence of Clacton survey. Aerial photographs taken by the RAF in 1941 and 1946 show that the seafront of Clacton-on-Sea was heavily protected by anti-invasion defences. In addition to beach scaffolding, pillboxes, minefields and barbed wire, every point where tanks could either climb or avoid the cliffs was sealed by a row of concrete anti-tank cubes. The longest unbroken stretch of cubes was from a small lake which lay immediately west of the former Butlin’s site, TM 1640 1355, along the promenade north-eastwards to a point opposite Collingwood Road, at TM 1704 1402, where the rising ground and growing cliffs made them unnecessary. <1> <2> These cubes can be seen very clearly on photographs taken at ground level in July 1941 and 1944. The 1941 photos are a series taken of soldiers working on the anti-invasion defences by the Butlin’s Martello Tower (for more details see EHER 21178). The 1944 photo is one of a 3.7-inch ‘Diver’ site (see EHER 21179) with the cubes running along the side on the promenade. <3> <4> All of the images show that the cubes were set in a staggered pattern, close together, around 300 cubes in total over the half mile distance. They appear to be cast directly on to the promenade surface rather than set into it with a footing. The site was visited in 2006 by Fred Nash. Interestingly, although nothing now survives of the cubes in situ, some of the broken-up remains still survive, cast into a retaining wall behind beach huts opposite Collingwood Road. <5>