Site of Second World War, defence area or mine storage, Pedlars Wood, Walton (EHER 21361)

Site of Second World War, defence area or mine storage.

Contemporary records state, “Defence wiring. Frinton Park Estate, (a) Field W. of Pedlars Wood, Walton Road, (b) Field E. of Pedlars Wood. Map ref. ? 92389”, “Part of Wood thinned out & defence wiring in various directions. Section of Pedlars Wood, S.W. of Central Avenue”, “Sections of wood used for storage of mines & defence material. Part of wood thinned out for erection of defence wiring. Map ref. 691390.” <1> An aerial photograph taken in July 1946 shows the wood, with Central Avenue cutting through it, standing to the south-east of Walton Road. There are fields to the NE and SW, and to the NW across the road. To the SE is a ‘Diver’ site (SMR 21358). No huts or defence works can be seen either in the wood where the thickness of the trees may have hidden them, or in the fields either side. There is one very large flat-roofed building, by the entrance. <2> Visited by F. Nash in February 2010 as part of the Defence of Tendring survey The wood, Central Avenue, and flat-roofed building appear to be much the same as they were in 1946, although the surrounding fields are now housing developments. The wood is a nature reserve and maintained with paths, seats etc. It is reported that a large quantity of barbed wire retaining stanchions have been found in the wood and, indeed, the site visit revealed a roll of very old barbed wire and three stanchions. To the east of the large building, beneath the tall trees, there are two parallel rows of what appear to be concrete mounting blocks, fourteen in total, each two feet square, approximately one foot in height. Each has the remains of two large bolts and the impression of a one-foot square steel plate. The rows are 40 feet apart and 55 feet long. It is not known what they supported, perhaps a large wooden hut although, as stated previously, nothing of it can be seen in 1946 aerial photos or in any taken subsequently. It is not known what the major military use of the wood was, or whether the mines were stored in a building on the concrete blocks, in the large flat-roofed building which is still extant or, although there is no surviving evidence, Nissen-type ammunition shelters beneath the trees. Six photos of site. <3>