By Kingsley Pearce

I thought it might be interesting to some local people to learn of the wartime memories of a small boy.  Mention has been made in the past of the form of some wartime coastal defences.  My recollection of those defences being as follows (i)  a minefield on Old Hunstanton beach, with the mines being safely removed at the end of the war, assisted by the fact that plans of  the mine field were still in existence.(ii) small steel half sphere shaped machine gun cupolas situated  in the sand dunes (iii)  the two coastal defence 6”naval guns and associated trench works on the cliffs adjacent to St,Edmunds Chapel and before the cliff shelter (iv) Works to the old Sandringham Hotel former hard tennis court to provide covered fire positions to the beach area and (v) long runs of beach and Pier scaffolding to give protection against landing craft.

The Mined Beach

Occasionally during the war years, an explosion was heard on Old Hunstanton beach and a thin column of smoke could be seen rising up into the air.  The reasons given these explosions was that a dog had strayed onto the minefield,  Sadly, on one or more occasions there was also the loss of a human life.  Behind this area of mined beach, in the sand dunes were located what could best be described as small steel half spheres. I believe they were machine gun cupolas, and could accommodate two men. Access was gained from two curved large sliding steel doors, with an opening for a weapon to be fired from two smaller doors opposite. I seem to remember that inside there was also fixing provision for mounting a weapon. I think the whole half sphere itself could be rotated to provided for a wide a field of fire across the minefield.

The Cliff Top Naval Guns

Coming further back along the coastline to the town was the next line of defence, the cliff top guns. I remember seeing that on an area of the cliffs adjacent to St. Edmunds Chapel and before the first of the three cliff public shelters, large quantities of heaped up excavated chalk could be seen and trench works were taking place, no doubt to provide for ammunition stores and facilities for gun crews. The guns themselves were to be mounted on large circular concrete constructed bases.

At that time the guns had been set back some distance from the cliff edge.  When the works were finally completed the guns appeared to be partly enclosed at the sides with earthworks and on top with a form of covering and camouflaged netting roof.  All that was then visible was a projecting gun barrel in the embrasure.

As small boys we had of course attempted to more closely examine the fortifications but had been prevented from doing so.  Hunstanton at that time was I believe classed as a restricted area. A large number of troops were accommodated here in the empty houses and Hotels.

Perhaps I should mention that on the other side of the road to the lighthouse in what was then an area of fields and grass track, was sited a small sandbagged Royal Observer Corps post.  I had visited the post several times being known to one of its observers, Sam Marshall who had the china shop in High Street. The post contained a telephone, and a mounted sighting instrument to give aircraft compass and altitude angle bearings, and had a magnificent aircraft recognition manual with images and silhouettes of aircraft

The most interesting thing to me about the naval guns was that I had been told that the two large guns had been main armament taken off the heavy cruiser H.M S Exeter.  There had been a naval engagement at the river Plate between the German pocket battle ship Admiral Graf Spee, and the three British cruisers, HMS Ajax, HMS Achilles and HMS Exeter.  HMS Exeter however had been badly damaged in the engagement and in consequence had to be repaired and refitted.

I well remember that following upon the coast defence guns being installed, in due course there was the excitement caused by hearing in Glebe Avenue the loudspeaker address announcement made from the public address vehicle of Mr.E.W.Wyer, who had an electrical shop in Greevegate, The van being a green Morris 8, with two enormous loud speakers mounted side by side on its roof, one pointing forward and the other backwards. The announcements made at the time, and on subsequent occasions was “The cliff guns are having a practice shoot at 2 o’,clock you are advised to open your windows” this announcement being repeated several times as the van toured the Avenues. On grandfather’s instructions Mother duly opened the bedrooms and front room sash windows several inches.

At 2 pm there  was a tremendous crash as the first of the guns was fired.  The windows rattled heavily in their sashes and it was apparent why the announcements had been made. The guns however only fired a few shots. Grandfather had said at the time he believed that as the guns  had been mounted, not all that  far back from the cliff, and that even on heavy concrete bases he thought the vibration caused would result in cliff falls.  He was to be proved right as falls resulted.

Other Defences

Coming back further to the town, the next line of defence, after the end of the cliffs could be said to be a run of promenade towards the pier.  I believe that I can also remember a short run of high scaffolding on the beach to the right of the Pier. Underneath the Pier, which in two or three places above had short gaps in its deck planking removed to impede passage, and running out about three quarters of its length was again the high scaffolding, which then turned south and ran as far as the sewer outfall at “The Hump”  The scaffolding was obviously intended to prevent, or delay access to the beach from landing craft.  Along the run of scaffolding underneath the Pier small mines had been attached several feet up from the beach, The “mines” were about the size of a large saucepan with a projecting spike about 6” long as a detonator. I still have one of these spikes in my possession, but that’s another story!

A further piece of defensive works was alterations to the former Sandringham Hotel hard tennis court (now the small car park above the promenade shops) with having a small  brick wall on the seaward side, and then a concrete apron down to the promenade. The wall had been altered to allow for firing apertures along its length and  provide for a field of fire across the beach towards the scaffolding. I believe there was a covering running back from the top of this wall to give the effect of a long protected covered trench.

There were of course war memories of other than defence works, as for example the saga of the UXB in Glebe Avenue, a military demonstration of unusual weapons The Great Panjandrun, and a Blacker Bombard trench mortar firing from the green onto the beach.  All a long time ago now and perhaps stories for another time?