NHER 27534 (Monument record) - Sites of World War Two defences

August 2005. Norfolk NMP.
A group of World War Two defences are visible on Great Yarmouth seafront, to the west of Britannia Pier, on aerial photographs (S1) to (S4), centred at TG 5310 0772. They form one segment of a long line of defences stretching all the way along the seafront, but are set back slightly from this line in order to surround the landward end of Britannia Pier. On photographs taken in September 1940, the only elements of the site that are visible are two road blocks which barricade Prince's Road and Regent Road. These are partially obscured by shadow and it is not clear whether or not they extended all the way across these roads. Road blocks of this type, dating to the early years of the war, have been mapped elsewhere along the seafront (e.g. NHER 27429). They are probably the barricades constructed from herring barrels filled with concrete which were erected across all the roads leading from the seafront (S5).

It is not possible to tell from the consulted aerial photographs whether the road blocks were still in place in 1941 (S2) but they were removed before July 1944 (S4). By March of that year (S3) barbed wire and/or anti tank scaffolding had been erected in a V shaped arrangement over the road and flowerbeds in front of the entrance to Britannia Pier. This enclosed a small, square structure which is visible on photographs taken in 1941 (S2) and could be a non military building dating to the pre war period, such as a kiosk. By 1944 (S3-4), however, it had been provided with a blast wall or sand bags on its east side and it was almost certainly used by the military or a civil defence organisation, even if it was not of military origin. A large group of what are probably vehicles is also visible within the 'enclosure' on photographs taken on 26 March 1944 (S6). Like the barbed wire or scaffolding, the possible pillbox had been removed by 1945 (S6).
S. Tremlett (NMP), 3 August 2005.