Summary

WWII Minefield

Full description

Contemporary records state, ‘Minefields, gun emplacements, etc. Clacton Golf Course. Map ref. 605315’ (Mil. Ed.) <1> An aerial photograph taken in July 1946 shows the area of the golf course very clearly. A number of WWII structures can be seen together with several minefields. These are discernible by the regularly spaced craters caused by mines exploding accidentally, most likely by dogs, foxes etc. 150 yards NE of Martello Tower ‘D’, a patch of around 15 craters in an area 60/70 yards across, denotes one of these minefields.

At the Essex Record Office there exists Clacton Urban District Council correspondence from 1945-47 regarding the clearance of military defence works. From the map references given, this was minefield No. 45/43, at 610317 (Mil. Ed). The correspondence states that there were 128 mines ‘on plan’, 107 were cleared and there were 27 ‘old craters’. The site was declared safe. <3>

In 2006, the area is now part of the golf course immediately N of a small lake. No obvious signs of depressions can be seen.

<1> unknown, 1968, War Time Contraventions 1968, Clacton-on-Sea (LIST). SEX31436.

<2> RAF, 1946, 106G-UK 1673-4005, July 1946 (AP). SEX67877.

<3> War Department Lands Branch, 1945-1947, Correspondence - File TB 159 (CORRESPONDENCE). SEX67953.

Monument Types

• MINEFIELD (WWII, Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• WWII Defences of Clacton - field visits by Fred Nash in September 2006 (Ref: Nash TEN Sep 2006)

Sources and further reading

Related records

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