Eastern of two Concrete Second World War 4-inch gun emplacements

Summary

Second World War concrete 4-inch Beach Defence gun emplacement. Built probably late 1940 or early 1941.

Reasons for Designation

The eastern of two Second World War concrete 4-inch gun emplacements at Little Cliffsend Farm, Ramsgate, probably built in late 1940 or early 1941 to defend the potential invasion beach at Pegwell Bay, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: very few examples of hardened Second World War Beach Defence Batteries survive nationally;

* Structural interest: an unusually elaborate design for 4-inch gun emplacements, where there is also evidence of the use of natural camouflage, incorporating existing mature trees in the structure;

* Internal features: the emplacement retains its original internal camouflage paint in the open-fronted gun room and a rare surviving hand-drawn ranging diagram;

* Historical interest: an important reminder of the threat of invasion in the early years of World War II and of the type of structure designed to defend the shoreline;

* Group value: the emplacement groups with the Grade II-listed beach defences on Pegwell Bay which the battery was sited to defend.

History

The beach defences at Pegwell Bay were laid out during the summer of 1940 as part of the anti-invasion measures belatedly undertaken after the German conquest of Northern Europe and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, France. Following the appointment of General Sir Edmund Ironside as Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces in late May 1940, a policy of defence in depth was adopted. The principal defence line, the General Headquarters (GHQ) Line, was planned inland from the coast to enable a strategically flexible response imposed by the lack of available manpower following the losses on the Continent. The GHQ Line was preceded by a number of lesser stop-lines. The importance of delaying the invasion forces at the point of landing was also stressed and so what Ironside termed ‘Coastal Crust’ defences were erected on vulnerable stretches of coast, including Pegwell Bay, considered a likely landing beach. This involved erecting various obstacles to impede amphibious landings including various types of concrete anti-tank obstacles, mines and barbed wire entanglements. These were supported by pillboxes, Emergency Coastal Batteries (especially around ports) and Beach Defence Batteries. Much of this work was completed by the late summer of 1940. After November 1940, as the threat of invasion receded following the Battle of Britain and a more mobile doctrine of defence was espoused by Ironside’s replacement, General Alan Brooke, no more coastal pillboxes were constructed. Despite this, further anti-tank obstacles were gradually added to beach defences including Z1, a barrier consisting of scaffolding poles anchored just below the low-water mark. After Germany’s invasion of Russia in June 1941 the likelihood of invasion receded further and few new beach defences were erected.

The battery at Little Cliffsend Farm at the north-western corner of Pegwell Bay was probably established between the summer of 1940 and early 1941. The battery, designated as a Beach Defence Battery, was sited in an elevated position to provide flanking fire along the shore of the bay. It is likely that the pair of 4-inch guns were initially installed on temporary mountings in sandbagged emplacements, using the mature trees on the site as camouflage, and the substantial concrete gun houses constructed around them at a later date. This is indicated by the incorporation of the trees within the gun houses. Although apparently originally manned by Royal Marines, the battery was later provided with army personnel; it is recorded in the 198 Infantry Brigade (Independent Brigade)'s Defence Scheme, dated 22 October 1940, under the heading of Troops in Area, sub-heading Coast Defences. By late 1942, when the threat of invasion had decreased, it was probably taken over by Home Guard units. The former naval guns were either 4-inch breech loading (BL) guns or possibly 4-inch quick-fire (QF) guns. The rather elaborate design of the emplacements indicates that the former was the more likely as these required dedicated storage for the separate shell and cartridge.

The western emplacement, which was slightly different in plan to the eastern, was converted into accommodation linked to the adjacent house in 1972.

Details

Second World War concrete 4-inch Beach Defence gun emplacement. Built probably late 1940 or early 1941.
MATERIALS: reinforced concrete with brick semi-circular front walls.

PLAN: broadly rectangular in plan. It consists internally of a hexagonal gun chamber with a wide embrasure on the long south side and machine-gun loopholes in the two sloping side walls. To the rear of the gun chamber is an angled east-west passageway accessed from the gun chamber by a central opening and with external entrances at either end. To the rear of the passage openings give access to a rectangular magazine with three chambers. The passage has an entrance to the west. Compared to the other emplacement to the west, which had entrances at both ends of the passage, the emplacement has a modified plan based on the need to accommodate a mature tree just to the north-east of the gun chamber. The emplacement is therefore extended eastwards and because the tree would have blocked the eastern external entrance, a rear entrance is provided in a further extension of the building to the north. This is reached via a short flight of steps and the entrance corridor has a low concrete bench. A loophole replaces the eastern passage entrance of the western emplacement.

EXTERIOR: the emplacement is constructed of 1m thick reinforced concrete with the marks of the timber shuttering apparent. The roof has a slight ‘deflection chamfer’ and a semi-circular cantilevered canopy, projects over the front of the embrasure; this is partly damaged, exposing a railway rail used in the construction. In front of the embrasures is a low semi-circular brick wall with a central gap. This wall enclosed the gun mounting; the square steel gun-plate remains in situ. The west wall is indented to accommodate a tree used for camouflage. The tree is still (2015) in situ. The eastern wall is obscured by a modern earth bank.

INTERIOR: the roof of the gun chamber is supported by a steel I-beam. The emplacement retains its internal green and brown painted camouflage pattern. On the eastern side-wall of the gun chamber is a faint line drawing of the seashore showing landmarks which would have been used for ranging the gun. Most of the inscriptions are no longer legible. A cement-patched hole in the roof marks the position of an internal tree, providing additional natural camouflage from aerial reconnaissance, which was removed in 1990.

All original fixtures and fittings, including signage and internal and external doors and frames, have been removed.

Sources

Books and journals
Dobinson, C S, 20th Century Fortifications in England VoIume 2 Coast artillery, (2000)

Other
WW2 Artillery Battery Statement of Significance - Architectural Archaeology (June 2015)

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