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Lowestoft Online > Community > Strictly Lowestoft > History Closet > Topic: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins
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munga
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WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Posted: 03 August 2010 at 05:28 PM »
After reading the post bout the tunnel in Florence Rd(excellent post), i was wondering if anyone had info or pics about the WWII bunkers at the back of pontins. I am sure many people here played there as kids, and in later life i have always wondered what it actually was. I seem to remember what i would guess as gun enplacements(metal studs in a semi circle on a bed of concreate. I am sure also there used to be tunnels into the cliff as well. Does anyone have any good info?

Cheers
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CybertraxUK
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #1 Posted: 03 August 2010 at 06:44 PM »
Im sure I read somewhere that there is a lighthouse in that area, currently staffed by volunteers.  Not sure if this lighthouse was in place during WWII though. 
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munga
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #2 Posted: 03 August 2010 at 06:46 PM »
The lighthouse is a "coastwatch" programme manned by volunteers as you rightly stated, the lighthouse is almost next to where i am talking about on the cliffs
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morty1753
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #3 Posted: 03 August 2010 at 07:27 PM »
Quote from: CybertraxUK on 03 August 2010 at 06:44 PM
Im sure I read somewhere that there is a lighthouse in that area, currently staffed by volunteers.  Not sure if this lighthouse was in place during WWII though. 

The lighthouse was certainly there in WWII. My wifes Great-Grand Father was living in the light house in 1901. I don't believe it was actually used as such at the time and appeared to be accomodation for the workers from Hall farm.

It appears from the census that there were possibly 2 families living there.
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ruth9
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #4 Posted: 27 August 2010 at 09:46 PM »
I remember playing in the tunnels as a child. There were a few small brick built shed like buildings above ground too. One had a couple of  bed sized concrete slabs that we used to call the mortuary as we thought it looked like slabs for dissecting dead bodies. I don't know what they actually would have been used for but our imagination used to run away with us!
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paulears
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #5 Posted: 27 August 2010 at 10:20 PM »
The concrete slabs were the bases for the generators, the gaps were covered originally with the cabling underneath. I too used to play in them in the late sixties - but they're long gone now, somewhere on the beach. In fact I only found out they'd fell over when I went looking for them a few years ago. The erosion there is quite extreme - and a lot of land has been lost. The Rifle range fence went over a long time ago, and people can now walk around the target area - which was quite a bit inland in the 60s. From memory, there were two large openings for the guns, and these areas were linked with tunnels. There was even then, one small bunker with roof access that was filled with water, and there was also the standard Royal Observer Corp bunker, that at that time still had the three bunks inside - but this wasn't used for Civil Defence as the others were at Corton and Hopton.
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Paul Johnson
ruth9
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #6 Posted: 27 August 2010 at 10:30 PM »
Thanks for that paulears. I 've always wondered what they were actually for. We used to have great fun scaring each other in the tunnels, lots of little alcoves and tunnels off the main tunnel to hide in and jump out of! Quite dark in places too if I remember rightly.
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #7 Posted: 27 August 2010 at 10:41 PM »
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GBxaXsxv0QQ/TEiVce8gW0I/AAAAAAAAA24/hkbPktqM0CY/s1600/2010_0719pakefield0030.JPG&imgrefurl=http://pillboxesinsuffolk.blogspot.com/2010/07/kessingland-pakefield.html&usg=__XieSBPCcfKJBCyADjrQh2GN5ZXM=&h=768&w=1024&sz=160&hl=en&start=38&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=_FVDBJbGZm5O-M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPakefield%2BCliffs%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

Could this be it?
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paulears
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Re: WWII Emplacements - Back of Pontins « Reply #8 Posted: 27 August 2010 at 11:14 PM »
That's it! I've always wondered why these kind of installations, don't get the same kind of historic treatment that other wartime features do? I enquired a couple of years ago with WDC to see if the small bunker at the bottom of Normanston Drive would be considered disposal/lease or rental - I needed a bit of secure storage, and thought it could be useful - but WDC went and checked and reported that the underground space was flooded - and emptying and retanking would be impossible.

We've got some unique wartime and cold war history along the Suffolk/Norfolk coastline, and apart from the enthusiasts, few people even know about it.
Paul
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Paul Johnson
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