Immediately N of Roman Way Camp stands a pillbox almost completely hidden by thicket. At the time of the site visit it was possible to see just one loophole through the undergrowth and to determine that the construction was of brick and concrete. However, an aerial photograph taken in April 1946 shows it clearly as a large (probably 20' across) hexagonal type with its entrance on the NW face. From this position it overlooked the anti-tank ditch which crossed the area some 20 yards from its S face.<1> One photo of site.<2>

SITE ASSESSMENT: Although it was impossible to ascertain the condition of the pillbox at the time of the site visit, there are few survivors from the wartime defences of Colchester. Every effort should be made , therefore, to ensure the continued survival of this part of the Borough's recent heritage.

In 1940, the songwriter Ross Parker, then in his mid-twenties, was stationed at Roman Way Camp. The previous year, together with Hughie Williams he had written "We'll Meet Again", which was to become a wartime favourite, sung by Vera Lynn. Now he was in the throes of composing a new song, one which was, like his previous hit, particularly redolent of the times. It was "There'll Always be an England". Unable in the noisy barracks to find the peace and quiet he needed to continue his work, he regularly retired to the one place he could be alone - the local pillbox. There is every chance this very pillbox still survives. All the wartime defence sites in the area have now been recorded and the three most likely candidates still exist, all close to the barracks. SMRs 20546/MCC4968, 20547/MCC4969, 20548/MCC4970. It would be a fitting tribute to both the composer and to Colchester's World War Two heritage if a "There'll Always be an England" plaque could be erected at one of these three sites.

See also <3> & <4>.