Monument record MCC5119 - WWII Pillbox (destroyed), W of Ford Street Hill, Ford Street, Aldham

Summary

Pillbox (destroyed), W of Fordstreet Hill, Ford Street.

Location

Grid reference Centred TL 9217 2664 (13m by 15m)
Map sheet TL92NW
Civil Parish ALDHAM, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 1949 show what was probably a pillbox in a field 30 yards W of Fordstreet Hill. Its shape is indistinct. In this position it would have been 90 yards NW of the pillbox at TL 9225 2662 (SMR 10975/MCC4787) and would have overlooked, from a high hillside, the former path of the anti-tank ditch (SMR 10976/MCC5115) and road barrier (SMR 10977/MCC5117) around the S side of Fordstreet 150 yards to the N.<1><2>

An aerial photograph taken in 1960 shows no sign of the pillbox.<3>

Each of the bridges across the R. Colne Eastern Command Line appears to have been covered by an FW3/28 artillery pillbox during WWII. One visible long, straight edge plus the very close proximity of the infantry pillboxes suggests that this may have been an FW3/28 sited to cover the road barrier on Fordstreet Hill where the Eastern Command Line followed the anti-tank ditch across the road.

See also <4>.

Sources/Archives (4)

  • <1> AP: RAF. 1946. 106G-UK 1492-3133-4.
  • <2> AP: RAF. 1949. 58-304-5258.
  • <3> AP: Hunting Surveys Limited. 1960. Run 13-039.
  • <4> Unpublished document: Nash, Fred. 2007. SURVEY OF WORLD WAR TWO DEFENCES IN THE BOROUGH OF COLCHESTER. VOLUME 1. Volume 1.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Jun 15 2020 8:14AM

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