Monument record KSS 038 - World War Two anti tank ditch

A section of tank trap running c 1.3km from near Pakefield Hall to north of Kessingland can be seen on 1944 aerial photographs (S1). It consists of a length of ditch, sometimes using existing water courses, some sections of which have associated banks of spoil, others do not. The tank trap does not appear on photographs from June 1941 (S2), but a small section can be seen under construction on photographs of July 1941 (S3). The construction of the feature was thus begun between these 2 dates. Before the construction of the ditch type tank trap, a short section of scaffolding (GSE 057) created a defence obstruction near Pakefield Hall, and the newly constructed ditch type tank trap can be seen following the line of this briefly (S3).

June 2014. Lothingland, Lowestoft and North Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Mapping Programme.
Earthworks of a further section of the World War Two anti tank ditch are visible on aerial photographs (S4-S10), to the south-west of that described above, as far as the parish boundary with Henstead with Hulver Street. At least two gun emplacements and/or possible weapons pit have been recorded at the southern end of the tank ditch, near the Hundred River, presumably situated to aid in its defence.
A cropmark of the northern section of the ditch described above was mistakenly recorded as a trackway in the past (SHER KSS 026).
The anti tank ditch is visible to the southwest and has been recorded further south as SHER BNC 086. The overall record for the anti tank ditch is SHER REY 099.
E. Ford (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 12th June 2014.