Monument record WLV 042 - Embarkation Hard, Woolverstone Hall

A World War II embarkation hard (see WLV 029) and associated camp are visible as a series of structures and earthworks on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s, centred on TM 19373873 in the grounds of Woolverstone Hall. The site includes a concrete hard on the foreshore at Cat House, TM 19453905, which appears to have a number of associated nissen huts. Three small square concrete structures are also visible in the river channel at TM 19353916. Two large circular structures measuring roughly 17m in diameter, both surrounded by a rectangular banked enclosure, are visible away from the foreshore at TM 19373899 and TM 19123887. These are possibly fuel stores. To the south, closer to the hall itself, three groups of military buildings are visible, one at TM 19373873 which consists of particularly large nissen-type huts, one at TM 19493876 and one at TM 19383858, which may be accommodation barracks. To the south of the barracks, zigzag slit trenches are visible, possibly representing the remains of air raid shelters. (S1-S6) The embarkation hard was built as part of Operation Overlord in preparation to send vast numbers of troops to the Normandy beaches for the D-Day landings. The hard was probably built in late 1942 or early 1943. This hard was not scheduled for use during the D-Day operations but remained on 24 or 48 hour notice for action throughout the period. (S7) The remains of the embarkation hard are still extant according to the modern base map. (S8)
The site of a Second World War embarkation hard at Cat House on the River Orwell, known as site NK. It was built by the Admiralty between 1942 and 1943 under the control of Nore Command in preparation for D-Day. This was a 4-berth hard for landing craft carrying troops (LCT). It consisted of a concrete loading ramp equipped with steel framed mooring points. Embarkation hard sites were built with associated access roads, approach roads, transit areas and accommodation and ancillary buildings. This was one of fifteen embarkation hard sites under Nore Command (S9).