Pillboxes and their role in the defence of Sudbury

 

Foxearth & District Local History Society Sep 2024
“Pillboxes and their role in the defence of Sudbury”

On the rather wet evening of 10th September a very respectable number of
hardy souls, gathered at Foxearth Village Hall to hear Kevin Gault’s talk on the
above. This was an event eagerly anticipated by yours truly, knowing something
of Kevin’s depth of knowledge and research of the subject, and he certainly
did not disappoint.
Long after WW2, these familiar marks on our landscape are still very obvious
and Kevin provided a wealth of information on the purpose, construction and
even the cost (a very reasonable £153.11 per pillbox). One important purpose
of these sturdy concrete structures was to provide reassurance to local
populations that serious thought had been given to defence planning should the
invasion threat become a reality.
The River Stour would have represented a considerable obstacle to an invading
force and defending it was therefore extremely important to prevent it being
crossed, hence the proliferation of defensive positions in the Sudbury area.
But it is not just pillboxes. A raft of other measures included bridges being
wired for demolition and improvised road barriers. which could be quickly
deployed.
There was a great deal of creativity and local variation in defensive measures
but the attempted disguise of a pillbox as a petrol station would hardly have
fooled a 3 year old let alone a Panzer division. A proposed mobile pillbox was
worthy of “Dads Army” and probably not a good idea. Its farcical appearance
would have been more likely to reduce any invading force to fits of laughter.
The question time at the end provided an opportunity for some of the audience
to share their own experiences of wartime Sudbury. The best anecdote
related to a situation where a large tree was blocking the line of sight from a
strategic point. The answer? blow it up! Unfortunately the amount of explosive
necessary was seriously overestimated with the result that, as well as the
tree, the windows of the houses over a considerable area were blown out. This
faux pas was cleverly explained away by blaming it on the wayward aim of a
Luftwaffe bomber.
I would add that my mother, when starting work as a telephonist in WW2, was
given a length of wood and was told it was for use as a defensive weapon to
repel any enemy, as on no account must the telephone exchange be allowed to
fall into enemy hands!
Thanks to Kevin, I can now tell the difference between a Type 27 pillbox and
the bigger and stronger anti-tank Type 28. I will also be looking out for the
“Essex Lozenge” and “Suffolk Square”. Not only that, I know what a “spigot
mortar point” was and the very place in Long Melford where one was once
deployed.
Finally if you happen to spot Kevin wading through nettles or peering into
flowerbeds, do not be alarmed. He will be looking for any remains of WW2
infrastructure, new examples of which are still being discovered and added to
the historical database.
David Mercer