World War Two Defences Emerge on Northumberland Beach

Metal structures, believed to be World War Two defences installed to counter a potential Nazi invasion, have surfaced on a beach. These rows of poles were observed at low tide on Sandy Bay in Cambois, Northumberland, earlier this month. Colin Durward, a historian who manages Blyth Battery, a wartime location situated six miles (9.6km) further south, stated his conviction that their purpose was to obstruct landing craft. He remarked, “They don’t emerge often but they are a reminder of just how real the fear of a German invasion was.” Mark Richardson, from Cullercoats, North Tyneside, noticed the collection of metal while walking his dog. Mr. Richardson commented, “My parents had a caravan at Sandy Bay and I used to fish, so I was always at that spot.” He added, “I don’t get up there as much these days but I’ve never seen them before.” The Northumberland coast has receded by several metres in certain areas due to high tides and winter storms. This erosion has brought to light old pipes and other World War Two fortifications, such as lines of tank traps. “The poles look like the same kind of structure that emerged in 2021 at Meggie’s Burn in Blyth,” Mr Durward noted. He elaborated, “Following Dunkirk in 1940, they fortified the whole coast with big tank blocks and then scaffolding poles which would rip the bottoms out of boats.” He concluded, “There was definitely a battery at Cambois, so it would make sense, it’s just there wasn’t a lot written down about these defences.” Nick Best, the assistant archaeologist for Northumberland County Council, commented: “From a photograph it is difficult to be sure, but anti-invasion features are a common occurrence along this section of coast, including some very clear examples of World War Two defences exposed at Blyth recently.” He further mentioned, “There were also the familiar anti-tank cubes and in some cases barbed wire and fence posts.”