Wartime Defences Resurface on River Bank, Evoking Childhood Memories

An individual residing in her birth village recounts her memories of World War Two defensive structures that have recently become visible on a river bank. Celia Henry, an 83-year-old resident of Cambois, Northumberland, recollects inquiring of her mother about the “scaffolding” on the beach and receiving the response: “To stop the Germans.” These metal poles, which had been concealed for numerous decades, were observed at the Wansbeck’s mouth. Colin Durward, a historian who manages Blyth Battery, a wartime location situated six miles (9.6km) to the south, expressed his conviction that these structures were intended to impede landing craft. In 1940, the Northumberland coastline underwent extensive fortification due to concerns about a potential Nazi invasion. Over the past year, increased coastal erosion, driven by high tides and winter storms, has exposed several defensive elements, including the poles and concrete tank traps. The poles found at Cambois bear a resemblance to those identified at Meggie’s Burn in Blyth in 2021. Mrs. Henry additionally recalls the gun battery located in Cambois, which she believes was disassembled sometime between the 1950s and 1960s. She stated, “It was in the field opposite my house, and there were lots of soldiers.” She added, “After the war we used to play in the camp, there were Nissen huts there.” For numerous years, the beach remained inaccessible to Mrs. Henry. She recounted, “There were landmines on the beach and my Aunty Nolly saw three people blown up there, so we just played in the fields.” She further noted, “There was barbed wire everywhere, but in the years after the war they must have taken it all away.” Mr. Durward indicated that Mrs. Henry’s recollections corroborated his assessment that the poles served to safeguard the battery. He explained, “They would rip the bottom out of any landing craft trying to go up the Wansbeck.” He also remarked, “The problem is, there is so little written down about exactly where the defences were.”