Record Details
| NHER Number: | 51969 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of World War Two rail block |
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Summary
A World War Two rail block is visible as a group of what are probably concrete sockets, set between the lines and sleepers of a railway on 1940s aerial photographs. In the event of an invasion vertical and bent rails would have been placed into the sockets in order to impede enemy vehicles such as tanks. It was sited at a strategic point on the Norfolk Railway Yarmouth line (NHER 13571), where the defensive anti-tank ditch (NHER 51893) crossed the railway, 500m to the south of another such railblock on the Norwich to Cromer line (NHER 51968). Railblocks of a similar design have been noted elsewhere at Great Yarmouth (e.g. NHER 27412). Further anti tank cubes were visible 255m to the east on the Norwich to Yarmouth line (NHER 32535).
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 2761 0842 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG20NE |
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| Parish: | THORPE ST ANDREW, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
March 2009. Norfolk NMP.
A World War Two rail block is visible as a group of concrete sockets on aerial photographs (S1) and (S2), centred at TG 2761 0843, on the line of Norwich’s defensive anti-tank ditch (NHER 51893). It was sited on the Norwich to Yarmouth line (NHER 13571) with a large anti tank cube either side of the railway line. The lines of sockets would have held anti tank obstacles in the form of bent and vertical rails or 'pins', in order to impede enemy vehicles such as tanks (S4). Railblocks of a similar design have been noted elsewhere at Great Yarmouth (e.g. NHER 27412). Further anti tank cubes were visible 255m to the east on the Norwich to Yarmouth line (NHER 32535).
E. Bales NMP), 10 March 2009.
Monument Types
- ANTI TANK HAIRPIN? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- ANTI TANK OBSTACLE (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- ANTI TANK VERTICAL RAIL? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- RAILBLOCK (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- TANK TRAP (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| <S1> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. RAF 106G/UK/789 6245-6 10-SEP-1945 (NMR). |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1428 4417 16-APR-1946 (NMR). |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1428 3418-9 16-APR-1946 (NMR). |
| <S4> | Serial: Dobinson, C.S.. 1996. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England. Volume II. Anti-Invasion Defences of WWII.. Vol 2. |
Related records
| 13571 | Part of: Norfolk Railway (Yarmouth, Norwich and Brandon) (Monument) |
| 51893 | Related to: Site of World War Two defensive anti tank ditch around city of Norwich (Monument) |