Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

February 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A World War Two military camp is visible as a collection of structures, buildings and earthworks on aerial photographs (S1)-(S5), centred at TG 4977 1722. The camp made use of a pre-existing holiday camp (now Hemsby Holiday Camp), whose chalets and communal buildings would have provided ready-made accommodation for troops. The purpose of the camp is not clear but it may have been used as a training camp. Only those features which appear to have been of military origin have been mapped by the NMP.

Some of the disturbed ground associated with the camp may be visible on an oblique aerial photograph taken in August 1940 (S6), but it is first clearly visible on photographs taken in 1944 and on later aerial photographs (S1)-(S5). Two notable features of the site in 1944 are the areas of disturbed ground, including an area which was probably used as a football pitch at TG 4976 1714, and areas where impressions have been left on the ground, perhaps from the former presence of vehicles or temporary structures such as tents. Both of the above are visible across much of the site; the approximate extent of two particularly concentrated areas has been mapped (centred at TG 4971 1730 and TG 5983 1714), as well as that of the occupied camp as a whole. In the northern part of the site, most of the buildings appear to be part of the pre-war holiday camp and consequently have not been mapped. A concrete building at TG 5980 1731 which was removed by 1946 (S7) was probably military in origin. Two rectangular buildings or huts at TG 4985 1726 have the appearance of military structures; the northernmost may have been camouflaged in 1944 (S1) while the southern structure was removed by 1952 (S5). Further south, a hut at TG 4971 1716 may have been a Nissen hut. A cluster of huts and other structures at TG 4969 1713 are also likely to have been military. At the southern end of the site, a group of substantial earthworks is visible, most of which look fresh on the 1944 and 1945 aerial photographs (S1)-(S2). The majority were large rectilinear pits, the purpose of which is unknown. A more circular, embanked pit at TG 4970 1707 may have been a gun emplacement. A probable slit trench is visible at TG 4978 1706; the rectilinear arrangement of trenches at TG 4977 1706 may also be a slit trench. The close spacing and unfinished appearance of all these features suggests that they were dug for practice. A Type 24 pillbox is visible in the southwest corner of the site (at TG 4970 1703). The southern edge of the site is defined by a possible bank (visible between TG 4970 1703 and TG 4984 1707) or what might instead have been a line of barbed wire.

There is no evidence on recent aerial photographs of the site (taken in 1997) (S8) that any of the mapped features now survives above ground.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 6 February 2006.

Monument Types

• BANK (EARTHWORK)? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• BARBED WIRE OBSTRUCTION? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• GUN EMPLACEMENT? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• HUT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• MILITARY BUILDING (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• MILITARY CAMP (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• MILITARY TRAINING SITE? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• NISSEN HUT? (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/24) (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PILLBOX (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PIT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• PRACTICE TRENCH (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• SLIT TRENCH (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• TRENCH (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Hemsby (Parish Summary)