New board tells the story behind pillbox
Thestorybehindapillboxwhich is one of the best preserved nationally from the Second World Waristoldonanewinformation board on Ferring seafront.
Ferring History Group and Ferring Conservation Group have been working together to restorethepillbox,withthehelp offerringparishcouncil,ahead of its official opening in May.
Having cleared out the nine inches of water covering the floor of the pillbox, in Patterson’swalk,volunteershavebeen workingtomakethepillboxsafe andcleanforvisitorsandschool groups. The new interpretation board, which was recently installed alongside the pillbox, draws together research and artworkcoveringsecondworld War coastal defences and explains how Ferring contributed.
Generaledmund'tiny'ironside called for strong defences on the beaches to prevent landing by the enemy and rapid progress was made in 1940, includingwireonbeachesandpillboxes, with 'no frills necessary'.
Althoughtheplaqueinstalled onthepillbox20yearsagosaysit was built in 1941, an aerial photo from September 1940, taken by the Luftwaffe, clearly shows the platform and pillbox.
Ferringhasatype26pillbox, made of reinforced concrete, and the platform alongside was built at the same time. The pillbox, so called because it looked like the boxes people kept their pills in, would be manned by an NCO and three soldiers, armed with Bren guns. There were no facilities,noheatingorlight,but shifts would last eight hours.
Four minefields were placed between Sea Lane and the Bluebirdcafé,withatleast250mines and 1,600m of barbed wire fencing. Ironside was replaced by Generalalanbrookeinjuly1940 and he favoured a more mobile defence, with troops in reserve. The static rear defence, including pillboxes, did not fall in with his concept.
He said, as quoted on the information board: "I visualise a light defence on the beaches to hamper and delay landings to the maximum, and in the rear highly mobile forces trained to immediate aggressive action to concentrateandattackanylandings before they have time to become well established."
Hitler had England in his sights and after the swift defeat of northern Europe and France, he issued a Fuhrer Directive on July 16, 1940, to prepare a landing operation on a broad front fromramsgateinkenttoapoint west of the Isle of Wight.
The 10th (Ferring) Platoon of the West Sussex Home Guard was formed in 1940 and the 60 villagerswhoservedarealllisted on the information board.
The Ferring pillbox is one of the few remaining examples fromanetworkofdefencesbuilt all over the British Isles to preventinvasion,andhisbeenidentified as a structure of character and historical importance.
There is only one recorded fatal bombing in Ferring. On Sunday, March 9, 1941, a bomb fellonbyeways,insealane,now Sea Lane Gardens. Gopal Mulkani,
40, and his wife Carmen, 41, were killed in the explosion. Avisitor,mrsclottiemiddleton, was injured and the Mulkani's 16-year-old daughter, Savriti, was trapped beneath debris. Herthree-year-oldbrotherbagwan was sleeping in his cot and escaped injury. The house was completelydestroyedandalarge craterwasleftonthewestsideof where the house had been.