Being forced to remain indoors by my most beautiful and intelligent niece. A Radio 4 play (yawn) was occurring and the musical genius was playing the piano in appropriate places. She I must say was magnificent! Displaying the talent, intelligent understanding of the role, and sheer ability that left me wondering if indeed her dad really was my brother. However the play concerned a famous ballet choreographer, her men, and the Queen Mother. I confess I preferred the piano to the old queens. 'Drama,' never reflects real life, and the characters of the characters offered made me puke wish to turn off and listen to a woman talking about her baby! The old queens I've worked with always appeared decent enough folks for the most part, those at the top of their profession however always give me the impression that folks fawning around them has turned their head somewhat. That will not happen to my favourite pianist, her mother informs me!
But I digress, I began by attempting to inform you (those still awake) that I had spent that 45 minutes radio listening by wondering through the old albums. There I found this picture of a disused pill box. This was one of many installed across south east England in 1940, the intention being to hinder a Nazi advance. The policy was in fact erroneous, the better tactic, and one Rommel attempted in 1944 was to stop a bridgehead being built on the landing beaches. Once that is secured the day is lost, which is what happened in June '44. However these pill boxes were built in many spots considered able to defend any advance. Many still exist in back gardens, overseeing railway lines and river crossings, and here in the fold of a hill. Quite why this one is here, somewhere in the north of Essex or the south of Suffolk I cannot remember, but some general of sorts considered something worth defending here, most probably the roadway, or railway, now removed.
These small concrete emplacements would have held two or three men and a couple of machine guns. Their chances of survival under a real invasion would have been slim, although the enemy would not have been kindly disposed towards them I suspect. These low doors, often you have to crawl to enter, now find use as storehouses or play area s for children. Some are preserved as memorials others rot slowly and the vast majority have been removed. The effects of war remain for many years, some notable, many unseen, all enabling us to be grateful the invasion never occurred.
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