80 years on - New perspectives on Second World War anti-invasion defences

2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the construction of the anti-invasion defences of the Second World War. We are also nearing the 20th anniversary of the completion of the Defence of Britain and Defence Areas projects. It is now imperative that detailed fieldwork and documentary research is undertaken at a local level to record and show the significance of surviving anti-invasion defences. This webinar will present current research being undertaken to record, interpret, assess, and ultimately better understand this relatively short but important part of 20th century history. Neil Redfern will introduce the session and share some of his experiences working on the CBA's Defence of Britain proejct. Peter Hibbs and Chris Kolonko will then present ongoing research, focussing on their efforts to develop archaeological and historic research methodologies to ensure the future preservation of wartime anti-invasion defences and the session will end with a discussion and Q&A. The webinar will also highlight the UK Second World War Heritage group; set up in 2018 by Chris and Pete to promote public involvement in the archaeological recording of Second World War sites with local Historic Environment Records. Chris Kolonko - Filey Bay- A Coastal Crust case study Analysis of the wartime defensive landscape is key to helping us better understand how anti-invasion defences were planned and how they would have functioned. This talk will look at some of the methods of interpretation developed to assess and understand the anti-invasion defences of Filey Bay. Use of aerial photographs and GIS software has been key to adding additional value to the archaeological recording of the surviving and lost wartime on this stretch of coast. The talk will highlight the importance of detailed archaeological recording to identify and understand the function of the defences on this stretch of the Yorkshire coast. Peter Hibbs - Pillbox excavation at Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex Using archive documents and landscape evidence, Pete will discuss how an act of vandalism lead to the archaeological excavation of a pillbox at Cuckmere Haven in 2015. First recorded by the Defence of Britain Project, the detailed story behind our pillbox was hard to establish due to its almost complete burial within a flood defence bank. This focused study will look at the design of a unique structure and how evidence from nearby contemporary features can tell us something about the people building these anti-invasion defences in 1940.