Archaeology Notes
Event ID 857907
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/857907
NJ36NW 5.00 3317 6583 to 3000 6706
For westward extension of coast defences see NJ26NE 14.00 and for coast battery see NJ26NE 30.00
NJ36NW 5.01 NJ 3317 6584 Pillbox; Anti-Tank Blocks
NJ36NW 5.02 NJ 32747 65969 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.03 NJ 32377 66084 Pillbox; Anti-Tank Blocks
NJ36NW 5.04 NJ 32057 66225 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.05 NJ 31687 66334 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.06 NJ 31345 66429 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.07 NJ 30978 66613 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.08 NJ 30739 66721 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.09 NJ 30370 66860 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.10 NJ 30036 67043 Pillbox; Anti-Tank Blocks
NJ36NW 5.11 NJ 3148 6633 to NJ 3132 6579 Firing Range (new)
NJ36NW 5.12 NJ 32841 65892 Firing Range (old)
NJ36NW 5.13 c.NJ 3374 6562 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.14 c.NJ 3367 6564 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.15 c.NJ 3358 6570 Pillbox
NJ36NW 5.16 c.NJ 3326 6578 Pillbox
Anti-tank blocks running along the shore with integral pillboxes. (Extends onto sheet see NJ26NE 14.00).
J Guy 1992; NMRS MS 810/1 1992.
Grampian Regional Council note the following:
GRC NJ36NW 6 3285 6590 Rifle range butts. Elongated N-facing mound of earth and sand with target supports on foreshore; many spent bullets are to be found in the mound.
GRC NJ36NW 7 3275 6597 Pillbox and anti-tank blocks. Complete line of anti-tank blocks along shore with integral pill boxes. This one measures about 14 ft long by 6 ft wide and just covers the outside of the blocks. Designed for one door with blast wall; three loopholes designed for machine guns.
GRC NJ36NW 8 3237 6609 Pillbox and anti-tank blocks. Complete line of anti-tank blocks along shore with integral pill boxes of two types. This one is of the larger type, covering both sides of the blocks, and is designed for machine guns with five large and two small loopholes.
Visited by J Guy, 2 December 1992.
NMRS, MS/712/9.
Air photographs: AAS/97/12/CT.
NMRS, MS/712/29.
Post-war RAF vertical air photographs (106G/UK 750, 5001-17, flown 31 August 1945) show the complete defence line between Kingston and the River Lossie. Visible is a single line of anti-tank blocks with the integral pillboxes at each change in direction of the blocks. The OS 1:10000 scale maps and (1974 and 1975) also depict the line of blocks and the pillboxes. The single line of anti-tank blocks is continuous to NT 2740 6826 (on NT26NE). All pillboxes visible on the 1945 air photographs have been recorded, but some may not have survived to the present day.
This section forms the right sector (Kingston to the River Lossie), part of the anti-invasion beach defences of Moray which ran from Cullen Bay to Burghead Bay. The defences include pillboxes, infantry observation posts, artillery observation posts, Home Guard observation posts, Home Guard Defended localities, keeps, wire obstacles, aircraft immobilisation poles, tubular scaffolding and two sections of airfield perimeter defences which included the light and heavy anti-aircaft batteries possibly providing a secondary beach defence role. (Lossiemouth and Kinloss).
Information from RCAHMS (DE), November 2002
A visit to the anti-invasion defences in February 2008 noted that the line of blocks remained almost complete along with the assocated pillboxes and blockhouses and emergency coast battery (NJ26NE 30.00). Nearly all of the line of blocks have been constructed using the shuttered concrete technique and most retain their metal lifting loops. The pillboxes are nearly all type 24 with alternate small rectangular' blockhouses' the whole length of the beach. Only one pillbox woud appear to have suffered from under-cutting by the sea, that at NJ 28406 67905 (NJ26NE 14.05), the structure now leans to one side. The erosion has ocurred since 1992 when Mr J Guy visited the site.
In addition, several of the anti-landing trenches or ditches were noted running across the links behind the beach. They survive as a series of elongated pits many filled with water or beach pebbles running at right angles to the line of anti-tanks blocks. The anti-tank blocks and pillboxes now stop about 1300m W of Kingston,and it is not known whether the WW III remains including further pillboxes survive under the shingle and pebble deposition.
These ditches and trenches are visible on RAF WW II vertical air photographs (241cE1-E2and B1 to B10, flown 13 March 1941). Examination of World War II vertical air photographs show that the section between Kingston and the now demolished 3rd pillbox to the W (NJ36NW 5.15), was a double line of anti-tank blocks, whilst the rest of the line of blocks to the W was single.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE, NG), 27 February 2008.
