Admiralty scaffolding
Admiralty scaffolding, also known as Obstacle Z.1, or sometimes simply as beach scaffolding[1] or anti-tank scaffolding,[2] was a British anti-tank and anti-boat obstacle design made of tubular steel. It was widely deployed on the beaches of southern England, eastern England and South West England during the British anti-invasion preparations of World War II,[3][4] though scaffolding was also used, but more sparingly, inland.[5]
Design and use
[edit]Of a number of similar designs, obstacle Z.1 was by far the most common. This design comprised upright tubes 9 feet (2.7 m) high and 4 feet 10 inches (1.5 m) apart, connected by up to four horizontal tubes. Each upright was braced by a pair of diagonal tubes, at approximately 45°, to the rear.[6] 20-foot (6 m) wide sections were assembled and carried to the sea to be placed in position at the half tide mark as an obstacle to boats.[6]
However, trials found that a 250-ton barge at 5+1⁄2 knots (6.3 mph; 10.2 km/h) or an 80-ton trawler at 7+1⁄2 knots (8.6 mph; 13.9 km/h) would pass through the obstacle unimpeded, and a trawler easily pulled out one bay with an attached wire rope.[7] Tests in October 1940 confirmed that tanks could only break through with difficulty. As a result, Z.1 was adopted as an anti-tank barrier for beaches thought suitable for landing tanks. As an anti-tank barrier, it was placed at or just above the high water point[6] where it would be difficult for tanks to gain enough momentum to break through. In some places, two sets of scaffolding were set up: one in the water against boats, and one at high water against tanks.[8]
The problem of securing the barriers on sand was overcome by Stewarts & Lloyds' development of the "sword picket"– This device was later known at the Admiralty as the "Wallace Sword".[7][9]
Barriers ranging in length from a couple of hundred feet to three miles were constructed, consuming 50% of Britain's production of scaffolding steel[6] at an estimated cost of £6,600 per mile[6] (equivalent to £460,000 today[10]). Despite this, many miles of Admiralty scaffolding were erected using more than 15,000 miles (24,000 km) of scaffolding tube.[9]
After the war, the scaffolding obstructed swimmers,[11][12] and was subsequently removed for scrap. Remaining traces are very rare, but occasionally revealed by storms.[13][14][15][16][17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Beach Scaffolding". Online Thesaurus. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Anti-tank Scaffolding". Online Thesaurus. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "The threat of invasion – June-September 1940". Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ^ "Fear of Invasion – Beach Defences". Historic Cornwall. Cornwall Council – Historic Environment Service. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Foot 2006, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e Beach Scaffolding Defence; Trial – WO 199/1618. The Catalogue, The National Archives
- ^ a b "Scaffolding". Anti Invasion Defences of Suffolk. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ^ Foot 2006, pp. 130–137.
- ^ a b Wills 1985, p. 42.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Ann Broad. "Beach Scaffolding Makes for Difficult Swimming on the Sussex Coast". Walberswick Coastal Defences of World War II. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Removal of Bathing Ban at Bournemouth. British Pathe. 1944. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Beach scaffolding – Lunan bay, Angus". pillboxesuk.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ "Beach Scaffolding, Pig's Bay to Wakering Stairs, Shoeburyness/Gt Wakering". Unlocking Essex's Past. Essex County Council. Retrieved 5 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "WW2 Coastal Defences Salthouse, Kelling & Weybourne North Norfolk". Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ "Wartime Beach Defences are Revealed at Tregantle Beach, South East Cornwall in 1987/88". Cyber Heritage. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Ruddy 2003, p. 25.
General references
[edit]- Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 1-902771-53-2.
- Ruddy, Austin (2003). British Anti-Invasion Defences 1940–1945. Official Handbook of the Pillbox Study Group. Historic Military Press. ISBN 1-901313-20-4.
- Wills, Henry (1985). Pillboxes: A Study of UK Defences. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-436-57360-1.
Collections
[edit]- "The National Archives". Repository of UK government records. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
Further reading
[edit]- Mark Harrison. "Forgotten Frontline" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
