Reighton Sands

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Neosea

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
1,270
Reaction score
26
Location
Somewhere in the middle
As part of a day fishing, I headed towards Bridlington and Flamborough Head. Reighton Sands is only down the road so this is where I end up.

History

Reighton Sands lies below a caravan park of the same name. It is on the North East Coastline in the county of Yorkshire. Access to this beach is from the caravan park, but visitors are free to use the cliff top car parks and walk down to the beach, without being guests at the park. During the season, a day pass may be available from the park to use their facilities as well.

A military defensive position in WWII, the sands have remains of hastily prepared invasion defences. A Radar Station, gun emplacements, tank traps and pillboxes, amongst others, including mine fields which helped to form the basis of Britain's defensive lines. 3 types of pill box can be found, the Ruck machine gun post, the Eared pill box and the Lozenge pill box. The Eared pill boxes are in poor shape, as is the only surviving Ruck machine gun post. The Lozenge type pill boxes are in much better condition. Most are filled with water, from a few inches to a few feet. These boxes are still on the cliff top, at least 3 of the 8 Lozenge boxes are right on the cliffs edge and are under treat of tumbling to the beach like the Eared style boxes. Along the beach are remains of tank traps and the Eared style pill boxes. They are all jumbled up from erosion and the action of the sea. It is unclear how these were deployed. The train tracks can be seen which used to run along the cliff before falling to the beach below because of erosion of the cliffs from the sea.

Occasionally pieces of aluminium, can be found on the beach, relating to aircraft lost in Filey Bay during WWII. An oxygen cylinder from a German Luftwaffe aircraft was found, dated to 1939. Probably from a Junkers JU88 as a number were shot down in the sea on 15th August 1940, whilst trying to bomb RAF Driffield. Two JU88`s also crashed at Speeton in July 1941. Shipwreaks can be found at low tide along the coast, including a submarine the "G3".


Photos

Ruck style machine gun post
IMG_8043_final.jpg


Eared pill box half buried in the sand and mud
IMG_8194_final.jpg


Lozenge style pill box
IMG_8355_final.jpg




More pictures at http://www.neolithicsea.co.uk/reightonsands.html
 
Last edited:
love that pic of the eared pillbox on the beach! .....(looks a bit like a giant turtle staggering up the beach from that angle!)
the lozenge one in 3rd pic looks in fantastic condition on the outside
 
Last edited:
love that pic of the eared pillbox on the beach!
the lozenge one in 3rd pic looks in fantastic condition on the outside

All the Lozenge type boxes on the top of the cliff are in good condition on the outside, the shelf on the inside of the boxes have disappeared. All the boxes have water inside, from a few inches to at least a foot or more. Other than that, they are good inside, one has graffiti dated back to ww2 but I only realised when I looked at the photos, or I would have got a better shot. I don't think I have ever seen so many pill boxes as there are here, at least 6 on the beach, at least another 8 on top of the cliffs. More can be found at Hunmanby Gap just a mile or so away from Reighton.
 
Last edited:
I came here in 2002 and saw these,but never knew the history of what it was...many thanx for infill.Flamborough Head was my fave visit.

regards
Stu
 
according to a book i just got, there's a really good example of a Ruck type pillbox not far from me at Sandiacre, haven't seen one apart from pics on here before:)
 
I have just looked up the ruck box at Sandiacre, as far as I can tell its roughly here How accurate it is, I can not be sure, but have fun searching for it.
 
I came here in 2002 and saw these,but never knew the history of what it was...many thanx for infill.Flamborough Head was my fave visit.

regards
Stu

Glad to be of service ;) I do plan to go back, I am often this way and see what else I can find.
 
Some excellent history there. I've not seen a ruck machine gun post or an eared pillbox before so that was really interesting. And I have to agree with Kaputnik...it does look like a giant turtle! :mrgreen:
 
Some excellent history there. I've not seen a ruck machine gun post or an eared pillbox before so that was really interesting. And I have to agree with Kaputnik...it does look like a giant turtle! :mrgreen:

Just doesn't swim very well, sinks like a concrete stone.....;)

I like these, haven't seen any of these before. Got a friend up who's working at Reighton Sands this season, so may have to go and visit her now lmao. :lol::lol::lol:

Cheers,

:) Sal

Go for it gal :cool:
 
You should have seen these in 1950. All in their original positions, and quite a lot of wire and pickets still around. The Bridlington beach defenses must have been quite a sight. My mother kept the family cafe - opposite the Spa - open during 1940 (until the danger from washed up sea mines forced the few remaining seafront businesses to close). Evidently the North and South side defenses consisted of acres of barbed wire, land mines and various small concrete fortifications. I was told that the actual Bridlington seafront fortifications, started to be dismantled prior to 1945. Certainly I do not recall seeing anything out of the ordinary, when I was taken back to the town as a six year old, in 1949. You had to walk a fair distance along the beach (in either direction) before you came across any signs of concrete. I base this not only on memory, but also on photographs taken by my father in the early 1950s
 
You should have seen these in 1950. All in their original positions, and quite a lot of wire and pickets still around. The Bridlington beach defenses must have been quite a sight. My mother kept the family cafe - opposite the Spa - open during 1940 (until the danger from washed up sea mines forced the few remaining seafront businesses to close). Evidently the North and South side defenses consisted of acres of barbed wire, land mines and various small concrete fortifications. I was told that the actual Bridlington seafront fortifications, started to be dismantled prior to 1945. Certainly I do not recall seeing anything out of the ordinary, when I was taken back to the town as a six year old, in 1949. You had to walk a fair distance along the beach (in either direction) before you came across any signs of concrete. I base this not only on memory, but also on photographs taken by my father in the early 1950s

I can not really imagine what it must have been like, it all seems so far away and so long ago. We all have a romantic picture of what it must have been like, but I am sure reality is very different. Seeing Bridlington today, with its heaving crowds, it is hard to place it in a war setting. The mines washing up on the beach must have made an impact, how did they dispose of them? All up and down the coast, like at Filey, remains of these mines are used for display and collecting money. They can also be seen as garden ornaments. I love to see old photos, do you still have your fathers pictures?
 
...(until the danger from washed up sea mines forced the few remaining seafront businesses to close)...

Are any still washed up these days, at all? I wondered because a few years ago some WW2 grenades were washed up on our beach in Seaton and the bomb disposal team were called out to explode them.

...but also on photographs taken by my father in the early 1950s

Oh please, if you have any. It would be very interesting to see them. :)
 
When I go and visit my brother next, I will dig out the albums and see what will scan etc. After mother died I kept all the pre 1946 photographs, and my brother took all the later ones - well being the youngest he appears in most of them!

It is interesting to thing of present day Bridlington as busy, but you should have tried finding a space on the South Side beach in the summer weeks of 1949 and 1950. It was packed, even the donkey rides had to go through the tide line to miss the throng. It was just like those old pictures of Blackpool beach that keep appearing on TV etc.

As for the mines. If the mine was found on dry sand, it was defused - in all probability it was a 'dud' as the fuse 'horns' did not detonate it as the mine hit the beach. If the mine was seen to be floating off shore at a safe distance, rifle fire was used to detonate it by aiming at the 'horns'. If found floating to close to shore, the usual method was to approach it by small boat, attach a line and tow it out to sea - rifle fire was then used. During the later war years HM Government issued various small, magazine like books, depicting the work of the different sections of the armed forces. The volume that tells the story of mine sweeping, has a number of pictures showing sailors in rowing boats, fending off loose mines as a crew member fastens a line to it!
Mines that washed up in an active state tended to explode - at low tide this tended not to be such a concern. Just a huge bang! At high tide the proximity of sea walls/break-waters etc that could be damaged, was a great concern. Hence trying to recover and tow to a safe distance.

There used to be a mine casing, or part there of, buried in the sand at Little Thornwick years ago. However apart from ordnance that is washed ashore from the old East Coast bombing ranges, the only stuff washed up or revealed in recent memory have been land mines. These were obviously laid on the beach and had been so covered with sand, that they had been missed in the recovery action. Subsequent coastal/beach erosion revealed them again.
 
When I go and visit my brother next, I will dig out the albums and see what will scan etc. After mother died I kept all the pre 1946 photographs, and my brother took all the later ones - well being the youngest he appears in most of them!

Thank you, I will look forward to seeing the pictures if you can scan them :mrgreen:

As for the mines. If the mine was found on dry sand, it was defused - in all probability it was a 'dud' as the fuse 'horns' did not detonate it as the mine hit the beach. If the mine was seen to be floating off shore at a safe distance, rifle fire was used to detonate it by aiming at the 'horns'. If found floating to close to shore, the usual method was to approach it by small boat, attach a line and tow it out to sea - rifle fire was then used. During the later war years HM Government issued various small, magazine like books, depicting the work of the different sections of the armed forces. The volume that tells the story of mine sweeping, has a number of pictures showing sailors in rowing boats, fending off loose mines as a crew member fastens a line to it!
Mines that washed up in an active state tended to explode - at low tide this tended not to be such a concern. Just a huge bang! At high tide the proximity of sea walls/break-waters etc that could be damaged, was a great concern. Hence trying to recover and tow to a safe distance.

There used to be a mine casing, or part there of, buried in the sand at Little Thornwick years ago. However apart from ordnance that is washed ashore from the old East Coast bombing ranges, the only stuff washed up or revealed in recent memory have been land mines. These were obviously laid on the beach and had been so covered with sand, that they had been missed in the recovery action. Subsequent coastal/beach erosion revealed them again.

That's a great insight to life back in the day. Those men towing the mines out to sea must have been very brave, and very frightened. Not sure if I would want to do it in a power boat, let alone a row boat, and I have experience working on the water. If you do not mind, I will add your information to the relevant pages on my web site. I like to fish from the beach, I have never though about land mines washing up on the beach or coming down from the cliffs due to erosion. What with weever (weaver) fish and now land mines its getting to be a dangerous place:mrgreen:

It is interesting to thing of present day Bridlington as busy, but you should have tried finding a space on the South Side beach in the summer weeks of 1949 and 1950. It was packed, even the donkey rides had to go through the tide line to miss the throng. It was just like those old pictures of Blackpool beach that keep appearing on TV etc.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
 
I am somewhat intrigued by the railway track and mention of a weighbridge. My 1938 map does not show the public railway, running near the coast at this point. It does indicate various buildings of sorts - I am sure these would not be military, a holiday camp perhaps? I wonder if somebody was extracting sand/gravel from the beach, and the weighbridge and track was part of that? All the concrete structures being built, must have required huge quantities of locally sourced sand. However I did not think that people were too bothered about gross vehicle weights in those days!

In the very early 50s, there was a large loading hopper situated on the road down to the beach, either at Reighton Gap or Primrose Valley - you could walk underneath it and sometimes donkeys were tethered to it. As I was staying in a caravan, near the Butlins Primrose Valley Camp, I think it must have been the Primrose Valley beach access road. Even then I wondered what the thing was for. Clearly it was for loading tipper wagons with sand - perhaps they did a similar operation at Reighton.
 
...the concrete structures being built, must have required huge quantities of locally sourced sand. However I did not think that people were too bothered about gross vehicle weights in those days!

Interesting info and points made, Dirus. I was just wondering if maybe the weight wasn't to do with the vehicles, but the amount of sand they were allowed to take off the beach. All coastal land belongs to the Crown and as such, strictly speaking, nothing is allowed to be removed, not even a pebble. They may have had official dispensation to take only a certain amount, hence the weigh bridge.
A bit of an off-the-wall theory, perhaps, but just a thought! :mrgreen:
 
Interesting info and points made, Dirus. I was just wondering if maybe the weight wasn't to do with the vehicles, but the amount of sand they were allowed to take off the beach. All coastal land belongs to the Crown and as such, strictly speaking, nothing is allowed to be removed, not even a pebble. They may have had official dispensation to take only a certain amount, hence the weigh bridge.
A bit of an off-the-wall theory, perhaps, but just a thought! :mrgreen:

Could be. I have been unable to find any info on the weight bridge - I assume that there was actually one there, not Chinese whispers passed down through the ages? On looking at some pictures of the rail track on the beach, it is clear that these are standard gauge section, but the lack of rail chairs and sleeper remains, makes me wonder if they were not just being used as reinforcement? I am sure the public line did not run near the coast at this point.

I have had a rethink on my comments about the buildings shown on the 1938 map. What better way to hide a secret location, than by putting it on the map amongst the holiday camp. It is common knowledge that the importance our Radar stations was not realised. You could not disguise these stations with their mast arrays. However if they were on the map - in plain public view so to speak, who would give them a second thought? Nothing secret anyhow!
 
Back
Top